Consulting experience includes studies and recommendations for a multi-plant manufacturer for improvement of production facilities and reduction of costs. Consulting experience also includes preliminary design and evaluation of new industrial chemical and biochemical processes, pollution prevention, waste minimization, odor control, code compliance, and safety studies. Completed feasibility studies for the manufacture of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, surfactants, and household products from renewable resources such as fats and oils. Accident investigation root cause analysis studies to determine causes of two fires in chemical facilities.
Construction experience includes acting as client’s representative on major fermentation and isolation project during construction and managing construction liaison team in the field. Team included engineering and design capability in every discipline.
Start-up and training experience includes commissioning, start-up and training of operating and maintenance personnel for new process facilities. Responsibilities on larger projects included supervision of commissioning and training teams. Duties included preparation of operating procedures, equipment maintenance manuals and training manuals for operating and maintenance personnel.
Utility and off-sites experience includes design and construction of new ammonia storage and containment facility, cooling water, chilled water, process refrigeration and water treatment facilities.
Controls experience includes design, specification, start up and documentation of highly automated control systems.
Simulation experience includes design and optimization of continuous and batch process facilities and ethanol recovery columns using Simulation Sciences Pro-Vision, Aspen, Chemshare and other software.
Expert Witness in trials involving design of processes, operations, construction cost, process safety, employee safety and code compliance issues. Gave depositions for cases and testified in arbitration case.
Projects Include :
Process Engineer for grass roots facility in Manati, Puerto Rico. Facility produced bulk pharmaceutical antibiotics and included Fermentation and Isolation Facilities, Raw Material and Product Storage, Potable Water, Cooling Water, Process Water, Steam, Electrical, Instrumentation and Stand-by Emergency Generators
Process Engineer for a series of projects for Hilton-Davis Corporation that included facilities for production of food colors and optical brighteners. Systems included chemical processes and utilities including cooling water.
Process Engineer and Project Manager for fermentation facility. Facility produced Lasalocid animal health product in a self-contained plant and included Fermentation and Isolation Facilities, Raw Material and Product Storage, Cooling Water and Process Water, Steam, Electrical and Instrumentation Services
Process Engineer and Project Manager for Water Services Project that provided Cooling Water and Chilled Water to an existing process building producing a food sweetener product. Also supervised Construction Manager for this project.
Process Engineer for upgrading of Procter & Gamble's Tissue Plant that provided debottlenecking of water and pulp slurry systems for the paper machines that produced the tissue.
Process Engineer and Project Manager for Procter & Gamble's prototype continuous soap making facility. The new facility included Raw Material, Soap Making, Packaging facilities and Potable Water, Cooling Water, Steam, Electrical and Instrumentation Services.
For these projects and many others as Process Engineer and Project Manager, this consultant directly created and provided and directly supervised production of Process Flow Diagrams, Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams, Equipment Specifications, Piping Drawings, Piping Materials Specifications, Piping Fabrication Specifications for process and utility systems including water, potable water, cooling water, chilled water and waste water systems. These specifications included all types of piping systems including ductile iron, steel, stainless steel, alloy, plastic and lined pipe, valves and fittings with 125 psi, 150 psi and 300 psi pressure ratings. Piping design packages included calculations of piping stresses and temperature expansion and specification of pipe supports and pipe restraints where required. Connections used included welded connections, flanged joints, screwed connections, quick couplings, Victaulic couplings, V-clamp joints and others.
For projects where piping systems were prefabricated and delivered to the project we produced isometric piping spool sheets for the specialty pipe fabricator and ordered and delivered to the fabricator all the pipe valves and fitting required for the project.
For the fermentation facility project the building, equipment and piping systems were modeled completely in 3 dimensions to scale using purchased plastic model parts and we provided the computerized spool sheets by direct take off of the piping from the model. The model was subsequently shipped to the site and provided the information for contractor bidding and construction of the facility. We provided a field team of 12 people to observe construction at all stages, approve (or disapprove) changes submitted by the contractor and to provide additional drawings for changes required by the client.
In roles as Project Manager, this consultant reviewed and approved engineering materials submitted to client or contractor for bidding and for construction. This consultant reviewed and approved or disapproved cut sheets and approval drawing submittals for process equipment, piping and bulk material systems. Additional responsibilities included review and recommendation of supplier and contractor proposals and this consultant reviewed and approved or disapproved change order requests.
For recent projects participated in "What If" sessions with engineers, designers, plant personnel and clients to identify critical failure situations that could shut down the plant, cause damage to systems or injury to personnel in accordance to good engineering practice and OSHA regulations. Situations were often rated on a matrix as to probability of occurring and damage to property, plant personnel and the community outside the plant. Power failure was always reviewed as a probable occurrence and safe shutdown provided. For some projects emergency generation was provided. Pumped systems were provided with check valves to prevent backup of fluid systems. Water hammer was evaluated and prevented if serious.
As Expert Witness provided review, reports, depositions for the following three cases and testimony at arbitration for the fourth case as follows :
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Expert Witness for an engineering firm purchased by Jacobs Engineering in a case involving disputes as to possible engineering lacks in approximately 100 specific instances claimed by engineer's client in a facility to manufacture synthetic caffeine. Case settled shortly after this consultant gave deposition to the satisfaction of the client.
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Expert Witness for a chemical company that was sued by an employee who was injured in an accident in the plant. Determined cause of accident. Case settled shortly after this consultant's report and deposition to the satisfaction of the client.
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Expert Witness for a company assembling a plastic product that was sued by an employee claiming injury and liver damage as a result of breathing fumes in the plant. My client offered a reduced settlement after my report and deposition. No fumes existed in the plant. The employee had a history of liver problems well before any possible exposure.
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Expert Witness in a contract dispute between the client, a subsidiary of International Paper Company, and a toll processor contracted by the client. The case involved the failure of the toll processor to provide any material that met specifications. This consultant's review, report and deposition resulted in toll processor dramatically reducing its claims. Testified at the arbitration court which ruled against the client on matters not in this consultant's scope.
