You are a member of a corporate failure analysis group, working out of the home office of a large petroleum corporation with production sites throughout North America. These sites generally contain a variety of equipment, including pumps, valves, pipelines, and storage tanks, and these occasionally experience failure under both normal and abnormal production conditions. Much of this equipment is large and cumbersome. Therefore, when a failure occurs, you must frequently travel to the site of the failure to conduct your investigation. Your primary objectives during these visits are to collect information, inspect the site, and acquire specimens and samples that can be taken back to your base laboratory for further investigation and study.
Your present assignment is to design and equip a portable failure analysis kit for on-site investigation. This kit will be in a suitcase that can be stored in your laboratory. Upon notification of a problem, you can simply pick up the kit and be on your way to that location.
1. Your overall container is restricted to the size of a typical suitcase and must be easily carried by a single individual (suggested container weight of less than 50 pounds). Moreover, you are being asked to purchase and equip the case for less than $2000.00. (It is hoped that your case can be duplicated and distributed to other individuals within the corporation.) With these constraints, develop a list of the items that you would include in your case. For each item, discuss briefly: a description of the item, its intended use or uses, and justification of the cost (if over $200.00), the weight (if over five pounds), and the size (if it occupies over 20% of the suitcase).
2. If additional funds could be provided to upgrade your suitcase (up to $5000), but the size and weight restrictions were maintained, what additional or upgraded items would you want to include? Discuss each in the manner used in part 1.