Process Plus is now working with Richard Industrial Group on several projects for Valero and Diamond Green Diesel. I have recently also worked with Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) scoping safety projects for PEMEX upstream and midstream operations. In Oct.-Dec. of 2012, I was a member of the SGS team investigating the root cause of the gas metering explosion on Sept. 18, 2012 at PEMEX KM.19 in Reynosa, Mexico. Since May, 2009, I have worked with Richard Design Services, Inc. (RDS) in Beaumont, Texas (750 Pearl St., 409-832-7827) as Technology Specialist and in 2013 as interim Process Engineering Manager. At, RDS, I have also worked with TOTAL Petrochemicals in Port Arthur, Texas as a coordinator helping with the heritage Fina unit SIS Modernization Projects. RDS has recently completed a number of projects as the prime E&C provider for Valero Refining including Flare Gas Recovery projects for the Ardmore, OK plant and FGRU and Alky Flare Gas Scrubber for St. Charles, LA plantsites. Also, for Diamond Green Diesel, a partnership between Valero and Darling International, RDS has successfully completed a project to produce 10,000 BPD of Green Diesel from animal tallow and used cooking oil. Also, RDS has completed the construction of the Hydrocracker Unit for Valero, St. Charles. RDS successfully constructed and commissioned the new Hydrocracker for the Valero Port Arthur Plant. RDS is currently conducting significant upgrade projects for both hydrocracker units. RDS also completed the engineering and design for the Canadian Crude Upgrade at the Valero Port Arthur Refinery and its associated Crude Tank Farm. In addition to process engineering, I am helping with RDS Marketing effort, assisting with proposals and have written the bulk of the process engineering department procedures.

At Modern EPC - crude unit debottlenecking project for Valero in Texas City. Lead Process Engineer - scope included reconfiguring the control system around and addition of two desalters, verification of cold train hydraulics including heat exchanger pressure drops, revision of operating procedures and conducting P&ID reviews and operator training. Project also included critical upgrade of tower internals, new/rebuilt heat exchangers and pump upgrades. The completed project significantly increased throughput and energy efficiency in the unit. Also, managed the project to upgrade a vacuum distillation unit at the Valero Refinery in Three Rivers, TX.

From 1989 to 1992, I worked as an instrument and controls engineer on various projects primarily for Texaco Chemical (now Flint Hills) in Port Arthur, Texas. At the same time, I was having to perform a lot of process engineering work and help with directing the activities of several other chemical engineers. In 1999, the process engineering department at Petrocon Engineering (now ENGlobal) was formed. The process engineering group steadily grew to a vibrant group of 20 chemical engineers in 2007 and included another 10 engineers being placed in inplant positions. During my time at ENGlobal, I was directly involved with projects at ExxonMobil Refinery (Sulfuric Alky Unit Expansion), ExxonMobil Olefins & Aromatics (C3 Splitter Addition), ExxonMobil Polyethylene (LDPE Expansion), ExxonMobil Specialty Chemicals (Mobil 1 Flare Upgrade), Firestone (DFTO & RTO), Fina (now Total, over 30 projects), BASF in Beaumont (Multipurpose Expansion), BASF-Fina Petrochemicals in Port Arthur (Condensate Splitter), SABINA C4 Complex (Butadiene Chiller/Drier), Chevron-Clark-Premcor (now Valero in Port Arthur,10 projects), Chevron-Phillips in Port Arthur (Cumene Relief Study) and Orange (Additive Feeders), Merisol in Houston (Distillation Reconfiguration), Amoco in Houston (PP Flake Cooling), Biolab in Lake Charles (BCDMH Expansion), Sasol in Lake Charles (Linear Alcohol Expansion), Goodyear in Beaumont (Wngstay expansion), Texaco Chemical (now Flint Hills) in Port Arthur (LOU Flare Upgrade, WW Stripper, 8th Cracking Furnace) and Port Neches (EO Expansion), and Safra in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (Aromatic Solvents Upgrade).

Project Engineer on a $2.5 million project to add a twin screw extruder, feed silos, feeders, product silos, transfer systems, drum packing system, etc. for the production of Halar plastic pellets. Drew the PIDs, established the control scheme, programmed the Modicon PLC and Cimpac operator interface software on a hardened PC. Evaluated Berstorff and Werner-Pfleiderer extruders and packaging systems providers and made recommendations for purchase of equipment. Wrote the operating procedures for the process, wrote maintenance procedures for cleaning the extruder and screen pack changer, trained the operators and conducted startup of the process.

Three years in Organic Process Research working out of A-1430 on Versene research. Worked on optimization projects for the HCN reactor and led the effort to put it on computer control. Installed a mass spectrometer on the product gas. Three years as a process engineer supporting the sulfur block and crude block of the 210,000 BPSD crude unit at Oyster Creek Division. Three years as a Caustic Production Engineer at Unit II Oyster Creek Division. Used SPC to improve operations and managed projects in the unit, including recycling 100% of the wastewater to resaturate brine recovered from the caustic unit salt column.