Steven B. Kushnick, P.E.

Added by stevenkushnick

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Listed in Failure Analysis, Legal Support Services, Mechanical Engineering

Company Name: Steven B. Kushnick, P.E., Inc.
Education and Credentials:
Professional Honors And Achievements:
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 1980, Cum Laude
Teaching Assistant: Mechanics I, Mechanics II
Tutor: Mechanics I, Mechanics II, Electric Circuits

Registered Professional Engineer:
Alabama #34214
Alaska #11369
California #M028670
Florida #35560
Georgia #23625
Illinois #062061018
Massachusetts #35135
Washington #37219

Two U.S. Patents in the field of gas turbine engines

Member:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
ASM International (ASM)
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)
Specialties:
Steven B. Kushnick, P.E., Inc. offers Mechanical Engineering Consulting, specializing in:
§ Turbomachinery:
§ Gas Turbines and Jet Engines
§ Steam Turbines
§ Compressors (including 'recips')
§ Pumps
§ Diesel Engines

§ Cogeneration:
§ Heat Recovery Equipment

§ Performance Improvement:
§ Inlet Cooling and Refrigeration
§ Overfiring
§ Component Upgrade and Redesign

§ Failure Analysis:
§ Metallurgical Failure Mode
§ Mechanical Root Cause

We provide:
Engineering Studies
Engineering Analysis
Failure Analysis
Mechanical Design and Reverse Engineering Design
Hardware Engineering and Procurement
Expert Witness / Expert Consultant / Third-Party Consultation / Litigation Support / Warranty Dispute Support
Experience:
Representative Projects:
Failure Analysis. Determined the cause of cracking in a high speed gearbox housing for a turbine user in North Africa. Analyzed a gear mesh failure from a second unit. Determined material compositions and surface treatments via Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Recommended solutions to avoid future failures. Write expert reports to aid in warranty disputes.

Hardware Distress Assessment. Timed-out turbine blades: determined serviceability by sample cut-up and SEM for a gas compressor operator in Alaska. Centrifugal gas compressor wheel: identified fouling debris via Infrared Transmission signature. Reciprocating compressor wrist pin and bearing: analyzed corrosion and local melting. Rod packings: examined for overtemperature and sulfidation.

Engine Durability Assessment. Witnessed overhaul of a combustion turbine engine for an electric power plant in Utah. Evaluated hot section hardware distress and documented the condition by written report. Provided third-party review of overhaul hardware disposition.

Plant Uprate Study. Provided engineering and economic assessment of proposed uprate options for a process plant in Texas. Determined NPV of adding additional turbine-driven turbocompressors, vs. electric motor-driven reciprocating compressors, vs. incorporating modifications and uprates to existing equipment.

Litigation Support. Provided Expert Consultant services to attorneys in a case involving the overhaul and repair of a reciprocating compressor in Georgia. Reviewed claims of plaintiff and defendant, and determined probable cause of subsequent failures.

Reverse Engineering. Reverse engineer hardware for a European combustion turbine, including blades, vanes, disks, shafts, tie rods, seals, and valves. Provided alloy upgrades for extended life and improved durability.

Finite Element Analysis. Provided ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) to assess stress fields in a turbine disk during a severe seal rub for a North African turbine user.

Turbine Rotor Salvage Repair. Engineered a repair for a low pressure turbine rotor to eliminate eccentricity and tie rod hole mismatch for a user in Argentina.

OEM Design Consultation. Provided design support and analysis review to an OEM in Washington for a clean-sheet ultra-high speed turbine engine design. Provided conceptual designs for dovetail attachments, stacked disk assemblies, locking features, and general design and analysis, including rotor dynamics analysis.

Test Facility Design Support. Designed coupling adapters for high speed shafts (14,200+ RPM), evaluated and selected pneumatic starter motors, and specified permissible air supply pressure ranges for a gas turbine overhauler's test facility in Texas.

Corrosion Analysis. Investigated cause of corrosion in combustion turbine compressor blades and retainer hardware for a user in Texas. Identified corrodents by Energy Dispersive Spectrography. Found the source of the contaminants by analyzing air inlet pre-filter material, inlet cooling water, and cooling media. Recommended corrective actions to avoid future hardware degradation.

Compressor Blade Failure Analysis. Identified cause of a second stage compressor blade failure using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for a user in Alaska. Submitted a written report with SEM photographs and analysis.

Reverse Engineer Turbine Blade. Provided geometrical measurement and analysis, material verification, and material upgrade options for an industrial gas turbine blade. The German company can now produce their own turbine blades at the vendor of their choosing and in an upgraded material to provide increased creep-rupture life and oxidation resistance.

Reduced-BTU Fuel Study. Identified consequences of burning low-BTU landfill gas in a gas turbine engine for an electric utility in Pennsylvania. Identified resultant power and performance characteristics, compressor airflow and pressure ratio changes, firing temperature and turbine temperature drop, hot section sulfidation and durability, and exhaust emissions. Recommended modifications to the fuel system and starting system to accommodate the increased fuel flow.

Reverse Engineer High Speed Gear Box (11,700 RPM). Produced a design layout in CAD for detail drawing by the Connecticut client's drafting department. Analyzed and specified fits and clearances, gear tooth form, gear mesh and spacing, bearings, lubrication design, and material selection.

Compressor Failure Analysis. Analyzed the cause of a compressor and bearing failure in an industrial combustion turbine. Inspected hardware. Performed detailed thrust balance calculations including drum, airfoil, and seal leakage analysis. Prepared a presentation explaining the findings to the user, a gas company located in Africa.
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