Andrew J. Lucero

Hillsborough, NC *****

ph: 919-***-**** cell: 307-***-****

ac3ecl@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY:

Adaptable hands-on chemical engineer with extensive experience in process development including laboratory, bench, and pilot scale research. Technical problem solver with extensive experience designing, constructing, commissioning, operating, troubleshooting, improving, and evaluating several kinds of chemical processes including a variety of fuel and energy processes for conversion of gas, coal, and biomass to energy or fuels. Technical experience includes applied heterogeneous catalysis, gasification, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis, methanol synthesis, mixed alcohol synthesis, steam -methane reforming, CO2 capture, and acid hydrolysis as well as a variety of separation processes.

Senior staff manager who has spent substantial time and effort mentoring and training young engineers and chemists. Senior project manager with experience leading projects with budgets up to several million dollars for the US Department of Energy and private clients in addition to safety (HAZOP) responsibilities. Entire career includes planning and executing experimental programs. Provided substantial support for business development and wrote several proposals for funding.

EXPERIENCE:

MANAGER, PROCESS DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING 2013- Nov. 2017

SR. PROJECT LEADER April 2009- 2013

Southern Research Institute, Durham, NC

Demonstration and evaluation of a variety of energy technologies to convert gas, coal, biomass, and MSW to energy and biofuels as well as CO2 capture. With nearly all these projects, tracked costs, prepared reports, and in many cases delivered presentations at national conferences. Each project required literature and patent searches to identify and improve on relevant technology.

Led a project developing and demonstrating a commercial client’s syngas to ethanol technology. In addition to leading the operating team, developed operating procedures, trained several engineers and operators, developed staffing and training plans and scheduled operators for 24/7 operations. Assisted troubleshooting of pilot plant processes, tuned PID loops for level, pressure, temperature, flow, and concentration, and assisted with development of experimental plans and led evaluation and reporting of experimental data. Participated in and led HAZOP safety reviews. My team developed statistical analysis skills to evaluate data with Minitab software to analyze experimental data to present to clients.

Provided technical support for an integrated thermochemical biorefinery pilot plant tested to convert biomass and/or MSW to FT products for a commercial client. Participated in several HAZOP safety reviews, evaluated performance of a dual fluidized bed gasifier, gas cleanup system, and FT reactor.

Led a project to develop catalysts to reform methane, tars, and ammonia in the presence of H2S. Our team developed a sulfur-resistant reforming catalyst. Identified and added a promotor that significantly improved the catalyst performance and resistance to H2S and am one of three inventors on a patent application for the catalyst. Wrote the experimental test plan, developed a spreadsheet to analyze data, tracked costs, and prepared the final report.

Led a project to utilize process intensification approaches to reduce the costs and accelerate commercialization of a process to convert coal and biomass mixtures to JP-8 jet fuel. (wrote the proposal). Oversaw design and construction of laboratory scale FT reactor skid, and upgrades to a bench-scale FT system and managed the efforts of multiple subcontractors supporting the project. Identified a process in improve the selectivity of jet fuel in the final products which is resulting in a patent application.

Directed a project to develop an integrated CO2 capture/water-gas shift technology with advanced heat management including overseeing design, construction, and testing of a laboratory scale pressure and temperature swing adsorption process.

Supported business development including writing several proposals to government and private clients. In the past 4 years co-wrote proposals that landed a total of over $6 million in Department of Energy funding.

PRINCIPAL ENGINEER 2000-2009

Western Research Institute, Laramie, WY

Over a period of 9 years, built a research program to develop and evaluate technologies to convert biomass, coal, and natural gas to fuels such as methanol, mixed alcohols, and Fischer-Tropsch liquids and waxes. My teams constructed (or acquired through partnerships) equipment to both produce synthesis gas and convert synthesis gas to fuels. Purchased and/or constructed equipment to synthesize, characterize, and evaluate the performance of methanol, Fischer-Tropsch, mixed alcohol, and steam reforming catalysts. Directed projects developing and evaluating technologies for gasification, methane partial oxidation, steam reforming, mixed alcohol synthesis, and catalyst development. Some specific examples include:

Design, fabrication, and troubleshooting of a bench-scale experimental facility to convert synthesis gas to alcohols, wrote operating procedures and evaluated the process with material balances.

Synthesized molybdenum disulfide-based catalysts and then developed patented molybdenum carbide catalyst to convert synthesis gas to alcohols and supervised the team that scaled catalyst production from 1 gram to hundreds of grams per batch.

Analyzed alcohols, hydrocarbons, CO, CO2, H2, N2, and O2 by gas chromatography, then trained team to complete the analyses.

Prepared proposals and budgets, tracked costs, and prepared progress reports.

Designed and oversaw fabrication of a 50 gal/day mixed alcohol pilot plant, including PFDs and P&IDs, a preliminary material balance to determine sizes of equipment, and design of fixed-bed and slurry bubble column catalytic reactors including a high-pressure water heating and cooling system. Designed absorption, stripping, and distillation columns, and oversaw a consultant who performed the detailed design of pressure vessels; led the team that conducted the HAZOP safety analysis of the design, secured bids for reactors, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, separation columns, ordered equipment and led assembly of the plant.

Directed a project to evaluate a novel coal and biomass gasifier, including arranging for installation of the prototype gasifier, assisting troubleshooting, analyzing synthesis gas with gas chromatography, and planning and supervising experiments.

Led a project to test novel method for pre-combustion removal of coal contaminants, including designing experiments, arranging for tests of a novel device designed to remove pyrite and contaminants, then tests in a pilot-scale coal combustion test facility. Oversaw experiments, evaluated data, and prepared the final report.

Directed a project to perform bench-scale evaluation of fixed-bed Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, including designing experiments, leading the operating team that performed a week-long around the clock series of experiments, analyzing off-gas by gas chromatography, evaluating data and preparing the final report.

DEVELOPMENT STAFF MEMBER 1992-2000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN

Principal Investigator on a $3.3M demonstration project testing a modular evaporator system to concentrate aqueous radioactive waste, including:

Coordinated development of bid specifications, evaluated bids, evaluated P&IDs, and assisted the vendor during fabrication and testing of a vacuum evaporator system.

Supervised development of safety and regulatory documents, procedures, and work plans.

Prepared budgets, tracked costs, and wrote reports.

Supervised installation, troubleshooting, start-up, and surrogate tests. Led the operating team that processed 22,000 gallons of radioactive waste, and supervised decontamination.

Evaluated system performance with material and energy balances and identified changes that improved efficiency by a factor of four.

Spent considerable effort to develop in depth knowledge of evaporator process control system (IBM PC running Paragon DCS/MMI software coupled to a GE PLC).

Operating team received a Significant Event Award and an Operations and Support Award.

Provided technical support for Waste Operations Department to start a 300-gpm water softener system (full-scale clarifier with associated tanks and equipment) at the process waste treatment plant.

After identifying problems with flocculent delivery systems, redesigned the equipment and oversaw modifications then also helped tune pH controllers. Optimized flocculent delivery rates and assisted troubleshooting of a recycle system.

The system reduced total hardness from 160-200 ppm to less than 8 ppm.

Conducted bench-scale experiments for several in-situ mixed-region treatment methods for TCE-contaminated clay soils.

Assisted with design and oversaw fabrication of experimental system, supervised field sampling of soil cores, and developed methods to analyze soil samples for TCE and other chlorinated organics by gas chromatography.

Identified calcium oxide addition methods to enhance the vapor-stripping process, evaluated data, and prepared final report. A contaminated site at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility was remediated with a process based on this work.

Developed novel method to nondestructively quantify U233 by gamma ray spectroscopy by identifying a method to calculate attenuation coefficients from measured data.

CONSULTANT (contracted to ORNL)

Assisted with the design, installation, and operation of pilot scale bioremediation system including:

Researched iron pretreatment options, assisted with the design of a pilot scale steam stripper, and designed steam-stripper controls.

Identified analytical problems from theoretical analysis of concentration data. Developed and refined methods to analyze chlorinated hydrocarbons (TCE, DCE, TCA, PCE etc.) in air and water by gas chromatography.

Assisted start-up, troubleshooting, and operation of pilot scale bioreactors, operated steam stripper and air oxidation pretreatment systems.

Analyzed experimental data with material balances and assisted preparation of final report.

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, Knoxville, TN (contracted to ORNL)

Assisted with installation, operation, and evaluation of pilot-scale air stripping with emissions control system including:

Assisted with site preparation and installation of skid-mounted equipment and programming data acquisition software (LABTECH NOTEBOOK).

Helped start-up, troubleshooting, and operation of a packed column air stripper and rotary air stripper to remove jet fuel components (benzene, toluene, xylenes, etc.) from groundwater.

Operated a catalytic destruction unit and carbon adsorption beds to remove jet fuel components from air.

Helped troubleshoot and repair centrifugal air stripper.

Determined mass-transfer coefficients for random and structured packings from experimental data, developed design models for structured packings, and assisted preparation of the final report.

EDUCATION:

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, Knoxville, TN

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Dissertation topic: Air stripping of VOCs from groundwater using standard and high efficiency packings.

M.S., Chemical Engineering, Thesis topic: Absorption of NOX into sodium hydroxide solutions.

B.S., Chemical Engineering

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