Chemical Engineer Consultant: Expert in Polymer Devolatilization, Polymer and Chemical Plant Process Engineering and Pilot Plant Design

Expertise

Summary

Over 25 years of chemical engineering experience in the polymer and chemical industries. Proven ability to commercialize new products and processes in a cost-effective and schedule-driven manner. Engineering work includes process concept, pilot plant, plant design, construction, operator training and start-up and commercial operation. Broad development, chemical engineering, manufacturing base in plastics, elastomers and chemicals.

Specific Expertise

• Chemical engineering technology development.
• Pilot plant design and operation.
• Front-end chemical engineering conceptual estimates.
• Plant operations - maintenance.
• Feasibility studies.
• Polymer devolatilization.
• Polymerization in all types of media.
• Viscous fluid processing.
• Polymer extrusion and compounding.
• Rubber and plastics processing.
• Chemical engineering project management.

Experience

Accomplishments:

• Provided two front-end studies demonstrating lower cost equipment and layout options for new polyester plant. Work included polymer handling equipment options and centralized Dowtherm system options.

Detail design for a micro-plant for spinning trials of new developmental Spandex products.Chemical engineering study for a new EPDM rubber plant resulting in strategies for a 5% capital cost reduction.

• Technical support and vendor liaison for a licensor package for a new ultra-high-cis polybutadiene plant in Saudi Arabia.
• Front-end design and estimate for a licensing package for S-B and PBd rubber on a Gulf Coast basis. Design incorporated the "best of the best" technology and equipment from the client's three operating units.
• Part of an engineering team for a new polystyrene facility with process that including multiple back-mix reactors and "falling strand" devolatilization.
• Front-end process design, vendor selection, and detailed engineering for a new fluid bed polyurethane aging process.
• Process design and scale-up from lab to commercial scale for a new acrylic polymer. Shortened the client's time to commercial trials by one year by qualifying a toll manufacturer to produce the material rather than adapting a client pilot plant.
• Front-end process engineering for client's styrene-butadiene block copolymer.
• Assisted the R&D effort, analyzed data and provided conceptual design and estimates for a novel solvent-based plastics recycling facility. Preliminary design was completed for a pilot plant and conceptual design for a commercial scale plant.
• Provided several front-end licensing packages for Phillips loop reactor polyolefin plants.
• Proved the use of a low-cost extruder to mix surfactant paste for blending off-spec material.

Chemical engineering support of a plant to produce a new family of polymeric lubricant additives.

• Managed and conducted a major hazards and operability review (HAZOP) for a PVC plant in response to a state mandated decree.
• Managed a process team of 5 engineers for a new specialty rubber plant. The scope included hydrogen fluoride catalyst handling, monomer preparation, reaction, solvent recovery, rubber drying and baling and utilities.
• Managed the process design of a new Polyester (PET) Solid State Polymerization two-train plant. Expansion included pellet handling, reaction, nitrogen heating and recovery, hot oil systems and utilities.
• Provided the preliminary and detail design of a new HDPE facility including polymer degassing, compounding, solids handling, waste water and utilities.
• Produced possibly the first commercially sold polymer produced using metalocene catalyst, in 1987.
• Commercialized an entire new family of liquid elastomers. Provided all of the engineering and operations management to convert a pilot plant built for the production of solid rubber and converted it to the semi-works production of liquid rubber. This product line continues as the only liquid EPDM polymer and the owner has built a new larger plant.
• Provided process design, technical and operations support for a novel slurry EPDM process at the pilot plant scale, including reaction, finishing and recovery.
• Engineered and commercialized a complete new process to color SAN (styrene acrylonitrile) co-polymer directly in the continuous polymerization plant located in Antwerp, Belgium. The commercialization of this process allowed the company to eliminate an entire extrusion plant at another location and eventually the sale of that plant.
• Provided process design lead for an ABS emulsion expansion including reaction, coagulation, centrifugation and drying. Prepared the PLC control schematic.
• Provided front-end scope and preliminary engineering for an upgraded ABS plant, including SAN reactors, polymer storage, blending, extrusion and packaging. Plant is in Newport, Wales, UK.
• Represented the manufacturing organization for a major continuous SAN co-polymer production facility. Plant included continuous reaction, devolatilization, pelletizing and storage.
• Provided construction support, maintenance training and startup assistance for two new continuous polystyrene trains at a site that previously only had batch processes. Plant is in Wingles, France and all support was done in the French language.
• Coordinated all startup activities for company's first commercial continuous SAN co-polymer plant, including chemical engineering, construction input, writing the complete operating procedure and coordinating R&D, plant technical service, instrumentation and maintenance during the actual startup phases.
• Conducted SAN pilot plant experimentation to produce scale-up data for the company's first commercial plant using new technology that employed unique in-house designed wiped film evaporators (WFD).
• Upgraded and debottlenecked processes and equipment making polystyrene, SAN and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastics. Processes were batch, both mass and suspension, and included reaction, slurry dewatering and drying. Process improvements included 20 % capacity increases, new product introductions, reduction in labor and quality improvements.

Employment

Independent Consultant, 2003 - Present

Day and Zimmermann International, Newark, DE and Philadelphia, PA, Director Process Technology, 2000 - 2003

Flour Daniel, 1994 - 2000

• Director of Chemicals Technology, Marlton NJ,
• Process Director, Houston , TX

M.W.Kellogg, Houston, TX, Process Manager, 1990 - 1994

John Brown, Houston, TX, Process Manager, 1988 - 1990

Uniroyal Chemical, Inc., Geismar, LA, 1984-1988

• Manager of Pilot Plant Operations
• Engineering Associate

Monsanto Chemical Company, 1968 - 1984

• Process Specialist, Antwerp, Belgium
• Principal Engineer, London, England
• Process Specialist, Antwerp, Belgium and Wingles, France
• Senior Process Engineer, Springfield, MA and Addyston, OH
• Plant Technical Service Engineer, Addyston, OH

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Awards

• Technical Achievement Award, Uniroyal Chemical, Inc., A - For the development of Trilene liquid EPDM product.
• Outstanding Achievement Award, Monsanto Chemical Company - For the development of an in-line continuous SAN polymer coloring process.
• Outstanding Achievement Award, Monsanto Chemical Company - For the successful startup of company's first continuous polystyrene plant in Europe.
• Outstanding Achievement Award, Monsanto Chemical Company - For the successful startup of company's first-ever continuous SAN polymer plant.

Credentials

• Graduate studies in Chemical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, OH
• Polymer Devolatilization Course, Polymer Processing Institute
• Reactive Extrusion Course, Polymer Processing Institute
• Registered Professional Engineer, Texas

Education

• B.S. Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute