Expert Details

Industrial ammonia and CO2 refrigeration

ID: 735109 Arkansas, USA

Expert's career is divided into two parts: 15 years as a refrigeration service and startup mechanic (including 8 years self-employment) and 18 years as a graduate mechanical engineer (including 5 years self-employment). He received his PE license in 2005 and is currently registered in 11 states. His engineering experience includes 5 years with a design/build contractor, 2 years in a large food processor's corporate engineering group, 6 years with a global A&E firm and 5 years as an independent consulting engineer. He has designed, reviewed and analyzed industrial ammonia and CO2 refrigeration system projects throughout his career while managing multiple projects' staff efforts. He taught a semester-length industrial refrigeration course at a junior college and has presented a paper on control valve logic for evaporator leaks at the 2018 RETA National Conference.

Expert has served on multiple International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) committees since 2006 and multiple American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) committees since 2008. He contributed revisions to the ASHRAE Refrigeration Handbook chapter 2 (Ammonia Refrigeration Systems, 2014 and 2018) and chapter 3 (Carbon Dioxide Refrigeration Systems, 2018). He is familiar with the International Code Council's model codes (IFC, IMC and their predecessors from BOCA, ICBO, and SBCCI) as well as the California Mechanical Code. He is currently writing a paper on ASME B31.5's stress analysis and impact testing requirements and is planning a reference guide for the same document.

Consulting Examples:
Industrial refrigeration system (ammonia & CO2) design, design review, operational analysis and code review services are offered on a consulting engineer and/or owner's agent basis.

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Education

Year	Degree	Subject	Institution
Year: 2000	Degree: BSME	Subject: Mechanical Engineering	Institution: Arizona State University

Work History

Years	Employer	Title	Department
Years: 2014 to Present	Employer: Undisclosed	Title: Principal	Department:
Responsibilities: Self-employed as a consulting engineer for ammonia and CO2 industrial refrigeration system design, design review, operational analysis and code review.
Years	Employer	Title	Department
Years: 2013 to 2014	Employer: TranSystems Corporation	Title: Refrigeration Team Leader	Department: Food & Beverage
Responsibilities: Managed staff and supervised design of industrial refrigeration projects. Refrigeration system modifications for dual-circuit scraped surface heat exchangers (SSHE)
Years	Employer	Title	Department
Years: 2007 to 2013	Employer: Jacobs Engineering Group (Fort Worth)	Title: Deputy Director	Department: Food & Beverage
Responsibilities: Design and staff responsibility for industrial refrigeration projects with leading food processors across North America. Supervise F&BG refrigeration personnel for a global A&E firm  Presented review of IIAR 2-2008 piping requirements for IRC
Years	Employer	Title	Department
Years: 2005 to 2007	Employer: Tyson Foods	Title: Sr. Project Engineer	Department: Refrigeration Engineering Group
Responsibilities: 1 of 5 corporate ammonia refrigeration engineers providing project design and code review for 50+ plants across the USA.
Years	Employer	Title	Department
Years: 2001 to 2005	Employer: Applied Process Cooling Corporation	Title: Project Manager	Department: Engineering
Responsibilities: Project engineering and management for leading California design/build refrigeration contractor.

Career Accomplishments

Associations / Societies
ASHRAE 2000 – present  SSPC15 Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems 2008 – 2019  CIS Code Interaction Subcommittee 2008 – 2012  TC10.1 Custom Engineered Refrigeration Systems 2008 – present o Refrigeration Handbook chapter 2 revisions 2014  TC10.3 Refrigerant Piping, Controls and Accessories 2015 (chair 2019) – present o Refrigeration Handbook chapter 2 revisions 2018 o Refrigeration Handbook chapter 3 revisions 2018  TC10.5 Refrigerated Distribution & Storage Facilities 2014 – present  SPC 64 ...Laboratory Testing...Evaporative Refrigerant Condensers 2009 – 2010 IIAR 1984 – present  Standards Review Committee 2005 – 2013; 2018 – present  Standards Review Code Subcommittee 2017 – 2018  Code Committee 2009 – 2019  Government Relations Committee 2015 – present RETA 1983 - present  National Conference – “Evaporator Leaks & Suction Control Valves” 2018  San Joaquin chapter – RETA Books 1 & II instructor 2004 – 2005  Consortia trainer – Bakersfield, CA 2002  Phoenix chapter – First President and founding member 1991  SF Bay Area chapter – Vice-President 1985 – RETA Region II conference, Sunnyvale, CA 1985

Associations / Societies

ASHRAE 2000 – present
 SSPC15 Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems 2008 – 2019
 CIS Code Interaction Subcommittee 2008 – 2012
 TC10.1 Custom Engineered Refrigeration Systems 2008 – present
o Refrigeration Handbook chapter 2 revisions 2014
 TC10.3 Refrigerant Piping, Controls and Accessories 2015 (chair 2019) – present
o Refrigeration Handbook chapter 2 revisions 2018
o Refrigeration Handbook chapter 3 revisions 2018
 TC10.5 Refrigerated Distribution & Storage Facilities 2014 – present
 SPC 64 ...Laboratory Testing...Evaporative Refrigerant Condensers 2009 – 2010
IIAR 1984 – present
 Standards Review Committee 2005 – 2013; 2018 – present
 Standards Review Code Subcommittee 2017 – 2018
 Code Committee 2009 – 2019
 Government Relations Committee 2015 – present
RETA 1983 - present
 National Conference – “Evaporator Leaks & Suction Control Valves” 2018
 San Joaquin chapter – RETA Books 1 & II instructor 2004 – 2005
 Consortia trainer – Bakersfield, CA 2002
 Phoenix chapter – First President and founding member 1991
 SF Bay Area chapter – Vice-President 1985
– RETA Region II conference, Sunnyvale, CA 1985

Licenses / Certifications
Registered as mechanical engineering PE in AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IA, IL, MS, OK, TN, & TX; have NCEES Record.

Publications and Patents Summary
ASHRAE 201xRefrigeration Handbook ch 2 revisions ASHRAE 201x Refrigeration Handbook ch 2 and ch 3 revisions RETA 201x National Conference, paper on "Evaporator Leaks and Suction Control Valves"

Additional Experience

Expert Witness Experience
- For cold storage owner: Reviewed EPA misapplication of ASHRAE/IIAR standards; the case is ongoing. - For contractor vs. food processor: Analyzed component rupture resulting in ammonia release; the case is ongoing. - For food processor vs. EPA: Surveyed 6 plants for excessive ammonia losses, prepared leak mitigation plans; case resolved with the decreased penalty to the client. - For ice supplier vs. OSHA: Reviewed and rebutted OSHA expert witness report and deposition; case resolved with a decreased penalty to the client. - For contractor vs. end user: the Rebutted claim of faulty design by the contractor, including deposition; case resolved by arbitration with the decreased penalty to the client.

Expert Witness Experience

- For cold storage owner: Reviewed EPA misapplication of ASHRAE/IIAR standards; the case is ongoing.
- For contractor vs. food processor: Analyzed component rupture resulting in ammonia release; the case is ongoing.
- For food processor vs. EPA: Surveyed 6 plants for excessive ammonia losses, prepared leak mitigation plans; case resolved with the decreased penalty to the client.
- For ice supplier vs. OSHA: Reviewed and rebutted OSHA expert witness report and deposition; case resolved with a decreased penalty to the client.
- For contractor vs. end user: the Rebutted claim of faulty design by the contractor, including deposition; case resolved by arbitration with the decreased penalty to the client.

Training / Seminars
EDUCATION & TRAINING IRC Research & Technology Forum, Madison, WI 2006, 2011, 2018, 2019 York Industrial Refrigeration School, York, PA 2003 BSE in Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 1992 – 2000 IIAR/RETA Industrial Refrigeration School for Users, San Jose, CA 1986 IIAR Industrial Refrigeration Workshop, Urbana, IL 1984 Steamfitter apprenticeship, UA Local #342, Concord, CA 1978 – 1982 Welding and machine tool courses, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA 1974 – 1976 Liberal arts courses, University of California, Riverside and Santa Cruz 1969 – 1971 National Merit Letter of Commendation, Riverside Polytechnic High School, CA 1968

Training / Seminars

EDUCATION & TRAINING
IRC Research & Technology Forum, Madison, WI 2006, 2011, 2018, 2019
York Industrial Refrigeration School, York, PA 2003
BSE in Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 1992 – 2000
IIAR/RETA Industrial Refrigeration School for Users, San Jose, CA 1986
IIAR Industrial Refrigeration Workshop, Urbana, IL 1984
Steamfitter apprenticeship, UA Local #342, Concord, CA 1978 – 1982
Welding and machine tool courses, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA 1974 – 1976
Liberal arts courses, University of California, Riverside and Santa Cruz 1969 – 1971
National Merit Letter of Commendation, Riverside Polytechnic High School, CA 1968

Fields of Expertise

carbon dioxide refrigerant, industrial refrigeration, ammonia refrigeration, ASME pressure piping code, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, International Conference of Building Officials model code, Southern Building Code Congress International model code, building construction regulation, building compliance

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Expert Details

Industrial ammonia and CO2 refrigeration

Education

Work History

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities:

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Responsibilities:

Responsibilities:

Career Accomplishments

Additional Experience

Fields of Expertise