Professional Summary and Skills

Licensed Mechanical Engineer with experience in the functional areas of Mechanical Engineering, Project Engineering and Project Management.

Over 30 years experience as a Mechanical Engineer, several of which was as a systems engineer in various facilities as well as design experience. This experience includes oversight of in-house design resources, performance of design work and scoping, managing and technical oversight of A&E firms and equipment/component suppliers. System Engineering included design, O&M support, establishing maintenance basis and system KPI.

Developed engineering and design plans for several modifications including technology selections, engineering and design planning, defining with construction if modularized construction will be used and aligning design output to module construction, implementing our firms best practices concerning data management to drive a more efficient engineering process with reduced repetitive data input and automated deliverable output such as line lists and datasheets.

Recent experience in with chemical process facilities.

Over 5 years experience as either an interim supervisor, interim engineering manager, Mechanical Department Manager or technical lead

Over 10 years experience functioning as a project engineer or acting project manager

Over 20 years experience providing oversight to A&E firms

Experienced in identifying project risks and managing them through avoidance, or a defined mitigation plan/actions with initiation based on defined indicators or triggers

Experience includes project/process development, design, construction support and start-up/commissioning of systems and components

Over 25 years of experience modifying existing facilities, many built between 1939 and 1980 thus have understanding of aging management issues and interfaces with older infrastructure built to different codes, standards and engineering/construction practices

Expert in the application of project life cycle (design through close-out) as well as facility lifecycle (initial design, development, and commissioning including initial start-up and shakedown, operation and maintenance, as well as decontamination/burn-out and demolition). Ensures all aspects of the project and process life cycle are considered when establishing engineering and design philosophies, selecting equipment and overall system design.

Expertise in acquiring, utilizing and developing talent, providing engineering and administrative leadership in a project engineering setting. Includes being the responsible engineer in charge (final approval and sealing of deliverables), setting performance goals and objectives, performance evaluations, compensation administration, and creating the environment for the engineer’s success.

Understands the existing capabilities of the company’s resources and contractors/sub-contractors, acquiring or developing specific technical capabilities as required to meet project requirements and assigning tasks to the person, contractor or other resource best capable of successful and accurate completion of the task within the budget and schedule.

Knowledgeable of earned value project reporting as practiced with most DOD and DOE contracts as well as the use of key intermediate points within a schedule line item to report percent complete for project controls to determine SPI and CPI

Experienced with scope and estimate development including budgetary project and engineering estimates with level of depth in the estimate commensurate with project maturity. Developed resource loaded schedules including tasks and durations.

Proficient with zero-based fiscal year budgeting, managing annual project cash flow within the budgeting process and Federal Acquisition Regulations. Have experience generating/approving purchase requisitions including integrating specifications, purchase requisition supplements, developing milestone payment schedules, submittal review and invoice approval

Background includeds industrial, nuclear and hazardous location HVAC and industrial ventilation including (source capture, material transport, gas cleanup ), hazardous material process piping including handling flammable materials, explosive materials, acids (such as nitric acid and associated compounds and products), caustics, salts and other strong corrosives. Have also handled oxidizers such perchloric acid. Knowledgeable of NFPA requirements for blast relief and containment of detonation pressure (plastic and elastic failure) including the detonation calculations.

Knowledgeable of design, operation and maintenance of BOP systems such as compressed air (instrument and service), low, medium and high pressure steam, hot water, hazardous location vacuum, chilled water, fire protection, and associated interfaces with plant controls, electrical power and grounding systems.

Understands and knowledgeable of heat transfer processes and associated equipment such as heat exchangers, coolers, coils and associated controls.

Specialized knowledge of most codes and standards including ASME, NFPA, OSHA, etc.as applicable to chemical and hazardous location facilities

Knowledge and application of major equipment including pumps, valves, piping, ductwork, dampers, tanks, ductwork, fans, pressure blowers, air cleaning, condensate return systems, refrigeration, chillers, cooling towers, and other technologies in hazardous location and corrosive environments

Currently authoring revisions to ASHRAE Applications Handbook (nuclear chapter) and contributing to ASHRAE Hazardous Spaces Design Guides scheduled for publication in 2019 and 2020

Proficient in application of ASME B&PVC Sections I, II, IV, V, VIII, IX and XI.

Proficient in application of ASME B31.1, 31.3, 31.4, 31.5, 31.8, 31.9 and 31.12

Proficient in application of control systems and system integration.

Proficient in applications of DOE and DOD explosives facility engineering guidance, handbooks and safety requirements and procedures including limiting quantity of product, equipment and grounding (static electricity control), electrical classification, heating device surface temperature limits, geometry (to minimize material accumulation and facilitate cleaning)

Professional Experience

Bechtel, Oak Ridge, TN August 2015-July 2017

Senior Mechanical Engineer: Provided engineering checking and design verification for nuclear process HVAC systems including Primary, Secondary and Tertiary confinement systems in accordance with project design criteria, criticality safety criteria, fire hazard analyses and applicable procedures.

Lead a group of five checkers, providing checking and design verification for a group of 43 people. Improved efficiency of group through improving senior engineer’s checking skills and develop younger senior engineer’s checking and verification qualifications. A typical years workload for the group is 3800 drawings, 40 specifications, 80 calculations, 300 data sheets, 15 white papers and special reports and one room heat-up calculation.

Deliverables reviewed and verified include calculations, flow diagrams, line sizing calculations, process and instrumentation diagrams, equipment sizing calculations, data sheets, special reports, construction specifications and component specifications

Developed component data sheet templates, established component attributes and specifications for procurement for various components and equipment

Provided Subject Matter Expertise in the areas of codes and standards including, SMACNA Duct Construction Standards, HVAC Duct Design, multiple ASHRAE standards, multiple ASME codes

Enercon Services, Chattanooga, TN April 2015-July 2015

Senior Mechanical Engineer: Provided Subject Matter Expertise and Mechanical Engineering Design for Nuclear Plants within the TVA system

Professional Project Services, Oak Ridge, TN October 2013-April 2015

Lead Mechanical Engineer: Oversaw a 7 to 10 person mechanical engineering department with responsibility for project execution including resource allocation, cost, schedule, and quality for client deliverables and projects in excess of $8M.

Develops cost proposals that include resource estimates, deliverables schedule, exceptions/assumptions, basis of estimate and identification/mitigation of project risk to ensure proposal has solid basis and defined scope to achieve project profitability.

Develops project execution plans that define design approach that ensures completion of client deliverables and compliance within Terms and Conditions of contracts.

Oversaw project execution and revisions to projects including approximately 40 Quality Assurance (QA) HVAC calculations.

Successful projects include completing radio-chemistry labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and detailed design of a HVAC upgrade at a LANL explosives facility within an aggressive budget and schedule.

Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga Tennessee (January 2011- August 2013)

Adjunct Instructor, Taught general Mechanical Engineering subjects such as Statics and Thermodynamics in a 2 year Mechanical Technology Program.

Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga Tennessee March 1983 to October 2013

(Retired from TVA after a 30-year career in 2013)

Nuclear Power Group HVAC and Insulation Program Manager: Oversaw the development of an HVAC program encompassing multiple areas including design integrity, O&M and Equipment Reliability.

Led TVA’s effort for Post Fukushima Hardened Wet Well Venting (HWWV) at Browns Ferry including regulatory compliance including representing TVA with the GE BWR Owners Group Hardened Wet Well venting committees and related task groups.

Provided technical guidance as specialist on NUPIC QA Surveillance Audit teams helping identify critical attributes and verification methods for commercial dedication and QA compliance.

Assessed deficiencies and developed gap closure plan for related performance deficiencies identified during focused vertical sliced assessments

Updated obsolete Engineering Specifications and provided design and O&M oversight to a 7 unit nuclear fleet.

Executed an engineering improvement program updating HVAC Engineer qualifications and knowledge levels.

TVA Fossil Power Group, Senior Mechanical Engineer. Axley designed or lead the designs of plant modifications in each of TVA’s operating fossil plant sites and consulted with several specialized projects and teams from time to time.

Participated in executive management team to assess future viability of fossil power plants.

Managed fuel switch projects of approximately $20M at Colbert Fossil Plant and Shawnee Fossil Plant bringing projects to completion 10% under budget and on schedule.

Managed A&E contractor acquisition and provided technical and administrative oversight, negotiated TVA engineering resource acquisition and management, and reviewed and approved contractor payments.

Renegotiated contract terms with a supplier due to the supplier’s cash flow problems to avoid a bankruptcy filing. This avoided cost, schedule and legal risk to the project.

Took-over a troubled pulverizer fogging project at Widows Creek Steam Plant bringing the project to completion within the allocated budget and schedule.

Recovered equipment manufacturers’ fabrication schedule slippage (due to contractor misuse of funds).

As Interim Engineering Manager, reduced backlog of “engineering hold” work orders by 50% while complying with outage support requirement at Widows Creek Steam Plant. Supervised 6 engineers, 6 technicians and 3 environmental engineers.

Developed a Fossil Power Group wide HVAC program to correct system wide deficiencies in configuration management and system governance / oversight of critical HVAC systems.

Reduced number of HVAC contractors working on TVA sites from over 400 to 4 by negotiating a blanket contract providing equipment and installation, resulting in the reduced cost of HVAC jobs by between 15% and 20%.and ensured contractors were pre-qualified..

Education

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Tennessee; Knoxville, TN, 1986.

License

Professional Engineer Licenses, States of Tennessee (22054) and New Mexico (22108)

Professional Associations

Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Member of ASHRAE.

-Past President of the Tennessee Valley (Chattanooga Chapter)

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