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Raja Venkateswar, P.E., CHMM
Senior Associate
SUMMARY
Extensive experience in environmental project management, process design and engineering for chemical plants, pharmaceutical plants, refineries, and power plants. Areas of expertise in environmental engineering include Remediation, Air Permitting under CAA, Environmental Assessments, Underground Storage Tank Management, Wastewater treatment, Hazardous Waste Management (RCRA), RCRA Facility Investigations (RFIs), Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Studies under CERCLA. Areas of expertise in process design/engineering include distillation systems, reactors, heat exchangers, solid/liquid separation systems, adsorption/absorption systems, and process safety management.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE |
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PERTINENT PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Chemicals Plants
- Completed process safety management study for Amoco Chemicals at the Joliet plant. Performed a comprehensive hydraulic modeling of plant water supply system to provide water for the installation of a new boiler. Prepared specifications for new equipment. Completed a detailed feasibility study to replace existing water softening system with a reverse osmosis system for preparing boiler feed water.
- Design modifications for moving the adhesives manufacturing unit from one location to another for Uniroyal Technologies. Performed engineering analysis of best available control technology for reducing air emissions at the new location.
- Conducted bench-scale testing and process modifications to recover ethylene glycol from spent ethylene carbonate solution. Performed equipment design and hydraulics calculations for installation. The modifications saved $80,000 in annual operating costs.
- Supervised startup/shut down operations during the manufacture of caustic soda, liquid chlorine and hydrochloric acid for Century Chemicals.
- Implemented design changes to heat exchangers, cooling towers and evaporative crystallizers to improve Glauber salt yield and reduce energy consumption in the manufacture of rayon for Century Rayon.
- Identified suitable control technology to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds for Nutrasweet. Sized the system for installation with existing plant piping. Implemented with minimal plant downtime.
Pharmaceutical Plants
- Installed and operated wastewater treatment system for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Conducted in-plant training in pollution-prevention and process safety.
- Performed process engineering calculations to design reactors for manufacturing anti-biotics.
Refineries
- Performed process simulations to model refinery operations at Marathon Ashland Petroleum’s Catlettsburg Refinery. Performed material and energy balance, and prepared process flow diagrams. Simulated the Crude No. 2/Vacuum No. 2 unit, Crude No. 3/Vacuum No. 3 unit, Kerosene Desulfurization Unit (KDS), and Diesel Desulfurization Unit (DDS). Identified areas for optimization and improvement. Updated P&IDs.
- Performed material and energy balance for Iso-cracker absorber for British Petroleum’s Toledo Refinery. Developed and prepared equipment specifications and P&IDs.
- Completed a process safety management study for AMOCO refinery in Whiting. Performed calculations for sizing relief valves and made appropriate engineering recommendations. Performed relief valve isolation studies for scheduled removal and maintenance of relief valves. Evaluated storage tanks for asphalt storage. Modeled the catastrophic release of materials from underground storage. Completed hazops evaluation of process units and prepared recommendations. Prepared material balance for Alky and vapor recovery units. Completed a comprehensive study of performance of the flare systems at the refinery with respect to established environmental and engineering standards including MACT. Prepared and updated P&IDs.
- Performed process simulations as part of a study to evaluate alternatives for hydrogen purification at Citgo’s Romeoville Refinery. Alternatives included sponge absorption, PSA, and installation of hydrogen plant. Prepared PFDs and updated P&IDs.
- Performed process simulation using GPASIM to review absorber and distillation column operations for Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia. Proposed process modifications to increase liquid propane recovery from 4% to 25%. Performed detailed design calculations and prepared PFDs and P&IDs.
- Performed process design calculations for recovering oil from oily waters and slop oil streams through enhanced oil separation for Chevron. Prepared PFDs, P&IDs, and conducted relief valve studies using DIER's method.
- Reviewed design of waste incinerator for BP Oil and made recommendations regarding future operations based on current and anticipated feed to the incinerator. Managed closure of incinerator.
- Developed a method for calculating pressure drop in two-phase flow while transporting material via pipelines from off-shore platforms to on-shore processing facilities. The project was completed for a consortium of major oil companies and funded by the Gas Processors Association.
Power Plants
- Performed bench and pilot-scale testing of a process to remove sodium and chlorine from coal for Coastal States Energy Company. Prepared detailed process flow diagram, sized material handling equipment, solid/liquid separation equipment, and provided capital/operating cost estimates.
- Conducted bench and pilot-scale testing to design and operate a 10 ton/day coal cleaning unit for Consolidated Natural Gas. Prepared detailed process flow diagram and provided cost estimates for commercial operations. Developed a computer program to record and manage experimental data for specific design needs.
- Setup laboratory studies to develop physical property data to design process equipment for Columbia Gas. Performed experiments to collect density and heat capacity data for specific systems under study. Correlated experimental results.
Environmental Experience
- Managed a $1. 2 million demolition/water treatment project for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals at Terre Haute, Indiana. Project included asbestos removal, PCB & lead decontamination, and hazardous waste disposal. Designed wastewater treatment system to treat contaminated water.
- Permits
. Prepared Title V permit applications for Allied Signal and General Motors facilities. Prepared FESOP permit application for Maxon Corporation. Prepared a TSCA permit application for constructing and operating a PCB separator to clean up contaminated soils. Prepared a RCRA Part B permit application for a hazardous waste disposal site located in Ohio.
- Managed Phase I Environmental studies at five foundries and 10 other sites for various clients. Studies were fast-track. Identified potential liabilities, and quantified potential clean up costs. Made a formal presentation of results to assist one client in making business decisions.
- Conducted environmental compliance inspections for government owned facilities located in the Northeast for USEPA Region II.
- Managed CERCLA projects at various sites in Illinois f or IEPA and at a number of sites located in USEPA Region II and Region V. Conducted remedial investigations and prepared feasibility study reports.
- Conducted remedial investigation and prepared feasibility studies for a number of CERCLA
- Conducted corrosion research for the selection of suitable materials to line vessels storing hazardous wastes. Inspected tanks corrosion and made recommendations.
- Set up a laboratory to characterize oil formation and develop porosity/permeability data for the United States Department of Energy.
- Completed a system design study to recover transuranic materials from mixed wastes for the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Developed the process flow and instrumentation diagrams for the treatment systems, designed and specified pressure vessels, pumps, and miscellaneous equipment sizes, provided capital and O&M cost estimates, and identified process areas requiring further research. Also, completed a risk evaluation for each unit operation within the process.
- Conducted bench-scale testing to design acid neutralization system for WMX Technologies. Developed a comprehensive system for managing inorganic waste acids at different facilities located within the United States.
- Developed a conceptual process/compliance plan with minimal capital expenditures for, a steel component manufacturing facility, in response to notice of violations received from IEPA regarding wastewater treatment. Sized equipment, identified instrumentation and process units required, and provided cost estimates for installation and operation.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, 1987
M.S., Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, 1977
B.S., Chemical Engineering, The Birla Institute of Tech. & Science, 1973
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Member, Academy of Hazardous Materials Managers
Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM)
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Completed OSHA training.
Completed ISO 9000 certification.
Conducted pollution prevention training for the Pfizer Pharmaceuticals facility located at Barceloneta, in Puerto Rico.
Faculty member for CHMM Review course held by IIT since 1990.
Taught courses in fluid flow, heat transfer, unit operations and materials science at Oklahoma State University.
PUBLICATIONS
‘’Evaluation of Latent Heat of Vaporization Data for Sizing Pressure Safety Relief Valves" - Process Safety Management Technical paper submitted to Amoco Whiting Refinery, February, 1997.
"Case Study in ISO 14000" - Seminar presented at regional industries symposium at Indianapolis, IN, 1996.
"PCB Remediation - A Case Study", Paper presented at Air & Waste Management Annual Meeting at San Antonio, TX, 1995.
"Solids generated in waste acid neutralization", Proceedings of the 3rd annual meeting of the Academy of Hazardous Materials Managers, Ann Arbor, MI, 1990.
"Solid/Liquid Separation in waste acid neutralization - A Case Study", Solid/Liquid Separation, Waste Management and Productivity Enhancement International Symposium, Columbus, Ohio, 1989.
"Permitting a PCB Thermal Separator", Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Hazardous Materials Management, Chicago, IL, 1988.
"Removal of Sodium and Chlorine from Coal", Paper published in Separations Technology, 1985.
"Particle Size Analysis - A Review", Fine Particles Processing, Volume 2, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Fine Particles Processing, February, 1980. |
