JAN MEYER
**** **** ***** ******, ***** PARK, TX, 78613 Cell: 832-***-**** E-mail: acug9m@r.postjobfree.com
SUMMARY
Highly energetic, self-starting and driven Chemical/Metallurgical Process Engineer with an adaptive approach, good work ethics, contagious enthusiasm and strong organizational skills. Decisive and action orientated with the ability to plan, adapt and multitask, as well as, interacting with co-workers at all levels. With further education and training in Lean operations, Project Management and a Six Sigma Black Belt, a commitment to continuous improvement and waste reduction with root cause analysis is an incessant state of mind. Easily approachable, trust worthy with exceptional analytical, design and problem solving skills combined with the ability to analyze data for informed decision making and able to handle pressure with ease as well as proven leadership skills while managing, developing and motivating teams to achieve their objectives.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015 – 2015 Senior Process Engineer, MolyCorp – Mountain Pass, California
REASON FOR CHANGE: Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Mountain Pass facility closed down.
2015 Relocate to United States of America (Permanent resident status – Green Card, No restrictions)
2005 - 2014 Operations Manager, Mining Dynamics – Johannesburg, South Africa
Optimization and evaluating of various metallurgical plant equipment units by using simulating software, including but not limited to 33 MW and 70 MW submerge arc furnaces, rotary kilns, heat exchangers, wet milling, dry milling, hydro clones, magnetic separation, pulverized fuel and crushing / screening plants.
Calculating, organizing and plotting of performance data, statistical analysis and mathematical modelling of various processing equipment for the automation via PID control loop - feed forward and cascade - controlling of these units with PLC (SCADA and DCS).
Designing of alternative specialized equipment with cost effective engineering and innovative modification of existing equipment for process improvement proposals to reduce downtime and optimization of process for increased production and reduced waste.
Process engineering and improvement of various chemical and heat exchanger processes to optimize heat energy recovery for the reduction of external fuel requirements.
Training of plant personnel in start-up, emergency shut down, HAZOP studies and safe operating procedures of various process units including composing of operator manuals.
Leading Research and Development programs into alternative production, new product and process development including Mass and Energy balances (MEB), Process Flow Diagrams (PFD), Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (PI&D) and Cost estimating and Feasibility Studies with Environmental Impact Studies (HAZOP).
Planning, directing and project operational management of capital projects, completing planned projects within time and budget constraints.
Process simulation, evaluation and optimization of various reactors and dynamic vessels including CSTR, plug flow reactors (PFR) and steam reforming fluidized bed reactors (steam reformer tubes).
Optimization of producing processes and reduction of Mura, Muri and Muda waste by applying Lean and Six Sigma Black Belt DMAIC, SIPOC, 5S and Kaizen principles.
Develop budgets and approve expenditures for personnel, raw material and supplies ensuring human resources, production equipment and raw materials are used effectively to meet production and quality targets.
2000 – 2005 Assistant Manager, DHI – Isando, South Africa
Project management and communication of progress to senior management
Key account management and customer liaison
Stock control and importing of equipment, spares and materials
Market research and customer base expansion
Departmental financial and personnel management
Compiling of safe working procedures and operating manuals
REASON FOR CHANGE: Needed engineering challenges again
1995 – 2000 Process Engineer – P.P & E.S - Polokwane, South Africa
Designing of waste water treatment plants for the replacement of more expensive and complicated reverse osmosis plants treating mining effluent mainly for the removal of nitrides, chlorides and potassium.
Cat ion and anion resin based (DOW chemicals) process development for treating mining effluent, producing clean potable water for human use by removing sodium chloride and potassium nitrate (waste streams), good for use in the fertilizer industry (KNeW process).
Drawing of plant layout, mass and energy balances, PFD and PID schematics and simulating process using chemical simulation software.
Training of plant personnel for optimal operation and emergency shut down procedures, compiling of start-up, shut-down and operating manuals.
Preforming mass and energy balances with the applicable chemical reaction kinetics and thermodynamic data applicable to specific process.
REASON FOR CHANGE: Management position
1989 – 1995 Technical Assistant - Group Technical Manager, Highveld Steel and Vanadium - Witbank, South Africa
Commissioning of new U$14.2 mil (1989 value) Pelletizing Plant designed by Krupp Polysius – Germany.
Automation of entire plant via Siemens Ladder Master PLC software (SCADA).
Conducting and overseeing various milling plant optimization projects – wet milling, dry milling, magnetic separation and filtration - resulting in an increased plant throughput from 87 ton/h to 115 metric ton/h.
Product quality optimization project by determining the optimum drying, firing and cooling temperature profile of the pellets to increase crushing strength of pelletized product from 185 N/m to +320 N/m
Product quality influence on intermediate iron ore reduction/smelting process product from electric submerge arc furnace with regards to chemical composition, MW/ton usage and oxides composition in the slag formation.
Optimization trails on shaking ladles, basic oxygen furnaces and continuous casting processes.
REASON FOR CHANGE: Senior position
1985 – 1989 Technician-in training, Atomic Energy Board – Pretoria, South Africa
Conducting of experimental trails on various uranium enrichment processes.
Updating of Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (PI&D) for various plants.
Designing of minor components in Uranium (UF6) enrichment and heat exchanger plants.
Trouble shooting and optimization of -15/-400C - +800C crystallizer plant (heat exchangers).
Development of the Apex 2000 differential membrane pilot plant for the purification of Uranium nitrate liquid.
Optimization of electrolytic splitting process of hydrofluoric acid (HF) for the production of hydrogen (H2) and fluorine (F2) gas.
Maintaining of PI&D diagrams, mass and energy balances and PFD diagrams for the fluorination of UF4 gas process.
REASON FOR CHANGE: Permanent position
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1988 - 1990
National Diploma, Chemical Engineering – Vaal University of Technology
( World Education Services equivalency evaluation available upon request )
2011 - 2014
Bachelor’s degree, Chemical Engineering – University of South Africa
( World Education Services equivalency evaluation available upon request )
MANAGEMENT Six Sigma Black Belt – Lic# 1156006 - Management and Strategy Institute
Project Management – Lic# 1156007 - Management and Strategy Institute
OSHA Safety Management – 48 HRS – OSHA Academy
AFFILIATIONS American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Membership nr. 990*******
Mensa High IQ society of South Africa – Membership nr. 100*******
SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY Microsoft Office 2013 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Project)
Chemical Engineering simulation software - PyroSim, HX Optimum,
AutoDesk CAD 3D Plant Designer
Chem CAD 6.4
AutoDesk Civil 3D Designer
ANSYS Fluent & CFD
PROJECTS
1985 - 1989
Technician-in-training, Atomic Energy Cooperation of South Africa – now NECSA
Conducting of Apex 2000 differential membrane experiments for separation of uranium from a uranium nitrate solution
Upgrading of the UF4 fluidized bed reactor cooling water system and updating of PI&D diagrams
Determine optimum operating parameters for the electrolytic cells used for the electrolytic splitting of hydrofluoric acid (HF), producing of H2 and F2 gas.
Optimization of UF4 fluorination process for the manufacturing of UF6 gas.
Design and commissioning of -400C/+800C Freon 12 exchanger system for Uranium hexafluoride crystallization process under own vapor pressure.
1989 - 1995
Technical Assistant to Group Technical Manager, Highveld Steel and Vanadium, South Africa
Conducting trials on basic oxygen furnace, shaking ladles and continuous casting molds for the most efficient operating procedures to optimize various grades of steel manufacturing.
Modelling and conducting experimental investigations on rotary kiln and electric submerge arc furnace using Min-Tek metallurgical simulation software (PyroSim).
Commissioning of U$14.2 mil (1989 value) Pelletizing plant designed by Krupp Polysius and Mannesmag Demag including operator training and writing operating manuals.
Automation of the entire plant with Siemens Ladder Master software system (SCADA) to reduce operators to 7 plant operators and 2 control room operators.
Optimization of magnetic separators, belt filters, hydro cyclones, wet milling and dry milling, increasing milling circuit throughput from 87 metric ton per hour to 115 metric ton per hour.
Improvement of final milling product from 78% to more than 90% >90µm and a Blaine number improvement from 2700 to 3400g/m2
Trouble shooting and automation of drying, firing and cooler sections of plant to increase final product crushing strength from a 185 Nm to +320 Nm and reduction of handling breakage by 17%
1995 - 2000
Process Engineer, P.P & E.S – Polokwane, South Africa
Development and design of new water purification process for mining effluent to produce potable water for human usage by removing mainly chlorides, nitrides, potassium and sodium. DOW Chemical 185 cation resin and 214 anion resin were used in the cat ion and anion exchange process to achieve acceptable results and produce sodium chloride and potassium nitrate as a waste product that could be introduced to the fertilizer industry as a very promising raw material – Potassium Nitrate ex Works (KNeW)
2000 - 2005
Assistant Manager, DHI – Isando, South Africa
Optimization and troubleshooting on various production units including but not limited exclusively to screening plants, loading chutes and churching plants.
Project scheduling, reduction of downtime with increase of productivity in various production units and complete plants.
2005 - 2014
Operations Manager, Mining Dynamics – Johannesburg, South Africa
Simulation of submerge ach furnace to determine influence of substitution of iron ore with pelletized product with regards to MWh/ton (furnace power consumption), slag formation and chemical composition of cast iron
Analysis of binding agent content and chemical composition influence on crunching strength of pelletized product
Statistical analysis of moisture content and drying / heating / cooling temperature profiles on product quality.
RESEARCH
Research project – Steam Reforming of Naphtha for production of Hydrogen gas
Research project – Beneficial recovery of Thorium and radioactive uranium from mining effluent
Research project – Production of atomic hydrogen via Mercury and light activation of hydrogen.