Ralph W. Neumann

SUMMARY

Process design and project management in the oil and gas production, natural gas gathering and processing, pipeline, hydrocarbon processing, and chemical industries. Responsibilities have included development of conceptual and detailed designs, multi-discipline project supervision, economic feasibility studies, consulting, and a variety of field services including pre-commissioning, startup, training, and troubleshooting. Project development, management of engineering (including safety and environmental), and management of field operations for a large midstream natural gas processing company. Experience includes:

  • Oil and Gas Production – Design and installation of facilities to separate oil, gas, and water; measure and store products; wellhead treating and dehydration; and product transmission by truck and pipeline.
  • Natural Gas Processing – Lead process design and process management for numerous gas processing projects including cryogenic liquids extraction; dew point control; nitrogen rejection; refrigeration; lean oil absorption; gas treating (DEA, DGA, MDEA, Selexol, Sulfinol, Flexsorb, Lo-Cat, ChemSweet, iron sponge); dehydration (glycol and solid bed); liquid treating (amines, caustic, solid bed); and sulfur recovery (including sub-dewpoint and designs with tail gas treating).
  • Specialty Fractionation – Facility designs for major LPG fractionation centers, close boiling and azeotropic distillation, and olefin separations.
  • Pipelines and Gathering Systems – Design and operation of a variety of pipeline systems for gathering (including highly sour gas), liquid product transmission, and interstate gas transmission.
  • Other Relevant Experience – Food grade CO2 designs, membrane separations, refinery gas processing, product upgrade via isomerization, gas injection facilities, helium extraction, LNG, hydrogen recovery, and nitric acid production.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ENGINEERING CONSULTANT (1999-Present)

Isopropyl Alcohol Dehydration, Cascade Separations, Inc., Austin, TX

  • Conceptual design and project management to apply novel membrane technology to dehydration of isopropyl alcohol for use in the microelectronics industry. Unit designed and purchased for installation at Ashland Chemical ECD in Dallas, Texas.
    Sour Gas Processing and Nitrogen Rejection, Longview Production, Stamps, AR
    Engineering services to retrofit used facility to gather and process 10 MMCFD of sour, high nitrogen gas.

Propane Product Fractionation, BP Amoco, Anschutz Ranch, WY

  • Process design to reconfigure existing equipment to fractionate LPG to produce a local propane product.

CONOCO INC – Natural Gas & Gas Products 1998

Manager, Process Engineering

Managed a group of eight process engineers providing new project design and operations support to Conoco gathering and processing facilities in the US and Trinidad, including gathering and LPG extraction, LPG fractionation, and coal bed methane handling.

DYNEGY, INC./NATURAL GAS CLEARINGHOUSE 1988-1998

Vice President, Asset Management (East) (1996-1998)

Responsible for operation of approximately 20 natural gas processing facilities and an interstate pipeline. Technologies employed included cryogenic LPG extraction, lean oil absorption, nitrogen rejection, gas treating, sulfur recovery and tail gas treating. Projects completed include:

  • 50 MMCFD high ethane recovery retrofit (Rodman, OK)

Vice President, Technical Services (1995-1996)

Managed a group of approximately 45 professionals engaged in plant design, operations support, safety and environmental permitting and compliance. Projects completed during tenure include:

  • 150 MMCFD cryogenic ethane recovery with fractionation (Waskom, TX)
  • Design, specification, and initial bid for 50,000 BPD LPG Fractionation (Lake Charles, LA)

Vice President, Engineering & Operations (1992-1995)

Vice President, Engineering & Construction (1990-1992)

Director, Business Development (1988-1990)

Managed the development and construction of grassroots gathering and processing facilities, modifications to acquired facilities, and operations support and management (including environmental and safety) for twelve facilities built or acquired by NGC during this period. Major projects completed during this period include:

  • 20 MMCFD sour, high nitrogen gathering, LPG extraction, and nitrogen rejection. Designs included H2S extraction with MDEA, CO2 removal with DGA, sour condensate handling and sub-dewpoint Claus sulfur recovery.
  • Installed approximately 60 miles of sour gas gathering lines. (Texarkana, AR)
    50 MMCFD cryogenic ethane recovery with product treating and construction of a 20 mile LPG pipeline. (Haynesville, LA)

ENRON GAS PROCESSING COMPANY 1987-1988

Engineering Specialist

Provided designs and engineering support for business development activities in refinery gas processing, CO2 separation and recycle for CO2 enhanced oil recovery floods, and NGL product upgrading via isomerization. Processes included Ryan-Holmes separations, Sulferox, and Lo-Cat.

PAN WEST CONSTRUCTORS, INC. 1984-1987

Process Engineering Manager

Responsible for process design, flow diagram development, equipment specifications, plant startup and performance analysis. Responsibilities included conducting design studies and economic evaluations, assisting in sales presentations, and coordinating the implementation of process designs among other design disciplines. Major projects completed include:

  • Conoco Inc., San Juan Gas Plant, Farmington, NM (1985-1986)
  • Conceptual design, startup, and performance testing of 400 MMcfd cryogenic gas plant for high (98%) ethane recovery. Facility included 3 – 15,000 HP gas turbines, a 4500 HP electric driven refrigeration system, a 40,000 bbl/day deethanizer, and a 600 GPM DEA product treating system.
  • Shell Western Exploration and Production, Inc., Fandango Treating Plant, South Texas, (1985)
  • Process design to modify and expand a 75 MMcfd gas treating plant employing Selexol to remove CO2 with traces of H2S.
  • Mosbacher Production Co., Oil and Gas Production Facility, Henderson County, Texas (1984)
  • Process design package including crude stabilizer, amine treater, glycol dehydration and a Lo-Cat sulfur removal unit.

ENSTAR ENGINEERING 1982-1984

Director of Process

Responsible for all process engineering functions including supervision of the process department and flow diagram group. Completed projects include:

  • Marathon Oil Co., Yates Gas Plant Replacement, Iraan, Texas (1982-1983)
  • Design, startup and testing of a 40 MMcfd cryogenic gas plant for high (95%) ethane recovery. Supporting units included a 400 gpm DGA gas treating unit, a 48 LTPD MCRC (sub-dewpoint) sulfur recovery unit, a Malaprop (DGA) product treating unit, a molecular sieve unit for removal of COS from LPG, and a fuel gas enrichment (N2 rejection) unit.
  • Exxon, Sabine Pass Gas Plant, Sabine Pass, Texas (1984)
  • Process design for a 20 MMcfd cryogenic gas plant for high (95%) ethane recovery utilizing a demethanizer refluxed with recycled residue gas.
  • Texaco, Inc., Henry Gas Plant, Henry, LA (1984)
  • Process design to convert existing facilities to deep ethane recovery from 300 MMcfd of natural gas.
  • Cities Service Oil Company, Ginger Dehydration Facility, Myrtle Springs, Texas (1983)
  • Design of a sour gas and condensate production facility including the use of molecular sieves to dehydrate highly sour gas and liquids for hydrate inhibition in pipeline transport.
  • Collet Ventures, Inc., Copeland Gas Plant, Copeland, AL (1983)
  • Licensed design to Chapman engineers to install ENSTAR’s proprietary MCRC sub-dewpoint Claus sulfur recovery technology for a 115 LTPD sulfur plant.
  • During tenure at ENSTAR, also completed designs for two conventional Claus sulfur recovery lump sum bids (Marathon and Cities Service), and a process evaluation comparing membranes, Ryan-Holmes fractionation, and solvent processes for CO2 removal from gas produced from an EOR CO2 flood (Cities Service Springer Unit).

PROCESS ENGINEERING CONSULTANT 1980-1982

Consultant

As a process consultant, completed process designs and provided other process related services for various engineering construction firms and operating companies in the United States and Canada. Major projects include:

  • Valero Hydrocarbon Company (F.P. Ross, Inc.)
    Bel Junction Expander Plant
    85 MMcfd – Grassroots ethane recovery
  • Getty Oil Company (CE Randall)
    Burleson County Plant (Expander)
    30 MMcfd – Grassroots ethane recovery
  • Amoco Canada (Phoenix Construction Holdings)
    Ricinus Gas Processing Plant (Expander)
    115 MMcfd – Propane recovery debottlenecking
  • Chevron Canada (Phoenix)
    West Pembina Gas Plant (Refrigeration)
    20 MMcfd – Grassroots propane recovery
  • Texaco Inc. (CE Randall)
    Sea Robin Gas Processing Plant
    825 MMcfd – Increased ethane recovery study
  • Exxon Production Research ( Wilcrest Engineering)
    Natuna Prospect
    Process development study for applying expander technology to floating LNG facilities.
  • Cities Service Oil Co. (Crawford and Russell/H.M. Taylor, Inc.)
    Mont Belvieu Fractionation Facility
    80,000 BPD – Process design for lump sum bid
  • Gulf Oil Chemical (CE Randall)
    Orange Plant
    N2/Ethylene recovery from polyethylene vent gas
  • Petroleum Authority of Thailand
    Rayong, Thailand
    350 MMcfd Ethane recovery
  • ETAP (CE Randall)
    Tunisia
    60 MMcfd – Propane recovery and fractionation

Miscellaneous projects included refinery gas processing with ethylene splitter, CO2 recovery from flue gases, nitrogen rejection, power recovery from hot exhaust gases, propane-propylene fractionation, and food grade CO2 recovery. Also performed troubleshooting and testing services.

THE RANDALL CORPORATION 1978-1979

Senior Process Engineer

Responsible for conceptual design, specifications, flowsheet development, proposal preparation, plant testing, and troubleshooting. Major projects included:

  • Superior Oil Co.
    Dulac Gas Plant (Expander)
    50 MMcfd – Grassroots ethane recovery
  • Canadon Piedras – 60 MMcfd
    TECSA, S.A. – 55 MMcfd
    Argentina
    Dewpoint control using refrigeration
  • CE Lummus
    Basrah, Iraq
    Isobutane recovery (butane splitter)
  • Liquid Energy
    Brownwood Plant
    15 MMcfd – Grassroots ethane recovery

Miscellaneous process work included LNG, glycol dehydration, amine treating, sulfur recovery, hydrocarbon liquid dehydration, and ethylene and hydrogen recovery from refinery gases.

DAVY POWERGAS HOUSTON 1976

Principal Process Engineer

Responsible for conceptual design, specifications, flowsheet development, proposal preparation, plant testing, and troubleshooting. Major projects included:

  • Gulf Oil Chemicals
    Kansas Location
    Nitric Acid Plant; Ammonium Nitrate Plant – Heat and material balance and specifications
  • Koch Refining Co.Minnesota
    Food Grade CO2 – Flowsheets and specifications for lump sum proposal
  • Enterprise Products Company
    Mont Belvieu, Texas
    Propane-propylene splitter – Flowsheets and specifications for lump sum proposal
  • Davy Powergas Cologne/Ethyl Corporation
    U.S.S.R.
    Linear alpha olefins fractionation – Heat and material balance and specifications.

FLUOR ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTORS HOUSTON 1968-1976, 1977

Principal Process Engineer (1977)

Chief Process Systems Engineer (1975)

Process Systems Engineer (1972-1974)

As Principal Process Engineer, Chief Process Systems Engineer, and Process Systems Engineer, performed process design work on major projects as follows:

  • Texas Eastern (Proposal – Lead process engineer)
    Saudi Arabian Gas Gathering
    3200 MMcfd, Master Plan Development
  • ARAMCO, Berri, Saudi Arabia
    Ethane Extraction
    600 MMcfd, Ethane extraction from sour gas
  • Union Oil of Indonesia, Balikpapan, Indonesia
    130 MMcfd Expander Plant, Ethane/propane recovery
    Process screening through specifications and flowsheets
  • Esso Australia, Sale, Victoria, Australia
    400 MMcfd expander plant, Ethane/propane recovery
    Screening studies; heat and material balances; specifications; flowsheets; detailed design; startup; troubleshooting.

In addition, performed process design work for various projects and proposals in LNG, helium extraction, expander and absorption oil plants, sulfur recovery, and high pressure dew point control. Also provided internal consulting services in physical properties and computer use, as well as performing computer studies of plant dynamics in six installations.

Computer Systems Analyst (1970-1971)

As Computer Systems Analyst, prepared numerous computer programs for use in process design of process plants.

Process Engineer (1968-1969)

As Process Engineer, participated in ethylene plant process development and design of offsites for a lube oil complex.

EDUCATION

  • B.A., Chemical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas (1967)
  • MChE, Chemical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas (1968)

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES/CERTIFICATES

  • Registered Professional Engineer, Texas, License No. 39387

PUBLICATIONS

  • Authored and presented technical papers to AIChE (dynamic simulation) and Gas Processors Association (nitrogen rejection facilities and gas plant operations management).

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