Volume 2, Issue 6
July 2008
Welcome New Graduate Engineers! by Bob Nilan
Special points:
Mechanical Engineer
The Newsletter Editorial Committee is pleased to formally welcome the new group of early career engineers that have joined Burns and Roe including those recent graduates in May/June. In total of 18 new early career engineers have been hired since January 2008.
front row: Jin, Kevin & Faibian middle row: Chris, Doo Hyu, Premal & Eric Shapiro
Please join us in welcoming our new engineers to Burns and Roe.
back row: RJ, Eric Frederickson, Abdul & David
Inside this issue: Welcome New Graduate Engineers!
1
EMPLOYEE
DISCIPLINE
SCHOOL
Intergraph 2008 Conference
2
Premal Solanki Hardik Shah Richard Johnson Eric Shapiro Abdulrehman Valiulla Jin Sun Kevin Miller Faibian Duncan Chris Juszkiewicz Dunn Gerald (Mt. Laurel) David Sylvester Erik Frederickson Doo Hyun Lee A. Abdelmalek Damjan Daskaloski Mathew Delano William Kok Chi-Leong Yan
Mechanical Civil Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Civil Electrical Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Civil Mechanical I&C Mechanical Mechanical
Stevens Institute Rutgers SUNY-Binghamton NJIT NJIT SUNY - Buffalo NJIT NJIT SUNY - Buffalo Lehigh Lehigh Lehigh Johns Hopkins NJIT Rutgers Lehigh Brooklyn Polytech Stevens
Design of Ducts for Boswell
4
Fiatech
6
Adventures from India to Buhtan
7
Reenacting at the Gettysburg Battlefield
9
AED CPR Training
11
Burns and Roe Hawaiian Shirt Contest
12
Summer Training Series
13
People Sitting Down on the Job
14
Why we need Safety Relief Valve.
15
Drink of the Month
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Intergraph 2008 Conference by Christopher Lesniak Mechanical Engineer
Al Aliperti, Bob Nilan, Scott Greenberg, Wayne Uffleman, Bob Miezeiewski, Ronnie Lott, Dave Lott, Jay Held, Rich Meyer & Chris Lesniak
B
eginning on June 2nd, Intergraph held their Annual Users’ Conference to invite their customers to learn about both new and existing products. As part of Burns and Roe’s initiative to implement Intergraph’s SmartPlant suite (SmartPlant P&ID, SmartPlant 3D, SmartPlant Instrumentation, SmartPlant Electrical and SmartPlant Foundation) for all current and future projects. Reg Gagliardo, Al Aliperti, Bob Nilan, Scott Greenberg, Dave Lott, Jay Held, Rich Meyer, Chris Lesniak, Wayne Uffleman, Bob Miezeiewski and Craig Brauer participated in the conference to learn more about the products.
Arial photo of Hoover Dam Bob Miezeiewski, Chris Lesniak, & Wayne Uffleman at Hoover Dam
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Volume 2, Issue 6
This year’s conference was held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since this was my first time attending an Intergraph Conference, I was not sure what to expect. What I soon realized was that the conference not only helps the customer to understand the products, but also helps with communication and interaction between companies as well as within companies. A good example of interaction within Burns and Roe took place early on Monday morning. That morning I decided to hitch a ride to the Hoover Dam with a couple of people (Wayne Uffleman, Bob Miezeiewski, and Craig Brauer) from our IT department. We decided to take the 1½-hour tour, which took us through the internal tunnels of the dam, up to the power station, and out to a scale model of the Colorado River. Being that we all work in the power industry, it was very interesting to learn about this ever so famous hydroelectric power plant. In the evening, all the conference attendees were invited to the opening of the TechExpo for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Within the TechExpo, Intergraph had set up stations so that the consumers could view all of Intergraph’s current software. The benefit of the TechExpo was that you could talk to a representative one-on-one instead of the classroom discussion that was observed in the scheduled lecture sessions. On Tuesday, to officially kick off the conference, Intergraph Hoover Dam scheduled a guest keynote speaker. This year’s keynote speaker was Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor, a seven-time Tour de France winner, and the founder of the Livestrong Foundation, which provides funding for cancer research. At the end of the keynote session, everyone proceeded to their scheduled lectures and workshops. Tuesday evening, after all the lectures and workshops were finished, everyone gathered at Caesars’ Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while socializing with attendees from other companies. At this event there were live bands, violinists, remote control boat races, and synchronized swimmers. Similar to Tuesday, throughout the day Wednesday, our group from Burns and Roe attended lectures and hands-on workshops. Between these scheduled lectures and workshops, the TechExpo was open to obtain more information. Again, around dinnertime, Intergraph scheduled entertainment for all the attendees of the conference. The entertainment for the evening was called “Las Vegas Live.” This show was held outside of the Caesars Palace, in a tent on the property that contained different circus-type acts. On the last day of the conference, I attended the morning sessions, but was not able to make the afternoon ones due to an early flight. Overall, I found the conference to be both exciting and informative. From the different learning sessions, to the evening entertainment, there were no lulls in the event. Keynote speech - Lance Armstrong
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Design of Ducts for Boswell by Jayant Vir Principal Engineer
W
hen someone asks you to give them a typical size of a duct, most people would think of the air conditioning ducts in the ceiling plenum, and come up with a size of about 2’x3’. A few others may take the pronunciation phonetically and say that they cannot be designed, as they glide in a pond – but those are ducks, not ducts. The ducts I am talking about carry the flue gas exhausted from the boiler to the stack in a fossilfueled power plant. This article describes the design of ducts that were 30’ at the widest point (about the width of a three-lane highway) and had depths of about 20’ (about the height of a two-story building). Late in 2006, Pat Petrella made a proposal to Hitachi Power Systems America (HPSA) to design the ducts for the Boswell Project in Minnesota. Pat and Leon Zuchowski put the proposal together in a very short time, and the team (including Bob Milhiser, Dave Gennings, Angel Jugo, and myself) made a presentation to HPSA right after Christmas. HPSA must have liked what they heard, as we started work on the project on the day after New Year. For the Boswell Project, Minnesota Power had Burns & McDonnell (BMcD), Kansas City, as the Owner’s Engineer. BMcD was also the prime contractor for the retrofit work. BMcD
contracted with HPSA for the Air Quality Control System (AQCS) portion of the work. HPSA subcontracted the design of ducts and piping, and the instrumentation and controls (I&C) work to Burns and Roe. The ducts had to fit inside an existing facility, where space was extremely limited. There were five separate sections of ducts to be designed. Run # 1 was from the Air Heater to the first expansion joint. For the uninitiated, steel expands when heated, and for the temperatures to which we were designing, the thermal expansion at the joint was about six inches. Run # 2 was from this expansion joint to the Fabric Filter inlet. Run # 3 was from the Fabric Filter outlet to the induced draft (ID) Fan inlet. Run # 4 was from the ID Fan outlet to the Absorber. Run # 5 was from the Absorber to the existing stack. The various sections are shown in the figure below. Due to the space limitations, the geometry for the first two sections was defined by BMcD. BREI took this geometry and designed the duct sections. For Run # 3, the geometry was dependent on the Baghouse outlet (being provided by a BMcD subcontractor), the support system for the ducts (being provided by BMcD), and the ID Fan inlet. Schedule was critical in the design of the ducts, and the flow of design information was slow. The ID Fan was supposed to be the largest of its kind made, and
Page 5 design information was not available when required. Due to the criticality of the schedule, we were forced to tell HPSA that we could not meet the schedule unless the design information was made available soon. The HPSA Project Manager asked me to come to his office in Basking Ridge, NJ, one day with the duct layout provided in the proposal drawings. He called BMcD to obtain revised support locations since the initial locations provided by BMcD were not viable for the geometry. He also called the fan manufacturer and obtained the inlet locations. He then called in the HPSA flow personnel to provide their requirements for the geometry. I pulled out my laptop and started with the proposal geometry in Microstation 3D. The start and end sections were modified to match the Baghouse and ID Fan requirements respectively. Interactive discussions with BMcD during the day provided the revised support locations. The HPSA flow personnel provided their requirements. With these requirements, I modeled the geometry live in 3D. Modifications were made continuously during the day by various HPSA personnel during the design process. At the end of the day, the final geometry was nowhere close to the proposal drawings, but it satisfied the design requirements of all participants. The final geometry is shown in the 3D picture below. As engineers, we can only think and design in the three orthogonal directions. As can be seen in the picture, the final geometry was anything but orthogonal. At this stage, all design information was in a graphical format. Conversion to traditional methods, to obtain design and drawing information, would have presented a major challenge. Since the geometry was modeled in 3D, I created a FRAMEWORKS model, also in 3D. That geometry was then converted to STAAD (structural and design analysis software). Thus, the exact geometry was available in STAAD. Based on the
Volume 2, Issue 6 node and member incidence information from FRAMEWORKS, the STAAD model was populated with the plate and beam elements, which were required to model, analyze, and design the duct section. BMcD had prepared a PDS (Intergraph’s Plant Design System) model of the entire section. We provided the 3D model of the ducts to them, which they could import into their model. This proved to be an invaluable tool, as they told me that they found errors in their model, and thus they could correct them in the very early stages of design. The same Microstation 3D model was used to create the design drawings. Thus, the same 3D model was used for design, interference checking, and preparing design drawings – thus eliminating errors in the final product. A similar design process was followed for the two sections downstream of the ID Fan. Again, the geometry was highly irregular, but modeling it live with HPSA in 3D, and using FRAMEWORKS to convert to STAAD, made the design process relatively simple. If these 3D modeling and analysis tools were not available, conservative assumptions would have been required. In addition, human errors could have been made in translating the co-ordinates and dimensions between the design and drawings. In the end, all design work was completed on time, and to the satisfaction of HPSA. It should also be noted that this work, and that of others, has led to HPSA requesting us to do more work for them. Finally, I would also like to recognize Messrs. Avedis Boyajian, Chris Pesce, and “Monty” Montenegro, who worked with me on this project, and Ray Dwyer, who prepared the 3D images – the success of the project is all due to the efforts put in by them.
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Fiatech
by Jeff Koestner Mechanical Engineer
Vendor Data Computer System
H
ISO 15926
ow many times in our work are we held up waiting for information from outside sources? Imagine there was a “place” or a “tool” for immediate vendor/supplier information. Imagine, instead of sitting around with a hold on an isometric because the specification for a control valve has not been received, there was a way to get all the pertinent information needed without picking up the phone or sending an email. Sounds unrealistic? Well, thanks to the driving efforts of FIATECH, there is such a tool in development called ISO 15926. ISO 15926 is a standard for data integration, sharing, exchange, and hand-over between computer systems. It takes all the different formats of data and makes them readily available for any user through a common platform. It contains a growing Reference Data Library, which currently contains about 10,000 ISO standardized classes, representing technical names and definitions for industrial equipment, activities, properties, etc., for the oil/gas, chemical, and power industries. So, what this means for Burns and Roe is readily available information, which includes, but is not limited to, spec information for engineers, procurement information for buyers, dimensional information for designers, and installation information for construction personnel. The overall goal is to have all the vendors/suppliers applicable to the industry ISO 15926-compliant so that all necessary information is available. Currently FIATECH has a Work in Progress (WIP) beta version of ISO 15926 and is looking to complete it
BREI Project Computer System
in the near future. The above example is just one area in which FIATECH is working to improve the transfer of information between people and systems. FIATECH is an industry consortium working together to provide global leadership in identifying and accelerating the development, demonstration, and deployment of fully integrated and automated technologies to deliver the highest business value throughout the life cycle of all types of capital construction projects. Members of FIATECH include all stakeholders in a capital project: owners/ operators, EPCO firms, architects, equipment manufacturers, facility managers, technology developers and suppliers, universities, researchers, and allied organizations. Burns and Roe has been a major contributor to the foundation and continued efforts of FIATECH. K. Keith Roe was among the first group of individuals who brought together the initial charter and formation of the backbone of FIATECH, the Capital Projects Technology Roadmap. Along with Jim Porter from DuPont Engineering, Keith was the Co-Chairman of FIATECH in its startup stages, and, up until recently, he has maintained a position on the Board. In January of this year, Reggie Gagliardo took over Keith’s position as a Board Member of FIATECH. Recently five Burns and Roe employees, K. Keith Roe, Reggie Gagliardo, Dave Lott, Kevin Cole, and Jeff Koestner, attended the annual Technology Conference and Showcase in New Orleans. The conference was centered on the achievements of FIATECH for 2007. For more information on FIATECH or ISO 15926, visit the FIATECH website at www.fiatech.org.
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Adventures from India to Buhtan by Scott Greenberg Mechanical Engineer
These are several photos from a vacation to India and Bhutan taken by Mort Rothstein, Chief CSA Engineer, and his wife.
This massive arch in New Delhi, known as India Gate, has the names of Indian soldiers, who fell in various wars, inscribed in its stone blocks.
The Red Fort, or Lal Qila, was built when Mughal emperor Shah Jagan moved the capital from Agra to Delhi in 1639.
Entrance to the Lal Qila is through the Lahore Gate, so named because if faces Lahore (Pakistan). This gate has been the venue of many an important speeches, delivered by freedom fighters and national leaders of India.
The Diean-I-Am is the Hall of Public Audiences. The emperor would sit here at the throne to hear complaints from his subjects.
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On the road from New Delhi, India to Agra, India cameldrawn carts are used to hauling goods. Inlaid Spandrel, Muthamman Burj (‘octagonal tower’) at the Agra Fort, entirely built of white marble. It has deep niches on the walls, to breack the monotony. The Taj Mahal is in full view from this tower. In this complex, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was put under house arrest by his son Aurangzeb for eight years (1658-66) until the time of Shah’s death.
Traditional Bhutanese building located in Thimpu, Bhutan; Land of the Thunder Dragon.
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction lasted roughly 12 years, complete by 1648, employing twenty thousand workers.
Tamchog Lhakhang in Paro. There are two story watchtowers decorated with Buddhist murals and Bhutanese stories on each end of the bridge. In the background, the iron chain footbridge was originally built by Iron Bridge Builder Thangtong Gyalpo. This bridge is more than 500 years old.
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Native Orchids.
Bhutan Monastery.
Reenacting at the Gettysburg Battlefield
Harry Bedford Mechanical Designer
G
ettysburg. The name of this town in Pennsylvania is internationally famous. The battle of America’s civil war labeled “the high water mark of the confederacy” and the “turning point of the war” occurred here. Two mighty armies, fighting for different ideas, concepts of government, and the various rights bestowed, met here on July 1, 1863. Three days of incredible courage and suffering resulted in a victory for the federal forces. Confederate general lee returned his troops to Virginia, crossing the Potomac river after July 4th Various events occurred and places and people were memorialized during the larger conflagration. Brother captured brother north of the town not having seen one another for eight years. A young woman was killed in town while baking bread her boyfriend being not a mile away in the battle - he being killed the next day. The devil’s den and the futile Pickett’s charge are unforgettable. The casualties were horrid; the bravery and dedication to duty and honor were extreme. President Lincoln gave his address in November of that same year. Considered by many to be the greatest, he said: “Four score and seven years ago, our fathers
Harry and two of his fellow soldiers.
brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” The words that completed it are etched in American and world history: “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these
Page 10 dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under god, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Many reenactors are sincerely influenced by this short and profound speech. We remember the men and women of that most significant period by living as they did. The dominant purpose in the activity is to educate the public. The key aspect is, as an actor, we dress in authentic reproductions and have all the accoutrements of the soldiers of the time including an actual rifle. We camp on the ground and eat foods similar to the standards of the 1860s. Camp life includes the training and drill maneuvers necessary for armies fighting in Napoleonic tactics. Of course, at the same time we are educating others, we are learning ever so much more as amateur historians (and some not so amateur). There is so much that happened in the four years from April 1861 through April 1865. It was a time that could be called revolutionary, perhaps more so than the
Volume 2, Issue 6 revolution. Every aspect of life was changing in American society. The hobby of reenacting is like every other. The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. I began examining the civil war during the centennial. The articles and pictures in “life magazine” caught my attention and a trip to Virginia and Gettysburg as a boy grabbed me. There is something unexplainable that attracts multitudes to try to understand this era. I belong to a unit that represents a volunteer regiment from new Hampshire, joining with hundreds of other units to reenact the battle at Gettysburg. There will be over seven thousand reenactors at this year’s 145th anniversary. More than twenty thousand spectators will be viewing. Seeing a civil war battle in actual scale, with artillery booming and cavalry clashing, is indescribable. Being in the battle line and considering the position of an actual soldier in battle and all of us understanding, knowing from having read diaries and such, is chilling, thrilling.
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At night, after eating a meal cooked in the open, we gather around and enjoy the best campfire music guitars, banjos, mandolin, harmonica, spoons, washtub bass, and hand clapping with loud singing fills the air. I frequently think that this sight is one that every spectator would envy. A cupful ration of whiskey or scudge (don’t ask) and to bed at taps or maybe a little later. Often, as at this reenactment, professional filmmakers attend, getting amazing footage and creating works shown on TV and in theaters. My unit also marches in parades, does small living histories and demonstrates to schools and at museums. The hobby is expensive, the rewards priceless. I invite you to see the film clip of a recent reenactment advertising the coming Gettysburg event, a small peek at what it is like and what I’ll be doing on the July 4th weekend. Visit www.gettysburgreenactment.com/ to see the trailer at the bottom of the page. Also, please check out the 6th New Hampshire volunteer’s website, www.6nhv.org.
AED CPR Training
Erin Steiginga Corporate Services
D
uring the past several years, thousands of individuals have been fortunate enough to be involved in automated external defibrillator (AED) lifesaving activities in churches and schools, on river boats and tennis courts, at golf and health clubs, and in workplaces and public areas. An AED is used in cases of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, which can lead to cardiac arrest. Burns and Roe recently installed AED units in both the 700 and 800 buildings in Oradell. The AED unit selected was chosen specifically for its design for use by lay responders. A locally certified instructor provided
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Volume 2, Issue 6
formal training on the unit, and the following Oradell employees are now certiďŹ ed in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR): Tommy Perfetto, Chris Ferreira, Mark Wintz, Holly Roe, Erin Steiginga, Mark Sikora, Terri Drew, David Foo, Scott Greenberg, and Jesse Urban. With an on-site lay rescuer program, workplaces have been able to reduce the time it takes to reach and revive a sudden cardiac arrest victim. Survival rates dramatically increase, to as high as 70 percent, when the victim is reached within three minutes. Survival decreases by about 10 percent for each minute of delay after that, and only 5 percent of victims survive when reached after 10 minutes.
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People Sitting Down on the Job
Volume 2, Issue 6
Erin Steiginga Corporate Services
It’s easy to see how heavy lifting and physical labor can contribute to back pain and other spinal problems. Yet millions of us sit at our jobs and suffer similar kinds of back problems. If you’re one of those who use a computer, a mouse or perform other work that involves long periods of sitting, here are some tips. Your Chair In the same way you adjust your car seat mirror and steering wheel to suit your size and shape, make sure the chair you sit in all day fits you. Use a chair that offers lumbar support (just above your hips). This helps reduce the likelihood of slumping forward and increasing stress to the muscles and ligaments of your lower back. Your Work Surface If you do a lot of work with a telephone, mouse or calculator, you want the ability of your forearm and elbow to rest on your work surface. If you type or use a computer keyboard, it is best if your upper arm and forearm form a 75 –to 90- degree angle. Your Telephone One of the most overlooked causes of neck problems is cradling a telephone handset between your shoulder and your ear. This position can stress muscles and soft tissue in the neck and shoulder. If your tasks frequently require you to be on the phone and use both hands, install a headset. Your Computer Screen If you spend a lot of time looking at a computer screen, make sure it is located properly. A common problem is positioning the screen too low, forcing the user to compromise the curve of the neck by looking down. Those who wear bifocal lenses often suffer the opposite problem, constantly looking up to bring the screen into focus. Your feet Surprisingly, one of the ways to reduce the stress of sitting on the job is how to use your feet. Many people find it helpful to use a short stool or block to raise their foot about four to six inches of f the ground. Switch feet during the course of the day to reduce pressure on your lumbar spine. If you sit most of the day, organize your workspace to reduce stress to your spine. And have your spine checked regularly to prevent little problems from becoming serious. Article Source: Relief and Wellness News Eisen Family Chiropractic Center
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Why we need Safety Relief Valve.
Volume 2, Issue 6
Daniel Ramirez Mechanical Engineer
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Drink of the Month
by Ivan Yung
Mechanical Engineer
800 Kinderkamack Road Burns and Roe Oradell, NJ 07649 www.roe.com Editorial Committee
Mojito 2 oz light rum 2 oz fresh lime juice 4 mint leaves 1 teaspoon powdered sugar 2 oz club soda 1 mint sprig
Inor Baraka Jeannie Chan Bill Fish Scott Greenberg Jenny He Jeff Koestner Erin Steiginga Abraham Mohammad Bob Nilan Nathan Obermiller Daniel Ramirez Gennadiy Sverzhinskiy Jesse Urban Ivan Yung
Muddle mint leaves with lime juice and sugar in a Collins glass (a long mojito glass, an 8-12 oz narrow tumbler). Add ice. Add rum, stir, and top off with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig. Sun
Monday
Tuesday 1
Wednesday 2
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8
Orientation MicroStation
Thursday 3
Orientation Mentoring
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Volume 2, Issue 6
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Orientation MicroStation Order a free CD recording: Sleep Better Now: 5 Weeks to Improving Your Sleep
Orientation SmartSketch ASCE Webinar, Construction Site Storm Water Brand Nubian, Brower Park
Friday 4
Saturday 5 Read an online article: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Oleta Adams, Metro Tech
HOLIDAY Chaka Khan, Bryant Park
10 Training SmartPlant Layout Leela James, Metro Tech Whodini, Von King Park
11 Training SmartPlant Layout New Jersey State Barbecue Championship, North Wildwood, NJ MTL Golf League
12 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship, North Wildwood, NJ
13 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship, North Wildwood, NJ
14 Training SmartPlant 3D CSA
15 Training SmartPlant 3D CSA Vendor - Fein & Co. Chloride Batteries
16 Training SmartPlant 3D CSA
17 Training SmartPlant 3D Electrical Kurt Carr, Von King Park
18 Training SmartPlant 3D Electrical Video Music Box 25th Anniversary Concert, Central Park Summer Stage
19 6th Annual New Jersey State Ice Cream Festival, Washington Street, Toms River, NJ White Water Rafting Trip
20 Read an online article: Sleep and Bedtime Routines for Infants
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24 Alice Smith, Metro Tech Krs-One, East River Park
25 MTL Golf League
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Orientation Computer Assisted Engineering Commuter Fair 29 Vendor - Vanguard Controls Power Plants Water Analyzers The Delfonics, Queensbridge Park
Festival of Ballooning, Solberg Airport, Readington, NJ
Orientation
Training
Vendor Presentation
Orientation ProjectWise Tony Touch & Brenda K. Starr, Crotona Park 30 The Delfonics, Mahoney Playground
Webinar
31 Meshell Ndegeocello, Metro Tech Marvin Sapp, Springfield Park
Local Event
Company Events
Local Concert