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Mechanical Engineering/Questions Answered by Expert Al Hall
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Mechanical Engineer | 5/1/2007 |
| Q: In my critical thinking class we are researching careers. My ideal career is Mechanical Engineer ... A: 1) I am in a rapidly changing area of Mechanical Engineering. I would call my job rapidly changing. ... | |
| Steam Turbine Exhaust Pressure | 4/24/2007 |
| Q: I work in a production facility with 3 steam turbines. I am curious about the following; I would ... A: I do not really have much experience working with steam turbines that exhaust at such a high ... | |
| A Career in Mechanical Engineering | 3/28/2007 |
| Q: My name is Robin and I live in Edmonton, Alberta. I am interested in becoming an aerospace engineer ... A: Engineers can branch into any field they desire, provided that someone is willing to pay them, and ... | |
| Mechanical Engineering Interview | 3/23/2007 |
| Q: My name is Hameed dadi... how can I go through the salary-negotiation?? how can I tell them i want ... A: I hope that you realize that your salary should not be the most important part of your job. I think ... | |
| Heat transfer(Spray condenser) | 3/9/2007 |
| Q: Sir I am designing a spray type condenser and would like to know how to calculate the mixing length ... A: I am afraid that I do not know anything about a mixing length calculation for a condenser. I also do ... | |
| burning smell | 2/28/2007 |
| Q: I shut off my ford explorer sport SUV vehicle and I get a burning smell. It smells like burning ... A: Well, Ellen, I am not a vehicle expert, but from what you describe it sounds like you have a short ... | |
| solid fuel heating problems | 1/23/2007 |
| Q: Really hope you can help. We stay in Scotland and have moved into an old stone cottage with solid ... A: Well, Home heating systems really is not my area of expertise. But from your description, It sounds ... | |
| engineering software | 11/17/2006 |
| Q: Aside from AutoCAD, what are the most important software packages I should know how to use to make ... A: Well, certianly Excel, and Lotus, Word and Wordperfect. A good data base software, like Microsoft ... | |
| water cooling system | 11/16/2006 |
| Q: Ok, thks for contact. HUmm, OK. But you know a book or paper or internet link that could help me ... A: Im sorry, I am not aware of any paper that would describe your system. It is really a matter of ... | |
| interview | 11/6/2006 |
| Q: The questions are 1)Who are you currently employed by and how long have you been working for this ... A: 1)Who are you currently employed by and how long have you been working for this company? TXU, which ... | |
| steam trap | 10/16/2006 |
| Q: what happen if i didnot use a steam trap and how does it work? how can i avoid water hammering in a ... A: A steam trap is used to avoid the rapid expansion that occurs where the pressure changes suddenly, ... | |
| mechanical engineer interview | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: 1.) As a mechanical engineer what are your major duties and responsibilities? 2.)What is your ... A: 1) I work in the electric power generation industry. I have expertise in thermodynamics, heat ... | |
| Mechanical engineer interview | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: my name is Justin Penfield and I am currently a junior at Southington High School in Southington, ... A: 1) What is your specialty and what do you work on? Within Mechanical Engineering, my specialty is ... | |
| Turbine exhaust pressure | 9/27/2006 |
| Q: The design vacuum of a steam turbine is -0.88kg/cm2g, because of low cooling water flow in the ... A: Good question. When you loose condenser vacuum, you certianly loose turbine power. This means that ... | |
| mechanical engineering | 9/23/2006 |
| Q: We have to choose a field of engineering and interview an engineer that is in that field. I chose ... A: 1. What is your job title and job description? Presently, my job title is Senior Design Engineer. I ... | |
| mechanical engineering interview | 9/8/2006 |
| Q: I am in an Beg. Engineering class and i have a report due tomorrow. im not sure how long this takes ... A: 1. How many years did it take for you to complete school? I did it in 4 years for undergraduate ... | |
| E-mail interview??? | 9/5/2006 |
| Q: 1.Please describe your engineering field? 2.What is your job title? 3. please describe your job ... A: 1.Please describe your engineering field? I am a Mechanical Engineer 2.What is your job title? ... | |
| automotive radiators | 8/25/2006 |
| Q: I am trying to find out the heat transfer capability in BTUs per minute for the radiator of a ... A: I am not an expert in automotive radiator heat transfer. However, I did a search on the internet, ... | |
| kilowatt-hour consumption | 8/23/2006 |
| Q: how do you compute for the kwh consumption of an air conditioner unit given its horse power rating? A: 1 horsepower = 0.746 kW. If you wanted to measure the power, you could measure the amperage ... | |
| dx geothermal heatpump | 8/17/2006 |
| Q: system uses copper tubing w/freon buried in earth,if you aware of any such plans or a direction to ... A: I am not aware of any such plans. I have designed/built a ground sourced heat pump before, and this ... | |
| power plant performance analysis | 8/1/2006 |
| Q: is there any free software available on the internet that can be used to find power plant ... A: I am not aware of any free software for determining power plant performance. No matter what software ... | |
| lpg | 7/13/2006 |
| Q: just gone for a test drive and found out that the engine runs well on lpg but wont run on petrol.the ... A: I am sorry that I am not an internal combustion engine troubleshooter. I would suspect that your ... | |
| Consulting engineering | 7/10/2006 |
| Q: I was wondering how a consulting engineering firm obtains its business/clients. Do they bid on jobs? ... A: The company I work for is a Design and Building firm. Yes we bid on jobs for which we are ... | |
| self powered | 7/7/2006 |
| Q: Is it possible to use an electric motor to spin an alternator that would then be used to power the ... A: What you are asking about is called a "Perpetual Motion" machine. This can not exist. No energy is ... | |
| help | 6/28/2006 |
| Q: I am studying electrical and computer engineering in a Greek university. My studies last 5 years, ... A: 1) I think that your guidance councilor at school could answer this question much better than I. I ... | |
| Turbine and hot enviroment | 6/10/2006 |
| Q: I have a general question about Turbines. We live in very environment; the temperature reaches 49 ... A: I have worked with several steam turbines that fununction very well in very hot climates as you ... | |
| geothermal loop | 6/8/2006 |
| Q: I have a 16KW geothermal heat pump and I want to calculate the length of the horizontal closed loop ... A: Regardless of the size of heat pump, this is simply a heat transfer problem. You need to realize ... | |
| wetted perimeter | 5/12/2006 |
| Q: I have two questions: 1- what is the equation used to calculate the wetted perimeter for a sphere? ... A: I do not usually do homework questions, if this is what it is. If I understand your problem ... | |
| The future of boiler engineering | 5/8/2006 |
| Q: I am an 18 year old college student who is thinking of going to engineering school to get my lisence ... A: I did not really see a question here, but I think I know the questions that are going through your ... | |
| Fluid Dynamics | 4/19/2006 |
| Q: I wasn't sure if you could answer this for me, but I've tried looking everywhere for this ... A: Im afraid that this is outside my expertise. I would suggest visiting somewhere where they are ... | |
| Cooling Channel Design | 4/4/2006 |
| Q: Al, I have a cooling channel design question that I'd appreciate some help with. We have a reactor ... A: I would like to assist you with your problem, if I could. I'm afraid that I would like to know a ... | |
| boiler audit | 3/10/2006 |
| Q: Sir I am doing an energy audit in a milk production plant.I am struck with a problem of ... A: well, efficiency is always defined as (what you want)/(what you had to pay for to get it). So, in ... | |
| New Mechanical Engineer | 2/27/2006 |
| Q: AL hall, i just joined a Petrochemical Company as a new mechanical engineer in Mechanical ... A: Al Qutaim, First, I see that you are of arabic decent by your last name, Al Qutaim, "of the Qutaim ... | |
| electric connections | 2/26/2006 |
| Q: Electrical connections used to be simple, with 2 wires and a non-polar plug. Now however, ... A: Well, Im not going to try to fool you. Electricity is my weak point. I do know this. It is not a ... | |
| repaired floor trusses | 2/24/2006 |
| Q: We have recently put an offer on a 6yr. old home that is 3300 sq. ft. and the home inspection came ... A: Good question. First, do you know what caused the damage in the first place? Are you sure that this ... | |
| mechanical engineering | 2/23/2006 |
| Q: We have a open ended pipe, a metered hose is attached to the closed end bottom with 20 CFPM going ... A: The fluid in question is air, you say. That makes a difference because the problem now becomes a ... | |
| mechanical engineering | 2/23/2006 |
| Q: We have a open ended pipe, a metered hose is attached to the closed end bottom with 20 CFPM going ... A: If this is not a homework question, then I must tell you that I do not yet understand the system for ... | |
| interview from a high school student | 2/2/2006 |
| Q: If you are a Mechanical Engineer: 1: what is the starting salary 2: can you change/control hours ... A: 1) Starting Salary is more than other engineering, but less than others. Present day, I am not aware ... | |
| mechanical engineering | 1/4/2006 |
| Q: what did you like best about the job, what did you dis like about the job, would you ever do the ... A: I like computer modeling power plants. This has been my career for over 23 years now. I have grown ... | |
| civil engineering?? | 1/4/2006 |
| Q: I'm a study of secondary school..can i know more bout civil engineering? i would like to get some ... A: Well, I am not a Civil Engineer, but have a good understanding of what Civil Engineers do as part of ... | |
| Hydraulic pump | 1/2/2006 |
| Q: "I wondered if this had been done before and if not, do you think it would work? If there is a ram ... A: I am not a Hydraulics expert, but I am quite sure that it has been done before. I have seen ... | |
| Heater sizing for a geothermal application | 12/5/2005 |
| Q: We are considering using dry-wells for providing cooling to a building. The dry-well will contain a ... A: OK. I have some experience with ground coupled heat pumps using a well as you describe. (its been a ... | |
| problem with well | 11/17/2005 |
| Q: no one seems to be able to answer this so i thought i would try someone with an engineering ... A: A pump normally can only produce a specified amount of pressure (or head). The system requires a ... | |
| project | 10/1/2005 |
| Q: I have to make a roller coaster in a box for a project. You have to drop a marble through a hole in ... A: This sounds like a very interesting project. Can you make the marble lighter so it has less ... | |
| Mechanical Engineering | 9/22/2005 |
| Q: What is the difference between a Bsc in Engineering or Bachelor of Engineering? If I decide to do ... A: Good question. I can answer you, but the one to ask this question is really the guidence councilor ... | |
| Steam Turbine Exhaust System | 8/11/2005 |
| Q: what is the function of exhaust system in steam turbine as profissional explaining? Also, How can ... A: I believe that what you are refering to as an "exhaust system" is simply the condenser. Without a ... | |
| starting air compressor of diesel generator | 5/14/2005 |
| Q: Our diesel generator have an an auxilliary of air starting compressor, is this air starting ... A: I am not familiar with your specific system, but if I understand your question correctly, I do not ... | |
| in the centrifugal pump : what... | 3/25/2005 |
| Q: in the centrifugal pump : what is happen for the pressure and motor shaft if we colse the delivery ... A: If the pump outlet is closed so there is no flow from the pump, then the pressure at the outlet ... | |
| power plants | 3/12/2005 |
| Q: what is the most efficient power plant operating today? Is it hydro, coal fired, geothermal or ... A: The most efficient power plants operating today are fuel cells, as some are capable of efficiencies ... | |
| hydraulics | 3/5/2005 |
| Q: can you give me a good definition of hydraulics? A: I found a very good answer to your question in the Yahoo Dictionary. It reads: hy·drau·lics ... | |
| electro static generator | 1/4/2005 |
| Q: im ina science fair and i need to biuld a high school grade static electricity generator. how do i ... A: In answer to your question, I want to say that electric generation involves much complex electrical ... | |
| thermal | 12/24/2004 |
| Q: what is meant by cc? why CI engines are more costlier than SI engines? A: Your question is too vague for me to be certian of the answer, so I will answer what comes to mind: ... | |
| Physics in Mechanial Engineering | 12/17/2004 |
| Q: I'm doing a research project on this subject and was wondering if you could tell me more, or perhaps ... A: I would recommend that you spend some time in the Mechanical Engineering library at your college ... | |
| oil | 11/23/2004 |
| Q: What dose 10w-40 motor oil do to or in a motor? I know it lubricates the pistons by dispersing in ... A: You are correct. Motor oil in an engine lubricates the internal mechanical parts such as cylinder ... | |
| back pressure in a power plant | 10/26/2004 |
| Q: how we can define "back pressure"in a power plant(steam turbine electrical power plant) and how it ... A: 1) Back pressure can be defined as the pressure applied at the steam discharge, or exit point, of a ... | |
| mechanics - force analysis on jib of crane | 10/4/2004 |
| Q: mechanics - force analysis on jib of crane A: This is a simple statics problem. The answer lies in the construction of a diagram of the object ... | |
Mechanical Engineering
Answers by Expert:
Al Hall
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions concerning: electric power generation, boilers, turbines, thermodynamic efficiency, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, computer modeling, PEPSE modeling expert I can not answer questions regarding: electricity, generators, circuit analysis, controls, mechanics of materials, structural design, chemistry, and civil engineering
Experience
I have 20 years experience working for electric power generators all over the US, as well as the world. I have taught courses in power plant performance testing, I have written subroutines for the PEPSE software (the Cadillac of the power plant modeling software). I have experience with fluidized bed combustion. I have experience with a variety of projects designing equipment, modifying processes, evaluating equipment life using NDT techniques.
Publications
Presented papers at the performance software users group.
Education/Credentials
Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
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