Refining, Petrochemical, and Maritime Rotating Equipment Expert

Expertise

• Thirty-Two years of experience in the engineering of machinery, particularly rotating equipment, in the oil production, refining, petrochemical, and maritime industries.
• Operations, maintenance, reliability practices, and problem analysis and solution for general purpose and large turbo machinery.
• Plant design, selection, procurement, and commissioning of machinery systems and maximizing operating efficiency.

Experience

Undisclosed Company, Project Mechanical Engineer Advisor

• Managed machinery commissioning activities for eight grass root petrochemical units and for numerous refinery/chemical unit expansion projects all with successful startup.
• Conducted turbo machinery reliability and safety audits for refinery/chemical units and on-shore/off-shore oil production facilities.
• Designed and implemented machine modifications to improve reliability and performance.
• Developed Best Practices to maximize turbo machinery operating efficiency and participated in the roll out of these practices in petrochemical plants.
• Identified causes for multiple failures in propulsion and auxiliary systems on VLCC tankers, assessed failure risk for unmodified units still in service, issued operating guidelines to minimize risk for failure and recommended a cost effective gear upgrade program which was implemented.
• Carried out machinery problem analyses and reliability audits worldwide. Identified cause for repeat failures in high horsepower masticators used for mixing viscous polymers and recommended design changes to prevent failures and improve reliability.
• Consulted on the design and assisted with commissioning of prototype hydraulic drive system for new masticators applications.
• Coordinated prototype studies and assisted in the design and tests of a multi-spindle twisting machine used in the manufacture of polypropylene twine. Final spindle design increased twine production and quality significantly.
• Designed entry/exit seals to prevent escape of toxic gas in a large oven used in manufacturing high quality thin plastic films. Seal design was patented.
• Assisted a major fertilizer plant in Canada to continue operation during a peak production period of large steam turbine compressor train with a cracked compressor shaft.
• Recommended and supervised a temporary repair for the rotor shaft and then used failure analysis criteria to calculate safe power loads for continued compressor operation until a new rotor could be obtained.

Honors & Publications

Patents

• One U.S. patent

Education

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA