Sofronas, A.
Tony Sofronas, D. Eng, was the worldwide lead mechanical engineer for ExxonMobil Chemicals before retiring. He now owns Engineered Products, which provides consulting and engineering seminars on machinery and pressure vessels. Dr. Sofronas has authored two engineering books and numerous technical articles on analytical methods.
Case 33: Vessels in high-cycle service
Weld failures can be due to manufacturing defects
Case 32: Piping flexibility concerns
Thermal upsets can cause pump problems due to piping loads
Case 31: The analytical modeling niche
A simple model can greatly expand your equipment knowledge
Case 30: One cause of a pump not pumping
A stronger pump can block out the weaker one
Case 29: Pressure buildup in a 'blocked-in' pipe
Liquid thermal expansion can rupture pipes
Case 28: Steel component fretting
The problem can greatly reduce component fatigue life
Case 27: Brittle fracture concerns on vessels
Specialists need to understand when they should obtain help
Case 26: Gathering failure data
Solving the problem wasn't so easy
Case 25: The leaking flange gasket
A simple calculation can help determine the cause
Case 24: The moving gearbox
Thermal distortions can move a 50-ton gearbox
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