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Failure Analysis and Rotordynamics - About Knighawk Engineering

KnightHawk Engineering

KnightHawk Engineering was founded in July of 1991 by Cliff Knight. Since our inception, we have assembled a diverse and powerful staff of engineers who are proven leaders in their field. They have executed projects throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.  Our clients range from individual entrepreneurs to the largest industrial giants, such as Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and NASA. This depth of experience and expertise has allowed KnightHawk to establish itself as a preeminent leader in design, failure analysis, rotordynamics, and trouble-shooting of static and rotating equipment around the world. Our static equipment analysis includes selective linear exchangers, quench coolers, furnace tubes, pelletizing dies, and blow-down systems into closed headers. Our rotating equipment analysis includes machine and structural dynamics, failure analysis, evaluation of acoustic pulsation, and rotordynamic modeling.  In addition to these disciplines, we perform specialty machinery design and third party audits. Throughout the years, KnightHawk has developed a strong reputation in the industry for our work on major high profile projects. For example, KnightHawk was hired by NASA to design oxygen valves for the space shuttle program. We have also performed FEA modeling for human implants. Our failure analysis work includes determining the root cause of a compressor explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico as well as a major compressor in a copper plant in Indonesia, the shutdown of which caused the cost of copper to increase worldwide. Most recently, we have been retained to perform a root cause failure analysis of a two billion dollar plant in the Middle East that had been unable to become operative.

A message from our President:

KnightHawk is continuing to grow for 2015 with the opening of a subsidiary in South Africa, KnightHawk Engineering, SA. Another major milestone has been achieved with KnightHawk’s Lab becoming accredited. Our multiphysics organization is one of the finest in the world. We have advanced the art of providing complex solutions in a timely manner. We do that based on nearly 25 years of working emergency and high priority jobs. Most recently a client needed a quick solution and our lab was able to characterize the fractures through SEM analysis and the very next day our engineering group had results from FEA and CFD analysis. KnightHawk also has patent pending technology for advanced processes for waste to energy. We also provide complex dynamic analysis for a DOD targeted project involving marine systems. We appreciate all our clients, from an individual inventor to major oil giants in industry.

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