Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Sofronas, A.

Consulting Engineer, Houston, Texas

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 66: Fiberglass mixing tank flexing vibration

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

The design of fiberglass and polymer tanks had many problems in the 1980s. Most of these problems were resolved with experience, new materials and manufacturing techniques, along with new national con..

Case 65: Taking risks and making high-level presentations

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Tips on how to communicate with managers

Case 64: Averages can be misleading on service life data

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Take care when making important decisions on data

Case 63: Analyzing off resonance amplitudes

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

It is important to know the amplitudes of vibration away from resonance

Case 62: Useful shaft stress equations to remember

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Committing several equations to memory can be useful

Case 61: Pressure loss in a reactor

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Much information is available from a simple analysis

Case 60: Socket-weld failures

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

A risk analysis can determine which critical welds to repair

Case 59: Heat-up rates and thermal cracking

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

A good analysis is usually better than speculation

Case history 58: Piston pin plug wear

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

A wear analysis can help when failure data are meager

Case 57: Troubleshooting the cause of sudden impacts

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Finding the cause can be elusive but calculations help