Ralph Yeardley
Ralph has over three decades of experience designing and operating steam and water flow facilities and qualifying nuclear components for U.S. commercial and naval nuclear programs.
Experience
Ralph Yeardley has been with Wyle, NTS, and Element since 1995, bringing more than 30 years of experience in fluid testing involving water, steam, nitrogen, and debris-laden fluids. His career has focused on first-of-kind testing for valves, pumps, heat exchangers, filters, and suction strainers supporting nuclear power and U.S. Navy programs.
Ralph has built multiple custom flow test facilities from the ground up and has rebuilt the Huntsville steam flow loop twice to expand its capability. These upgrades doubled maximum steam flow from 1 million to 2 million lbm/hr and increased effective test pressure from 1250 to 2000 psig, maintaining the facility as one of the largest steam flow test facilities in the world.
In addition to flow testing, Ralph has experience in modal and frequency testing using impact hammer methods, applied to valves, drones, and space capsules. He is currently a member of Element’s Technical Services Group, specializing in water and steam flow testing.
Career Highlights
- Built first-of-kind heat exchanger transient test rig (28.8 million BTU/hr heat exchange rate)
- Developed first-of-kind debris-laden water test facility for pump qualification
- Rebuilt Huntsville steam flow facility to double flow capacity and increase pressure rating
- Qualified approximately 30 nuclear valves per ASME QME-1, including most valves in the AP1000 design
- Active contributor and author within ASME QME-1 valve subcommittees
Qualifications and Credentials
Qualifications
- BS in Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University (1991)
- Professional Engineer (PE), State of Alabama