RESUME:

 

Specializing in:

 

● Innovative, conceptual process design – Pre-FEED and FEED

● Commercialization of new process technologies (US patent holder)

● Project development

● Process plant debottlenecking

● Technical & economic feasibility studies

 

Bringing my clients out-of-the-box solutions, grounded in practical and achievable engineering, with over 3 decades of design experience.

 

Areas of expertise include:

 

● Oil and gas processing

● Coal, coke and biomass gasification

● Acid gas processing, carbon capture and sequestration

● Power and heat recovery projects (including cogeneration and combined cycles) 

● Synergistic integration of process plant facilities with power cycles

 

The scale of projects ranges from several world scale LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) facilities and a major coal gasification project in Kingsport, Tennessee; to the development of small and efficient gas processing units.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

Independent Consultant Engineer 2009 – Present

 

●Currently providing technical and economic consulting services to Primus Green Energy (www.Primuusge.com). This is a GTL (Gas to Liquids) startup company developing gasoline from synthesis gas via the methanol route. The company emphasizes small and medium scale units using innovative integrated technology to minimize initial capital costs in order to maximizing the ROI.

 

●Provided technical consulting services to the Economic Development Board, a Singapore Government Agency to evaluate competing coal gasification proposals for Jurong Island, Singapore. These proposals were a result of the tender document published following the completion of the study carried out in the prior year with the McKinsey Company.

 

● Provided technical consulting services to McKinsey and Company (Singapore), who provided a technical evaluation and feasibility study to Singapore government agencies for a coal gasification project in Singapore.

 

● Carried out a high level study of different technologies, designed to compare pre-combustion carbon capture (CCS) at elevated pressure. Provided the client with an evaluation report of technologies. This report is available from the client, The Catalyst Group Resources Inc., PA. (Details on obtaining a copy of the report will be provided on request).

 

● Developed new process for the capture of Carbon Dioxide (pre-combustion) from a synthesis gas or natural gas stream with a high concentration level of CO2 in the feed. The process is Patent Pending and available for license. The benefit of the new process includes about a 40 - 50% savings in energy (based on simulation results) compared to the state of-the-art process.

 

● Carried out a high level study of different technologies, designed to compare post combustion carbon capture (CCS) at atmospheric pressure. Provided the client with an evaluation report of technologies and comparative OPEX. This report is available from the client, The Catalyst Group Resources Inc., PA. (Details on obtaining a copy of the report will be provided on request).

 

● Provided peer –review for proposals that were submitted in response to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects included IGCC, and carbon capture and sequestration. Client NETL/DOE, Morgantown, PA

 

● Provided Front End Engineering Design (Pre-FEED) package for a Bio-Gasification project to convert chicken manure to energy. Client EnergyWorks, Inc. Annapolis, MD

 

Fluor Enterprises, Inc. 2008-2009

 

Position - Technical Director Process Engineer

 

Responsible for several gasification design projects, including:

● FEL 1 design for Valero Coke Gasification Project, Port Arthur, Texas

● A study for gasification technology comparison for Sasol, South Africa

● A Study for SNG production from various gasifiers while using different acid gas processing schemes. Achieved significant reductions of both CAPEX and OPEX compared to the conventional process scheme through innovative design.


ConocoPhillips Company, Houston, Texas.  2000 – 2008
An international integrated energy company with 35,800 employees worldwide and with assets of $86 billion.

 

Position - Senior Process Engineer

 

● Senior Process Engineer in the E-Gas™ Group. Responsible for process design of internal ConocoPhillips (COP) projects utilizing E-Gas™ technology. Also, member of the project Risk Assessment Team tasked to identify and quantify all technical and commercial risks, identify mitigation plans and evaluate potential impact on the project's profitability if an identified risk were to take place. This activity was for all elements of the project from the Gasifier through CO Shift, AGR and SNG manufacture.

 

● Previously position was Development Engineer in the Power Group. Responsible for process design and integration of power and cogeneration projects within COP facilities.

 

● Previously worked in the UK office (8 month assignment) on a mega coke gasification project evaluation with carbon capture and storage. Responsible for process design, alternative configuration designs, development of high level CAPEX cost estimate and OPEX for determining economic viability and ranking of alternatives choices. 

 

● Previously, responsible for the evaluation and the development of novel processes for both technical feasibility and economic viability. Assigned to various groups including GTL (Gas to Liquids), Alternative Scouting, and Advanced Technology Development. Areas of specialty include: coal/coke gasification, acid gas treating, and process integrated power cycle (patents pending).

 

General Atomics, San Diego, California.  2000-2000

● A company employing about 1900 people in diverse fields of research and development. The field of activities range from nuclear fusion, state of the art unmanned aircraft, information technology and the development of hazardous waste destruction processing facilities.

 

Position – Independent Consultant, acting as Lead Process Engineer

 

● Responsible for developing the process design of the Super Critical Water Oxidation (SCWO) facility to decommission old stockpiles of chemical warfare ordinances. The destruction of shells (containing either saran, mustard gas or VX) was via proprietary SCWO process.

● Also represented General Atomics in sub-contractor’s engineering office.

 

Black and Veatch Pritchard Inc., Overland Park, Kansas.    1998-1999
(One of the largest design/build international firms in the U.S with 8,000 employees worldwide).

 

Position - Principal Process Engineer

● Responsible for commercializing new technology for SO2 scrubbing from flue gas or tail gas units (Canslov process). Activities include: design development, market research, client presentation and preparation of proposals. 

 

Bechtel Corporation – Pipeline Division, San Francisco, California.    1995-1998

 

Position - Study Manager

● Responsible for all process designs and process development in Bechtel San Francisco Pipeline Business Line. Example process designs, studies or proposals carried out include: gas plants, LPG terminal, LNG terminal, cogeneration power plant, top side facilities and on-shore receiving terminals.

 

Bechtel Corporation - Refinery and Petroleum Division, Los Angeles, California.    1991-1995

 

Position - Study Manager

 

● Responsible for all process studies performed in the Bechtel Los Angeles Office. Responsibilities included development and/or evaluation of all new process technologies.

 

● Was awarded the Bechtel Technical Grant. The award was granted to evaluate an integrated process to co-produce hydrogen, methanol, power and steam from delayed coke in a refinery. The award was based on my US patent, for producing methanol in a new process configuration, following coal gasification (refer to Patent section, this resume).

 

● Instrumental in awards for debottlenecking of two hydrogen plants in two separate refineries in Los Angeles, California, and responsible for directing the successful completion of the study and modifications to the plants.

 

Independent Consultant, Orange County, California.    1989-1990

 

Kinetics Technology International Corporation (KTI), Monrovia, California.    1988-1990
(Position - Process Supervisor)

 

Independent Consultant, Houston, Texas and Orange County, California.   1985-1988

 

Lummus-Crest, Inc.  Houston, Texas.   1983-1985
(Position - Process Supervisor)

 

Crawford and Russell, Houston, Texas.   1982 - 1982
(Position – Principal Engineer)

 

Blount International Ltd., Houston, Texas.   1980-1981
(Position – Principal Engineer)

 

Bechtel, Inc., Houston, Texas.   1978-1980
(Position – Senior Process Engineer)

 

Bechtel Ltd. London, United Kingdom.   1976-1977

(Position – Senior Process Engineer)

 

Babcock Woodall-Duckham Plc., Sussex, United Kingdom.   1971-1975
(Position –Process Engineer)

Education

B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology, United Kingdom, 1971. (Currently part of Manchester University, Manchester, UK)

 

Professional Licenses
Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.), Texas, USA, and Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.), United Kingdom.

 

Affiliations

American Institute of Chemical Engineers, (AIChE), USA, and Institution of Chemical Engineers, (I.Chem.E), United Kingdom.

 

Technical Publication

Keller, A. P., and Adams, J. The Co-Production of Methanol and Electric Power from Coal. Energy Progress, September 1985. pp. 131-135.

 

Technical Papers

Keller, A. P., Research Project on Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems for the Gas Industry. Selection of Appropriate Gas Treatment Processes. Presented at AIChE, joint Orange County and Southern California sections, One Day Technical Session, Anaheim, California. April 21, 1987.

 

Keller, A. P., and Walsh, J.J. Evaluation of Processes for Treating LFG (Landfill Gas) To Pipeline Quality. Presented at the GRCDA Annual Conference, Houston, Texas. March 23, 1988.

 

Keller, A. P., and Schendel, R. The Use of COSORB II To Recover High Purity Carbon Monoxide From A Feed Gas. Presented at AIChE Summer Meeting, Denver, Colorado. August 23, 1988.

 

Keller, A. P., and Morgan, O. Raising the Focus of Refinery Operations to On-Line Profitability. Presented at AIChE, joint Orange County and Southern California sections, One Day Technical Session, Anaheim, California, November 9, 1994.

 

Keller, Breton, Williams, and Poulter. Customizing Syngas Specifications with E-Gas™ Technology Gasifier. Presented at the Gasification Technology Conference, San Francisco, California, October, 2007

 

Patent

US Patent # 4,650,814, "PROCESS FOR PRODUCING METHANOL FROM A FEED GAS".
Patent Pending:
Publication Number US 2003/0005698 A1, Publication Date Jan 9, 2003,

“LNG REGASIFICATION PROCESS AND SYSTEM”.

 

Two new additional Patent Applications are currently approved for submission, they are at the first draft stage with patent attorney.