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Kurt H. Moller P.E.
Qualifications Summary:
An innovative Process Engineer and Project Manager, with demonstrated skills in problem solving, process development, and design, supported by a wide range of experience in organic and inorganic chemicals production, food processing, biofuels, and the metallurgical and mineral processing industries. Knowledgeable in Six Sigma evaluations, identifying improvement opportunities and developing solutions for quality, yield, efficiency, profitability or compliance improvements. Skilled at starting up new processes.
Education:
Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. (GPA: 2.9/4.0 overall, 3.2/4.0 major)
Professional Engineer's license, Ohio, No.49035 ISO 9000 Lead Auditor
Six Sigma Black Belt 6 patents granted
Professional Experience and Selected Accomplishments:
American Process Inc, Atlanta, GA 11/09 to 5/10
Process Engineer
Assisted in the design, construction and start-up of a cellulosic bioethanol research facility. Generated and developed P&ID's, equipment specifications, equipment sizing and selection, equipment layout, and piping design. Managed document control, supervised contractors, participated in construction quality control, and managed the purchasing, receiving, storage and issuing of supplies. Assisted in system check-out, acceptance, and debugging.
J.M. Huber Corporation / KaMin Performance Minerals, Macon, GA 3/88 to 2/09
Process Manager (5/01 to 2/09)
Tasked with analyzing problems and identifying opportunities for process improvements, energy savings, capacity increases, and cost reductions. Formed and led project teams, identifying potential solutions, conducting feasibility studies, economic analysis, lab, pilot and plant trials, building consensus, preparing P&ID's, material and energy balances, PFD's, evaluating safety and environmental concerns, assembling the capital appropriations request, specifying equipment, obtaining contractor quotes, overseeing construction, tracking schedules and costs, writing operating instructions, training operators, starting up the new process, debugging and optimization. Acted as technical adviser to plant manager to correct operational and quality problems. Act as Project Engineer as required.
An opportunity existed to sell more high brightness clay: Developed Huberfloc project, from pilot scale through plant trials through capital project development to commercialization. Project increased high brightness kaolin capacity by 57K TPY, for an estimated $3.6 MM/yr. Led optimization efforts. Process capability was improved from 0.14 to 1.02
Investigated alternative waste-water treatment system with the potential of reducing chemical costs by as much as $300K/yr.
Identified opportunity to recycle waste product, and led resulting project. Conducted pilot and plant trials to develop new process, and developed capital project. Improved yields reduced crude usage saving $255K/Year.
Led Sandersville Primary blunger loss reduction project. Savings in crude and overburden removal estimated at $566K/Year.
Directed DOE energy evaluations at Macon and Wrens plants, resulting in several energy conservation projects.
Sum of spray dryer projects reported as saving $412K for 2006
Devised process for using existing evaporator to pre-concentrate feed to the dryer, 67K/year estimated savings, with no capital expenditure.
Generated tools for monitoring scheduling of dryers and plant equipment to maximize waste heat recovery in times of low throughput. Savings estimated at $120K - $172K/year
Participated in the design of a new economic model to govern the usage of co-generation equipment, increasing savings by an estimated $41K/year.
Used computer modeling to examine recycling spray dryer exhaust. Potential for $700K/year savings. Further work proposed for Wrens Calciner spray dryer.
The tailings ponds were filling up, causing problems with effluent compliance. Directed waste-water lagoon life extension projects, solving multiple problems, allowing the system to run in compliance for several additional years. Directed the design of the replacement waste-water handling, and lagoon systems, including pipeline design and capital project development.
Participated in the effort to remove radioactive contaminants from used filter cloths, to permit normal disposal. Savings estimated at $400K
Improved filtration in the Macon plant, yielding a 10% increase in water removal. Optimized reagent dosages on filter feeds at Wrens and Macon to increase throughput.
Conducted studies on the Macon calciner to reduce operational problems and increase throughput. “Hot baghouse†concept for recycling clean hot air to the spray dryer estimated at saving $312K/year. Assisted with the calciner rebuild.
Developed alternate Lithoprint process, reducing costs by as much as $1.8 million/year at full capacity. Crude to finished ton ratio improved 17%.
Conducted magnet optimization increasing yield from 70% to 90%.
Pilot Plant Manager, Research Associate, Sr. Research Engineer, Research Engineer, 3/88 to 5/01
Directed Pilot Plant operations related to new processes, new products, optimization of the plant, and the transfer of new products, and processes into production. Managed production schedules, personnel, quality, safety, environmental concerns, logistics, area maintenance, and liaison with other departments and plants. Supervised 8 technicians, Process Engineer, and co-op students.
Developed forced recirculation evaporator technology for use in the Edisto and Wrens plants.
Devised pilot and production experiments to develop the SAMS high solids reactor chemistry, significantly reducing the operating costs of that plant (patent granted).
Scaled up pilot work, for the calcined clay surface treatment system at Macon.
Led pilot operations, to develop the Sampaque HSC product, Polykap 2000 product for rubber, Mapax composite product for paint, development of ultra-ultra-fine ground calcium carbonate products, developed a Boehmite based flatting agent for paints and as a co-abrasive in dental silica via hydrothermal conversion from Gibbsite ATH.
Developed surface treated metakaolin product for waterproof concrete, and scaled up to production at the Fairmount plant.
Worked with Polymer group at Fairmount to invent a melamine grinding system for a composite Melamine/ATH flame retardant (patent granted).
Designed and developed next generation production method for precipitated calcium carbonate using a high shear three-phase reactor to produce both different product particle size distributions and particle morphologies.
S.S.O.E. Inc., Toledo, OH 6/86 to 3/88
Design Engineer
Conducted design, modification, and installation of systems at General Mills, Beatrice Hunt Wesson, Keebler, Chrysler, Honda, and AP technaglass. Selected materials of construction, equipment and components, process layout, and routing of new process and utility piping. Supervised engineers and draftsman, coordinated design with other departments, and customers, managed contractors, maintained schedules, and assisted in start-up and de-bugging.
Brush Wellman, Inc., Elmore, OH 7/82 to 5/86
Staff Technologist
Led all Chemical Metallurgy R&D activities related to the D.O.E. Research contract for the optimization of Beryllium production, including literature search, evaluation, design and economic evaluation, for the five demonstration units built. Assisted engineering department in final design, and construction. Directed experimental operation of the demonstration units, and assisted in the evaluation of results, and the compilation and communication of the final report. Optimized ore recovery and processing, beryllium oxide process, and electroplating line.
Occidental Chemical Co., White Springs, FL 6/81 to 5/82
Development Engineer
Led design, economic evaluation, and development of an advanced superphosphoric acid purification process. Trained and supervised technicians, and reported experimental results. Supervised an engineer working on related byproduct recovery process.
Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Ag. Chem. Div., Houston, TX 3/80 to 6/81 Development Engineer
Led process improvement and development through experimental programs conducted on pilot scale equipment. A problem arose when the EPA changed the emissions standards on ethers. A process was developed to condense reactor off-gas, separate out unreacted methyl chloride, and recycle it to the reactor. The dimethyl ether waste product was then sold in liquid form as fuel for a local chemical incinerator, creating a salable product (patent granted after I left). Work included design, construction, operation and evaluation of pilot systems, and assisting with the design of a full-scale system for the plant, and conversion of byproduct to salable product. Supervised 3 pilot plant technicians.
Olin Corporation, Lake Charles, LA 7/74 to 3/80
Production Engineer, Development Engineer
Assisted in the design, construction, start-up and de-bugging of the chlorinated isocyanurates plant. Responsible for conducting special optimization and troubleshooting projects during post start-up optimization phase. Production engineer in Urea plant.
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