Petroleum Refining Hydrocarbon, FCC, and Aromatics Extraction Chemical Engineering Consultant

Technical Consultant #2194

Field experienced in hydrocarbon refining processes, system dynamics, project management.
Successful in collaborative, profitable operations and improvements on premier processes over 33 years of multi-faceted engineering roles.
Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) process engineering for high profit, large unit refineries.
Equipment mapping, new systems start-up and test runs monitoring, optimization, and catalyst selections.
Units - Crude; vacuum, light ends - gas recovery treating, Merox, Amine, fractionators, desulfurization Units - Naphtha through gas oil with mild hydrocracking, Visbreaker, Penex (C5 isom), Sulfolane (aromatics extraction), reformers (fixed-bed),and flares.

Undisclosed Company, Senior Advisory, Present

Providing technical consulting to large petroleum producing plants and refineries with targeted results improving operations, profits, and feasibility.

Hovensa LLC, St. Croix, U.S., Virgin Islands, 1979 - 2012

Senior Staff Engineer, Technical Services

Served as subject matter expert on fluidized bed catalytic cracking (FCC) and deep conversion.
Guided technical focus for highest profit units, supporting delayed coker, C3 poly, LT. ends treating, and alkylation.
Point member for Citgo FCC and Coker Technical Teams - benchmarking, outage reductions.

Turnaround Technical Coordinator - FCC and Coker Complex Blocks

Process Engineering point contact on large block turnaround outage planning core team.
Helped team achieve top quadrant planning performance for 2010 FCC Complex outage (high complexity, $90 million) APNetworks gated planning metric, mitigating 15% overrun exposures.
Oversaw technical devices execution for 2010 FCC complex turnaround.

Senior Staff Engineer, FCC Revamp Projects

Point engineer on key profit and reliability projects for one of the world's largest FCC units.
Barrier breakthrough on licensor technologies.
Sponsored and led multi-disciplined team to secure management approval for feed nozzle riser system revamp from detailing through start-up ($6 million, less than 6 months payback).
Advanced beyond traditional sole licensor options as optimum fit with unit constraints.
Led design of and established support for non-traditional custom single-stage cyclone system to resolve cycle life constraint and extend turnaround interval from 4 to 5 years ($20 million).
Guided feasibility for FCCU 30 MW power recovery turbo-expander.

Senior Process Engineer, (FCC)

Developed and carried out targeted test runs to determine yield relationships and unit specific responses.
Developed technical routines for monitoring, optimization, catalyst selections, and loss tracking.
Created a 1-page guide for operations for quick reference during start-ups.
Mapped equipment wear patterns during first turnaround inspections.
Determined extent of thermal expansion movements unique to large-scale unit.

Group Leader, Technical Services Utilities and Energy

Supervisor for Engineering Utilities group and Reliability Upgrade project team leader.
Upgraded steam and air systems to support new FCC facility.
Decoupling the steam and electric systems for reliability plus energy efficiency ($ 3 million with a 2.5 year payback).
Modernized Boiler instrumentation with safety interlocks to NPRA and FM standards.
Formulated practical OSHA, PSM, and MOC handling.
Revamped fuels field metering and upkeep to realize reliable supply and distribution measurement balances.
Led fired heater and burners optimization training, mechanical integrity and parts management.

Senior Process Engineer - Energy Conservation and Environmental

Identified expected fuel factors areas for improvement.
Highlighted monthly energy gaps.
Conducted audits on high consumption units: $6 million a year double compression savings.
Unified BTU basis with corporate for audit comparisons.
Compiled environmental fugitive and point source air emission data for two SARA submissions.
Updating tanks database verified with roof seal detail.
Establishing central support documentation.
Compiled legal bounds for marine Neshaps benzene vapor loading system design.

Senior Process Engineer - Petrochemical Joint Venture

HOVIC representative Process Engineer on joint-venture paraxylene petrochemical plant.
Automated operator tool to eliminate common product losses due to math errors in critical bed zone rate calculations.

Process and Senior Contact Engineer - Hydrocarbon Units

Hands-on operator for 1 year Union lock-out infield.
Developed performance monitoring, test runs, troubleshooting, optimization, project development, equipment inspections, guidelines and shift coverage for catalyst loadings and regenerations, furnace decokings, and new system start-ups.
Technical support to units: Crude, vacuum, light ends - gas recovery treating, Merox, Amine, fractionators, desulfurization Units - Naphtha through gas oil with mild hydrocracking, Visbreaker, Penex (C5 isom), Sulfolane (aromatics extraction), reformers (fixed-bed),and flares.

B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Lowell, Lowell Technological Institute, Lowell, MA