In order to prove the applicability of their products to customers' process needs, Readco manufacturing would invite customers to bring their product into the Readco Labs. For the cost of lab setup and runtime, Readco would set up a scaled manufacturing run for the customer's product using Readco equipment. In some cases, the final product quality was found to be dependent on heat transfer to or from the product during processing in the Readco equipment. When this was the case, it was my job to evaluate temperature, pressure, and product quality data gathered during the experiments, and to recommend possible changes that could be made to improve the final product quality. When working for the sales team, recommendations were made to the sales team in the form of written and verbal communication, graphs and charts, and occasionally by direct correspondence with the customer. In general, analyses were performed by developing theoretical models (energy balance) of the experimental system to determine relevant parameters, and conducting statistical analyses using a spreadsheet. Recommendations typically included changes in process parameters such as product throughput, heating or cooling temperatures, and heat transfer fluid flow rates, and in some cases, re-specification or redesign of processing equipment. Consultation to the sales team was provided for several customers. In general, the results of the analyses had not been confirmed by the time I left Readco.

In a joint venture with an established client/partner, Readco had an extended experiment in place to concurrently develop Readco equipment with high tech polymers. The shared goal of Readco and the client/partner company was to produce a processed polymer product with properties that would allow further processing by the equipment of a client company. The equipment for a complete processing line was in place at the client/partner company's facility. Due to incompatible fluid properties, the processed polymer product would not work with the client company's processing equipment. It was my responsibility to provide solutions that could be accomplished by means of heat transfer mechanisms, and to develop, design, or specify methods or equipment to implement them. Recommendations for this project were generally communicated in writing or verbally to principles of Readco and the client/partner company. Most of the work done on this project involved experiments that I designed and performed, and design (sizing) of a suitable heat exchange mechanism to alter the fluid properties of the processed polymer. Two heat exchanger designs were developed simultaneously. One design was requested from an outside firm. Another was developed jointly by the principle of the client/partner company, and myself. The bulk of the work that I performed for the design, consisted of a detailed sizing analysis that considered heat transfer from the polymer to the cooling fluid through the heat exchanger designed by the principle of the client/partner company. It was also my responsibility to track the progress of both designs, and to make a final recommendation to Readco principles. While a useful design was developed, the polymer under investigation was eventually found to be inherently incompatible with the process.

Readco's new line of continuous processors required a method to cool materials as they underwent processing. As such a cooling device was desired. It was my responsibility to consult with the chief engineer to determine the performance requirements for a cooling device, and to produce a design and final drawings for the device. The final design required:

While under significant time restraints, a final design for the new heat exchanger was completed and submitted to the chief engineer. Manufacturing of the first prototype is currently underway.