Chemical Engineer Consultant: Polymerization Reactor Design and Control Systems

Technical Consultant #1437

Control systems, control loops and PLC for chemical plants.
Polymer processing, reactor design, polymerization and reaction modeling.
Mathematical and computer methods to quantify a problem.
Chemical process sensors and integration into process control system.
Statistical process control for chemical plant operations.
Production and chemical engineering of acetal copolymer resins and micro porous polyolofin membranes.

Independent Consultant, 2003 - Present

Created a conceptual design of a resin production plant to support an investment proposal.

Hoechst Celanese - "Celgard" Division, Staff Engineer 1990 - 2001

Improved "Celgard" microporous polyolefin membrane production on blown film extrusion lines and hot stretching ovens through process control which resulted in improved product yields and profitable operation.
Lead the installation and programming of a network of Honeywell and Rockwell controllers and supervisory hosts.
Programmed Visual C , Visual Basic, function charts, and ladder logic so controllers and computers operated correctly in the control system.
Improved the process through statistical process control.

Hercules Science and Technology, Senior Research Engineer, 1986 - 1990

Supplied control systems for the pilot plants within the Research Center for reliable and safe operation.
Demonstrated benefit of advanced control at a plant making biaxially oriented polypropylene packaging blown film which resulted in the plant investing in a major control system upgrade.
These projects involved identifying sensors, writing specification, computer programming and control system configuration.

Celanese Engineering Resins, Bishop TX, Senior Process Development Engineer 1979 - 1986

Lead engineer for a major computer control project that installed a Honeywell DCS system with supervisory host that resulted in higher production capacity and energy cost savings.
Consulted within the plant on process enhancements which removed production bottlenecks and improved reactor performance.
Invented a method of introducing diluted polymerization initiator to improve product quality and increase the production by about 1,000,000 pounds per year.

Celanese Research Company, Summit NJ, Research Engineer, 1975 - 1979

Acetal resin, polymer processing, reactor design and polymerization reaction modeling.

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA

Ph.D. and M.S., Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA