Hello from Puerto Rico / Florida

[Daniel Puig]

Cheers People, (thanks Doug for the registration)
I graduated FIT (Florida Tech) with BSME. Nope, I am not into cars but I am into computer builds, gadgets, Video Edit (FCPX and Adobe AE), and anything tech related specially UAV's with a GoPro attached to it. I custom build my "Hackintosh" MAC with PC's parts. ($$$$ cheaaapp). Made a build that if ordered from Apple.com would cost around $5K, instead it cost me around $1.3K. All about saving and doing it yourself. All this is my side hobby, my primary work is with Siemens Power Generation working with all of Siemens Westinghouse Gas Turbines or CT's. I take these Combustion Turbines and do full disassembly and reassembly for Field Service and Warranty works. (Maintenance and borescope inspections). I have a good amount of knowledge with blade testing, Non destructive evaluations (dye), material specs for turbines etc, etc. I will keep my integrity with my company and will not disclose any "Intelectual or Proprietary" information but will contribute to explain how things work in the Power Generation industry and to the best of details if any question comes across. I am all into NETWORKING and OPEN SOURCE.
As of today I am 27yrs old with about 7 yrs of experience in the power generation world. I have a lot to talk and contribute but I want to maintain this intro as "first level" as possible. Let me know if anyone needs support in any of the mentioned items above. CHEERS to all and looking forward to contribute with the group. Looks like a good group of G33ks :0)

Fully Bilingual (Spanish/English) and understand (Portuguese)
Peace,
Danny P.

[Doug Coulter]

Welcome Daniel. No worries, we don't want anything "stolen" here - just your brains and expertise will do fine - I presume you own those yourself. I personally have a lot of interest in materials in extreme environments. Look at what a fusor grid has to stand, for example. While staying really really accurate in dimensions (or at least the ratios of them) at near-white heat. I think turbines are pretty cool too, and I'm sure I have company on all this, which is why I invited you here.

[Daniel Puig]

Sure this is good info to research on. You probably know why I wrote that "about intellectual information". Just protecting myself from any misunderstanding .. Hehehe. I will sure look into it and if anything else arrises regarding high stressed materials at high temps ... I have great materials that will react to these factors. Also, castings and molds if that is of any interest! Here to help doug! Thanks for the warm welcome! And i am sure i can get great help from you peeps!
Cheers,
Daniel

[Doug Coulter]

I'm right now using pure tungsten for grid rods, since I can get it super straight and also super thin, .020". I use graphite for the ends, since it'll take the heat too, and is easy to machine on top, though there are some other things about it that aren't great - it sputters off and makes some hydrocarbons with the fuel, and is a trick to attach to tungsten. But the upside is that it's a far better heat radiator, so it runs cooler than say, titanium, which I've had slump at the higher temperatures it reaches, being less heat conductive and less radiative for getting rid of the heat. Long and short, the W/C ones look uglier, but work better. The Ti ones look better, but can't take the conditions.

Along with, BTW, most "insulators" that are metal oxides. Getting hit with hot ionized hydrogen reduces most of them to conductive metal really fast, so they aren't insulators anymore. The only stuff I've had live well under those conditions is pure alumina (kind of, AL-99) for awhile, and Boron Nitride (seemingly immune, even with a binder). I've pretty much tried it all in there, and it's BN now. BN is also heat-conductive enough to help with taking heat out of the tank, which makes everything else happier too.

Cooling stuff in a vacuum, where there is no air to take off heat by conduction or convection, is a whole 'nother world. Nothing gets rid of heat unless it gets hot enough to become a good radiator of it, or is bolted to something that can conduct heat away out to the air. NASA found out the hard way when some newly minted PhD's tried to put an off the shelf motherboard into space...lifetime was minutes. Knowing them, they probably took the fans off to save weight, thinking, hey, no air anyway.
So, duh, no cooling from the no air, fan or not!