Ravi Pelodia

From Design Check to Project Control: Integrating Vendors, Fabricators, and Construction Teams into a Unified Stress Strategy for EPC Projects

Abstract:

Stress engineering in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects is frequently treated as a late-stage analytical activity, despite extensive evidence in construction engineering and project management literature that final stress conditions are influenced across the entire project lifecycle. Fabrication tolerances, field installation practices, support placement, and vendor equipment behaviour directly affect piping and structural stress performance.

This presentation proposes a multidisciplinary stress strategy that integrates stress engineering requirements into design coordination, fabrication planning, vendor alignment, and construction execution. During the design phase, stress engineers define and communicate movement limits, load paths, and support philosophies to layout, structural, and equipment teams, aligning stress assumptions with physical design intent.

The discussion further extends into fabrication and construction practices, emphasising how dimensional tolerances, field fit-up, installation sequencing, and change management directly influence stress behaviour and long-term reliability. By positioning stress engineering as a proactive project-wide quality and risk management function, this integrated strategy supports improved constructability, reduced rework, enhanced safety, and operational reliability across EPC megaprojects.

Proifle:

Ravi Pelodia is a Senior Principal Piping Engineer at Worley Group with more than 21 years of experience in the design, execution, and safe operation of large-scale Oil & Gas, LNG, petrochemical, and refinery facilities. He has held senior technical leadership positions with globally recognised engineering organisations, including Worley, Bechtel, Technip, and Samsung Engineering.

Throughout his career, he has contributed to multi-billion-dollar megaprojects worldwide, specialising in advanced piping stress analysis, dynamic and transient analysis, turbine and compressor piping qualification, and stress-critical system design for high-temperature, high-pressure, and cryogenic applications. His expertise has supported major process units such as LNG liquefaction trains, hydrocrackers, hydrogen generation units, gas treatment systems, and refinery facilities.

In leadership and PMC roles, Ravi has managed multidisciplinary engineering teams, coordinated global workshare execution, and provided technical oversight across projects executed in the United States, Italy, Spain, Korea, India, and China. He has worked with major energy clients including Shell, ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, BP, BAPCO, Reliance Industries, and Venture Global LNG, ensuring compliance with international standards while delivering practical and reliable engineering solutions that improve constructability, safety, and operational efficiency.

He holds an MBA in Oil & Gas from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, India, a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology from BITS Pilani, India, and is a certified Project Management Professional.