Frederick A. Costello, Inc. is a consulting firm offering engineering
design, analysis and testing services. Since 1978, the company has served
a wide range of clients, in the government (20%) as well as in the private
sector (80%). Frederick A. Costello, Inc., serves the Thermal,
Aerospace, Defense, Electronics, Industrial Process and Equipment,
Energy Conservation, and Solar industries.
We have applied our expertise in the areas of:
We usually start at the conceptual stage as a design team member.
We perform engineering and economic trade-offs; support design
concepts with analytical models; devise tests; conduct or supervise
thermal tests; and review the field performance. We also provide
design-review services.
Our computational power comes from 4 personal computers that operate
at nearly work-station speed. Our primary software consists of
industry standard programs such as SSPTA or TRASYS for radiant heat
exchange, SINDA for thermal analyses and ALGOR for stress analyses.
We support our computational work with a 600-sq.ft. thermal laboratory.
Our responsiveness and ability to meet schedule and budget is unwavering.
In almost 20 years, we have never missed a scheduled milestone. Our
timely deliveries have led to incentive awards for our clients. We
normally work on a fixed-price basis; therefore, you have perfect
budget control. When the job is done, your costs are done.
Because we are a small company, you will be dealing personally with the
engineer responsible for the proposal, the work and the budget.
FAC, Inc., has designed many temperature-control systems for spacecraft and
space instruments. Our largest instrument was Perkin Elmer's Hubble Space
Telescope (HST), for which we supervised the thermal design and supporting
analyses. We developed much of the thermal-design technology used on the HST,
including methods for designing thermostatically controlled heaters, analyzing
heater systems, combining submodels into a total vehicle model, extracting
submodels from a total vehicle model, analyzing specular surfaces, and devising
designs that compensate for thermal expansion. The thermal design of the
wavefront sensor, the most sensitive instrument on HST, was our sole
responsibility.
Our design and analysis experience includes many years in electronics packaging
and cooling using our own highly sophisticated computer software to support our design
effort.
We develop simple computer models in support of design, then confirm the design
in detailed simulation models. Our routine simulations include not only
components and boards but also these items within complete assemblies, tracking
the heat transfer from the junctions to the ambient air -- all within a single
model. These comprehensive models include all conduction, convection and
radiation interactions. Within only days we generate the models graphically,
extract dissipation data from the tables usually available from the electronics
designer's work, compute temperatures, and display the results graphically.
Hot spots are easily identified. Design changes are readily incorporated,
including those stimulated by interdisciplinary trade-off studies. The model
results usually consist of a table of junction temperatures that is well suited
to reliability analyses. Our automated methods give us the competitive edge
in the thermal design of electronic equipment.
Our work in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has included aerospace and electronic-equipment applications.
High-Speed Aerothermodynamics
For EER-Systems and CTA, we developed and applied integral methods for computing heat-transfer rates on supersonic rockets and rocket clusters, including the effect of strap-on boosters. The predictions were in excellent agreement with the results of our computations based on a finite-difference method that used the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations. Because of this agreement, both commercial-launch companies used the results for their boosters.
For EER-Systems and Orbital Sciences Corporation we developed and applied a Korst-like method for computing the pressure and heat transfer rates in the base region of rockets. The method included the flow coming from between the strap-on boosters and the main rocket. The method correctly predicted the performance of the first Taurus launch. For EER-Systems we extended the method to include impingement pressures and heat-transfer rates from the expanding flow onto the articulated nozzle.
Heating Under Free-Molecule Flow
For EER-Systems and CTA, we developed and applied a method for computing the free-molecule pressures and heat-transfer rates on payload surfaces in all orientations during the latter stages of the boost into orbit. The results were favorably reviewed by an independent subcontractor to EER and were subsequently used in the design of the heat-protection system. For Orbital Sciences Corporation we applied the free-molecule method to estimate heating from the over-expanded rocket plume.
Plume Impingement
For NASA-Goddard and for Final Analysis, Inc., we devised and applied a method for computing the free-molecule flow field and impingement heat-transfer rates from hydrazine thrusters firing during the latter stages of boost and in space. Our predictions were used by both clients in the design of the thermal-protection system.
Custom CFD Codes
We have developed CFD models in support of our work on cooling of electronic equipment. For Perkin Elmer Corporation, we developed and applied the theory and the code for the flow distribution in complex air-distribution headers; for TRW, a code for computing natural-convection-cooling of complex packaging geometries. Our model was proven in our laboratory experiments.
For NASA-Goddard we developed CFD models for the flow in gas bearings of long-life Stirling cryocoolers. We also developed the coupling equations that permitted NASA to model the dynamics of the piston motion. Also for NASA- Goddard we developed a flow and heat-transfer model of cryogenic, high- performance regenerators, including features for evaluating novel concepts and designs.
Our temperature-control expertise extends to the design of industrial instruments and manufacturing processes. For Perkin Elmer we designed the feedback temperature-control system for its Near-Infrared chemical analyzer, a commercial product for use in chemical plants. Computer simulations and tests demonstrated that the system could hold the temperatures within 0.1 C. We also designed the temperature-control system for an advanced microlithographic machine, including the lamp and the stage areas, again holding temperatures to within 0.1 C.
Energy Conservation
Our energy-conservation work includes on-site analyses of Quaker Oats plants, school buildings, and apartment complexes. We were the engineer of record in designing and evaluating energy-conservation measures for the Milford, Delaware, School District. For the Gas Research Institute, we evaluated various air-conditioner designs based on desiccant cooling.
Solar Energy Systems
The eight architect/engineering companies that have used our solar expertise include the Leo A. Daly Company for its Department of Labor work on job training centers and MMM Design for its work on the Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C. Our work includes the design of over 100 solar heating/cooling systems. For the U.S. Department of State we were the engineer of record on the solar photovoltaic power system installed at the U.S. embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. Solarex Corporation employs us as structural designers. For EER we designed hybrid solar/wind/diesel electrical power plants for remote sites; for SANDIA National Laboratories, solar/diesel total-energy systems. For EEA we testified as expert witnesses on total-energy system performance.
Renewable Energy Systems
For Argonne National Laboratories we were the team leader and primary engineering analyst to quantify renewable energy resources for Portugal: solar, wind, biomass, ocean, hydro -- including our own in-country inspections. We trained others in applying our methodology in Korea and Argentina.