Thermal Fluid & Combustion Systems

Capabilities & Services

• Commercial & Industrial Heating and Drying

  Exponent provides in-depth experience with the equipment, processes, and controls associated with commercial and industrial heating and drying systems. Our technical specialties span design analysis, operational performance maintenance review, as well as failure analysis of various types of heating and drying equipment.

• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

  Exponent engineers assist clients both in preventing and analyzing failures with heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) equipment. We investigate accidents and failures of equipment and work with manufacturers to provide third-party design risk services to help mitigate potential issues. We also perform testing of new and prototype refrigerants to assist with flammability rating determination.

• Pumps, Valves & Fluid Controls

  From large petrochemical plants to the air conditioning unit in your window — pumps, valves, and fluid control devices perform critical functions that ensure safe and efficient operation. Failure of one of these components can often have a cascading effect on the system, resulting in chemical release, system or product damage, or even explosions. Exponent can investigate failures to pinpoint the root cause. We also work with clients on asset integrity and maintenance to make sure these components operate safely.    

• Boilers, Heaters & Furnaces

  Heat producing equipment comes in many sizes, but whether it's an industrial furnace at a steel mill or the heater in your home, they share many of the same characteristics. Exponent engineers have experience with failures big and small, from large boiler explosions to residential carbon monoxide poisoning investigations. We can help you determine what went wrong or draw from our vast failure analysis experience to assist you with preventing failures. 

• Turbomachinery

  Turbomachinery is often used in situations where reliability is critical — whether it's keeping an airplane in the air or keeping the electricity flowing from a power plant. When turbomachinery failures occur, they can often lead to large-scale losses and even human injury or fatality. Exponent has investigated many turbomachinery failures with a multidisciplinary team of metallurgist, thermal, and vibration experts.

• Heat Exchangers

  Heat exchangers are found in a wide variety of applications, from oil refineries to chiller plants in high-rise buildings. Failure of a heat exchanger can not only lead to damaged equipment, but also a fire or explosion if the working fluid is flammable. Exponent has the expertise to investigate heat exchanger failures with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists. Additionally, we have state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software that can model fluid flow to analyze heat exchanger efficiency or even predict flow-induced vibration to understand fatigue failures. 

• Summary of Services

  For 50+ years, we've thrived on solving unstructured problems that require bespoke solutions. Some of our services include:

  • Safety critical system design reviews
  • Evaluation and support for functional testing
  • Boiler and combustion systems safety
  • Combustion controls
  • Third-party review
  • Process hazard analysis
  • Incident investigation
  • Failure analysis of HVAC&R equipment including compressors, chillers, boilers, fans, pumps, cooling towers, and hydronic piping
  • Investigating the role of HVAC&R equipment in fire origin and cause
  • Consulting on Consumer Product Safety Council (CPSC) investigations and recalls of HVAC equipment
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning investigations
  • Analysis of the use of flammable refrigerants
  • FMEA and risk analysis of new product designs and mission critical HVAC systems (e.g., data centers)
  • EPA regulations and ASHRAE procedures related to current and new refrigerants
  • Investigations of ammonia releases from refrigeration equipment
  • Damage assessments of HVAC&R equipment after disasters including fire, flood, hurricane, and earthquake.
  • Investigation of indoor air quality issues related to ventilation and/or contaminant transport
  • HVAC performance issues, including inability to properly maintain temperature and or humidity
  • Review of HVAC&R operation and maintenance practices