Problem: Standard repairs on a steam deaerator at a large paper mill would have caused several days of outage and cost several $100,000's.  The paper company suggested using a lower cost alternative that would also avoid incurring down time.  Their insurer, however, refused to approve the alternative repair.  It required evidence that the alternative would meet safety requirements.

Solution: We prepared various finite element analysis models and examined the system's peak stresses.  Our results demonstrated that the alternative, cost-effective procedure would meet safety needs.  After an additional independent evaluation, the insurer approved the alternative

Benefit: The mill saved time and money.

Problem: For an improvement project, a manufacturer had to gather dust samples from a boiler flue.  The planned system was cumbersome and expensive.

Solution: Upon evaluation, we also found that the design would be ineffective.  We proposed a design for an alternative sample extraction system and guided its fabrication.

Benefit: Our design worked.  It had minimal impact on the mill's operations - and saved the manufacturer thousands of dollars.

Jack M. Kleinfeld, P.E., has received corporate performance awards for creative, cost-effective process engineering, and for U.S. patents.