AFI is incorporated in Alaska and is headquartered in Anchorage. The
firm has all operations established at a single location - including
management, administration, research, product development, engineering,
and manufacturing. AFI has been developing, designing, fabricating,
installing, and improving ground freezing systems since its inception
in the early 1970's. AFI's technology is based on numerous patents held
by Mr. Erwin "Erv" Long, the original being the Long Thermopile that
was initially developed by Mr. Long in 1956. Long has also been
recognized for his innovative solutions by receiving the Alaska
Engineer of the Year award in 1978, and the ASCE's Harold R. Peyton
award for Cold Regions Engineering in 1991.
AFI's
Chief Engineer is Edward Yarmak, Jr., a professional engineer with over
29 years of geotechnical experience and over 26 years with the company.
Both Long and Yarmak have been published in numerous professional
publications and journals spanning their years of experience. They are
also members of, and actively involved in, professional societies:
ASCE, ASME, SME, ASTM, NSPE, and others.
OVERVIEW OF COMPANY CAPABILITIES:
AFI's capabilities broadly cover all aspects of thermosyphon product
development as it relates to delivering state-of-the-art components to
customers, facility owners, and end-users. These capabilities include
the fabrication of Thermopiles, Thermoprobes, and related functional
components.
Fabrication of thermosyphon products requires high quality welding,
surface coating, and all of the preparatory steps associated with these
activities. In the case of products that are greater than six inches in
diameter, all construction must conform to the ASME pressure vessel
code. This mandates that all stages of the operation conforms to the
code rules and that the products are subjected to regular inspection at
various stages of fabrication. Since AFI has one of the few ASME code
authorized fabrication shops in Alaska, all thermosyphon products,
regardless of diameter, are welded in conformance with the pressure
vessel code.
Corrosion protection is also a critical step in the
production of thermosyphon products. The steel surfaces of these
devices are partly exposed to unfrozen soil and atmospheric moisture
for scores of years and must be highly resistant to oxidation and
corrosive action. These surfaces are cleaned and coated with one or
both of AFI's coating processes; aluminum metallizing and fusion-bond
epoxy, with the specific applications governing the coating
requirement. Both processes are performed in-house.
Continuous
improvement of the technology, products, components, and systems is
also accomplished in-house. The AFI management, engineering, and
production staff seek these opportunities and actively utilize
technological developments in peripheral and related industries that
complement AFI's technology. Refrigeration equipment, data gathering
instrumentation, and computer utilization are just a few examples of
peripheral industries that have significant positive impact on AFI's
ability to advance its technology and are therefore actively monitored
and utilized.
