Assignment examples
Below are typical questions and how they can be approached, followed by examples of completed assignments. What is common to them is the combination of practical system understanding and analytical rigour.
Assignments are always scoped with regard to confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
How I can help
The examples below describe typical questions and how they can be approached. They are illustrations of the working method, not descriptions of completed assignments. Completed assignments are presented further down.
Assignment type 1
Operational disturbance in cooling system – cause analysis
Situation: a cooling system exhibits abnormal behaviour. Existing documentation is incomplete. The cause is unclear.
Process
- Inspection and measurement in the plant
- Reconstruction of the system's actual configuration
- Physics-based model to reproduce the behaviour
- Root cause identification via parameter studies
Deliverable
- Concrete, implementable corrective actions
- Technical report with traceable methodology
- Verification of solution in operation
Assignment type 2
Capacity analysis prior to modification
Situation: changed operating conditions or new load. Need to understand consequences before the modification is implemented.
Process
- System reconstruction and baseline model
- Scenario and transient analysis
- Sensitivity and parameter studies
- Robustness assessment
Deliverable
- Decision support with clear assumptions
- Comparison of alternative solutions
- Recommendation with justification
Assignment type 3
Model-based analysis and model development
Situation: need for a reproducible and traceable model for ongoing analysis, training or decision support.
Process
- Requirements and scope, model structure
- Parameterisation against measurement data
- Plausibility checks and verification
- Documentation of assumptions
Deliverable
- Model package with technical documentation
- Reference cases and run log
- Instructions for re-use
Assignment type 4
Technical training and simulator support
Situation: organisation needs to build internal competence around a technical system or analysis method.
Process
- Mapping of knowledge needs
- Simplified models and simulators
- Workshops and technical reviews
- Exercises and reference documentation
Deliverable
- Pedagogical material adapted to the recipient
- Interactive examples or simulators
- Raised internal competence and self-sufficiency
Types of assignments and work examples
The examples below are drawn from assignments completed in a previous consulting role. Clients and facilities have been de-identified. The methodology is the same as applied today.
Case 1
Insufficient air pressure despite fault-free compressors
Problem: At a wood pellet production facility, compressed-air-driven machines on the packaging line received too low a supply pressure. The compressors performed as intended and no fault was indicated.
Consequence: Recurring disruptions in the packaging line. The proposed remedy was to purchase additional compressor capacity – an investment in the millions.
Process: The system was analysed as a whole rather than component by component. The pressure drop across the pipe network between the compressor station and the consumers was calculated based on flow, pipe length, dimensions and installed components. The calculation showed that distribution, not compressor capacity, was the limiting factor. The required pipe dimension to achieve the specified pressure at the consumers was determined.
Result: The pipe network was re-run to the calculated dimension and the pressure problem ceased. The proposed compressor investment was not needed.
Conclusion: A technical system that works can still perform poorly if the interaction between components and subsystems is not right.
Case 2
Mill that jammed and overheated after installation
Problem: A used mill for producing wood powder had been installed at a production facility. The mill repeatedly jammed and overheated. Complete documentation for the machine was unavailable.
Consequence: Recurring production stoppages and risk of failure of recently acquired equipment.
Process: The machine was physically inspected on site. The inspection identified unused connection stubs whose function was not evident from the available material. Review of a preserved drawing established the function: the design required pressure equalisation between the two sides of the mill, which was missing in the actual installation.
Result: A pressure-equalisation line was installed as intended by the design. The overheating and stoppages ceased. The fault lay in the installation, not the machine.
Case 3
Sizing and dynamic loads in a spray system
Problem: A manufacturer of process equipment was to deliver a new spray system and needed to ensure both that the nozzles gave the intended distribution and that the system could withstand the loads occurring at start-up.
Consequence: Incorrect sizing would have resulted in either inadequate function or mechanical damage from pressure transients.
Process: Nozzles were sized and the dynamic forces arising from water hammer during system start-up were calculated using thermal-hydraulic transient analysis.
Result: Design and mounting basis covering both functional requirements during normal operation and mechanical loads at start-up.
Experience from model development
Someone who has built and validated models knows where they fall short. Which assumptions are rarely checked, which operating cases a supplier's own validation typically does not cover, and the difference between a model being correct and a model having been proven correct within the range where it will be used.
The background is nearly thirty years of developing and validating simulation models for complex facilities. It is the same competence required to review material someone else has produced.
More about the experience → · Independent technical review →
Breadth of application
- Process industry. Flow and pressure analysis in production facilities, equipment troubleshooting and system sizing.
- Plant engineering in operation. For ten years, voluntary technical lead for the operation and development of water, snowmaking and lift systems at a ski facility, including maintenance, repairs, and the development and delivery of training for new personnel.
- Technical infrastructure and building services. Ongoing technical responsibility within a joint property association and a housing cooperative, covering water and wastewater networks, heating, electrical and ventilation systems, and residential and garage buildings. Includes planning, procurement, execution and follow-up of technical projects – from concept to commissioned solution, including budget.
- Safety-critical systems. Thermal-hydraulic analysis, safety analysis and verification of calculation models in nuclear engineering.
References and confidentiality
Assignment references are provided on request when compatible with confidentiality. If needed, assignments are described at a general level without identifying the client, plant or sensitive technical details.
Contact me to discuss goals, scope and an appropriate approach.