Members of Exponent’s engineering and scientific consulting team specialize in the design, operation, troubleshooting, and failure analysis of industrial heating and refrigeration equipment. Our staff consists of mechanical and chemical engineers who understand the processes and controls associated with the following types of equipment:
| Heating |
Refrigeration |
|
Power and package boilers |
Compressors |
|
Steam and combustion turbines |
Condensors |
|
Melting and heating furnaces |
Evaporators |
|
Baking and curing ovens |
Refrigerants |
|
Convection and radiant dryers |
Defrost cycles |
|
Rotary and tunnel kilns |
Humidity control |
|
Incinerators, thermal oxidizers, and flares |
Vapor Retardants |
|
Burner management and combustion safeguards |
Cryogenics |
|
|
Refrigerated facility construction |
Industrial users of such equipment include electric power utilities, foundries, forges, smelting and heat-treating facilities, chemical plants, and petroleum refineries, as well as pharmaceutical, food, textile, paper, and wood manufacturing facilities. Exponent engineers are principal members of the NFPA 85 (Boilers & Combustion Systems), NFPA 86 (Ovens & Furnaces) and NFPA 87 (Fluid Heaters) technical committees of the National Fire Protection Association. Below are some examples of the technical consultation we can provide.
Boilers, Furnaces
Exponent has consulted on all aspects of boiler and furnace design and operation. Often we are called upon to investigate breaches in pressurized water or heat-transfer fluid vessels and piping, fuel explosions, structural failures, water chemistry and corrosion, and burner safeguards. We have performed third-party reviews of the configuration of combustion instrumentation and controls, and their adherence to relevant fire protection standards.
Freezers, Coolers
Exponent has investigated numerous freezer problems for large warehousing and manufacturing firms. Issues such as moisture intrusion, excessive frost accumulation, inadequate hot gas defrost, undersized evaporators and expansion valves, frost heave protection, refrigerant short-circuiting, thermal insulation design, compressor oil selection, and the trade-offs between air-handlers and unit-coolers are all within our capabilities for industrial refrigeration equipment.