Profession Process Engineer

Specialisation Process design for Oil & Gas / Petrochemical projects

Experience 12 years

Present employment

Company Mott MacDonald & Co. LLC, Muscat, Oman

Front End and Detailed Engineering consultants for Oil and Gas Producers, principally for Petroleum Development Oman, a Shell group company.

Position Senior Process Engineer

Year of joining Firm 2005

Qualification

• B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from Regional Engineering College, Trichy, India - 1994.
• Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Life Member of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers

Key Work Experience

Process Engineer with 12 years of work experience in process engineering for oil & gas and petrochemical projects. Have been involved in projects from conceptual design through front end engineering, detailed engineering to commissioning and start-up. Have significant experience in the capacity of Lead Process engineer and have been responsible for executing process engineering activities of the designated project to high quality, within the prescribed time schedule and cost.

Job responsibilities include interaction with the client to understand the project requirements, executing the process engineering activities within the stipulated time, leading process teams for design reviews and HAZOPs, resolving technical issues that arise during the execution of projects, process support to engineering disciplines, procurement support and progress reporting.

Process design experience include conceptual design and establishing process schemes, preparation of Process Flow Diagrams, process simulation, preparation of P&IDs, hydraulic calculations, thermal design of shell & tube heat exchangers, process data sheets for static and rotating equipment / packages, process data sheets for instruments, control valves, special parts, conceptual equipment layouts, design of relief, vent and flare systems, sterile area calculations, hazardous area classification, process control and ESD interlocks description and logics, HAZOP, detailed engineering support to other engineering disciplines.

Familiar with industry standards like API, ASME, TEMA, Hydraulic institute, etc and with Shell codes of practice (DEPs, ERDs, SPs).

Software exposure includes HYSYS, Aspen Plus, PIPESIM, HTRI, Shell FRED, TL / TG net, etc.

Career Summary

2005 - To date Mott MacDonald & Co. LLC, Muscat, Oman

Senior Process Engineer

2003 - 2005 Uhde India Ltd., Mumbai, India

Chief Engineer - Process

1999 - 2003 Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd., Haldia, India

Senior Process Engineer

1994 - 1999 Indian Organic Chemicals Ltd., Chennai, India

Senior Process Engineer

Professional Experience

2005 - To date Mott MacDonald & Co. LLC

Senior Process Engineer

Involved in the front end and detailed design activities of the following oil & gas projects, in the capacity of Lead Process engineer:

· Front end design of a 20,000 Sm3/day Oil Field Surface Facilities including:

- Process simulation using HYSYS including characterisation of crude, generation of process stream data, prediction of hydrate formation temperatures, calculation of design minimum temperature, etc.

- Preparation of PFDs and P&IDs.

- Hydraulic calculations including for multi-phase lines, using PIPESIM.

- Conceptualising and designing operating, control and safeguarding systems.

- Bulk, three-phase Gas/liquid/liquid separator sizing and preparation of process data sheet.

- Preparation of process data sheet, design review and HAZOP for Hydro cyclone package including sand removal and deoiler cyclones.

- Design of vent and relief systems, including sizing of relief valves, hydraulics and dispersion / radiation calculations using Shell FRED.

- Preparation of process data sheets for multi phase Flow meters for well testing, On-line oil-in-water analysers and control valves.

- Conceptual equipment layout.

- Design review, HAZOP and IPF.

• Concept through Front end design of a 17,500 m3/day Polymer Flooding (Enhanced Oil Recovery) project which besides other activities included:

- Concept selection for produced water treatment and preparation of Design Basis.

- Front end design for the water treatment plant using Micro Bubble Floatation process for the primary water treatment and Walnut shell filters for the secondary water treatment.

- Conceived and developed the reject handling, treatment and recycling / disposal systems.

- Concept selection, development of scheme and preparation of process data sheet for the treated water sweetening package (Vacuum deaeration followed by chemical scavenging using ozone, generated by electrolysis).

- Material selection for equipment and piping for sour /HIC service.

- Development of philosophies like operating, control and safeguarding philosophy, tie-in and shut down philosophy, isolation, drain and vent philosophy (including the requirements for sour service).

- Design of the atmospheric Flare system.

- Front end design of the polymer solution preparation and injection facilities.

• Detailed design of a 3500 Sm3/day crude gathering, bulk and injection water pipeline project which besides other activities included:

- Surge analysis of injection water pipeline using TL net.

- Instrumented Protective Systems (HIPPS) for the bulk pipeline. This also involved preparation of process data sheet for Mokveld type slow opening valve for the start-up.

• Developed an Algorithm / spreadsheets for selection and sizing of Gas/Liquid, Gas/Liquid/Liquid and Liquid/Liquid separation equipment.

2003 - 2005 Uhde India Ltd.

Chief Engineer - Process

Worked in the capacity of Lead Process engineer for the conceptual design and front end engineering design of an Acid stripper column system, revamp of Fatty alcohol plant from 60,000 TPA to 108,000 TPA and a Pilot Fatty alcohol plant. Major activities involved include:

• Process simulation using ASPEN PLUS including characterisation of process fluids, estimation of fluid properties, generation of process stream data, generation of heating / cooling curves for heat exchanger design. Models developed include:

- Steady state model for Acid stripper column system comprising CSTRs, three-phase separator, feed preheaters, heat recovery exchangers, condensers, reboiler, distillation column and pumps

- Steady state model for Hydrogenation system (280 bar, 280˚ C system) comprising trickle bed reactor (modelled as stoichiometric reactor), heat recovery exchangers, pumps, multi-stage hydrogen compressors and two-phase (gas-liquid) separators.

- Steady state model for the Fractionation and Distillation system comprising 3 distillation columns in series, feed preheaters, heat recovery exchangers, condensers, reboilers, pumps.

- Batch model for Pilot wax ester preparation system comprising of a batch reactor, heat exchangers, pumps and three-phase separator.

· Preparation of PFDs and P&IDs.

· Thermal design of shell & tube heat exchangers using HTRI.

· Hydraulic calculations including for multi-phase lines.

· Process data sheets for instruments and control valves.

· Process data sheets for static and rotating equipment / packages

- Static equipment designed / specified include gas/liquid and multiphase separators, distillation columns, atmospheric storage tanks, internal floating roof tank for naphtha service, plate heat exchangers, plate and frame filter press, etc.

- Rotating equipment specified include multistage centrifugal pumps, high pressure triplex plunger pumps and multistage reciprocating compressors.

- Package units specified include API / DIN type fired heaters, boilers, water treatment plants, air compressors and dying unit, cooling towers, vapour compression / absorption refrigeration units, vacuum systems, etc.

· Process data sheets for process special parts like relief valves, rupture discs, spray nozzles, etc.

· Conceptual equipment layouts.

· Design of the emergency depressurising, relief and vent system.

· Hazardous area classification drawings

· HAZOP (using PHA Works)

1999 - 2003 Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd., India

Senior Engineer - Process

Worked in process engineering and technical services of the modern, state-of-the-art naphtha cracker and downstream polyolefin complex based on ABB Lummus and Basell technologies. Was also involved in the commissioning and start-up.

• Exposed to processing of hydrocarbons and to equipment like high pressure centrifugal pumps of Sundyne type, axial flow pumps, centrifugal compressors, reciprocating compressors, refrigeration package, high pressure storage tanks, etc.

· Involved in the capacity enhancement of polypropylene plant from 26 MT/hr to 32 MT/hr.

· Exposed to advanced process control and ESD systems including DCS and TMR-PLC systems.

1994 - 1999 Indian Organic Chemicals Ltd., India

Senior Engineer - Process

Worked as Lead Process engineer in designing and implementing processes and numerous revamp and debottlenecking projects. Projects executed include retrofitting of a 30 MT/day continuous polymerisation plant to 45 MT/day, revamp of 7 MT/day/train batch polymerisation trains to 18 MT/day/train, conversion of a batch esterifier to semi-continuous process for improvement of product quality, raw material and energy conservation and numerous smaller projects. Was exposed to the following process engineering activities from conceptual design through commissioning:

· Conceptual design and developing the process scheme including material and energy balance calculations.

· Preparation of PFDs and P&IDs.

· Preparation of control and safety Interlocks including control sequences for batch processing using PLC / SCADA systems.

· Hydraulic calculations for pumps and control valves.

· Equipment designed / specified include shell and tube heat exchangers, reactors, distillation columns, thermic fluid furnaces, pumps, Roots blowers, centrifugal blowers, cyclone separators, venturi scrubbers, high pressure gear pumps, pneumatic conveying systems, cooling towers, vapour absorption refrigeration systems, clarifiers, plate & frame filter presses, vacuum packages, etc.

· HAZOP

· Commissioning and start-up

Academic distinctions

• Published a paper "Effluent treatment Scheme with water conservation for chrome tanneries" in 'Leather Trend', bulletin of Indian Finished Leather Manufacturers & Exporters Association - Oct 1993, Vol.9, and No.1.

• Awarded First place for a Technical paper, "Desalination by evaporation" presented during 'Alchemy', technical conference held at Regional Engineering College, Trichy in 1993.

• Awarded Second place in the 'National Students Design Competition, 1993' conducted by Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore for the design of a multiple effect evaporator system.

Computer Literacy

· HYSYS

· Aspen Plus

· Pipesim

· HTRI

· Shell FRED

· TL & TG Net

· PHA Works

Languages Known

· English

· Hindi

· Tamil

· Bengali

· German (Grund Stufe 3)