Expert Details
Metallic Surfaces and Structures, Oil and Gas Corrosion, and Alternative Fuels Corrosion Inhibitors
ID: 727883
California, USA
Expert's research interests shifted in 1984 to the study of alcohol fuels and their own set of corrosion issues that affected light distillate fuels blending, storage and distribution.
Working through the incentives brought up by the Clean Air Act, Expert moved from Europe to California, were he started NRG Technologies to study detergents, corrosion inhibitors and specialty fuel additives and blending inhibitors. This research program was rewarded with a series of international patents and one U.S. patent that led to a joint venture research opportunity in collaboration with Romic Chemical corporation of E. Palo Alto, California.
Expert became the VP of Research & Development on a program which specialized on gas-derived mixed alcohol synthesis and multiple boiling point ethers. Expert developed several ether and integrated alkylation technologies in the OXYMAX and OPTIMAX programs who were granted patents in the USA and abroad. Expert continued to develop alternative fuel technologies in the field of alcohol fuels, ligno-cellulosic mixed alcohol synthesis and biomass fuels in both the sector of light and middle distillate fuels. Since 2006, Expert acqured certain assets to consolidate his know how within his original corrosion specialization field.
Development and organization of a new industrial and marine coating entity to supply services in the Middle East region 2008 - 2009 Development of a corrosion inhibitor for surface preparation of liquified gas tanks in Oran, Algeria under collaboration with Sonatrach in Oran and Algiers 2006-2008 Development of an autonomous corrosion-proof alternate fuel program for unmodified gasoline engines in collaboration with UK- and US-based financial authorities in New York (USA) - 2004 - 2005Development of a polymer and multi-metal oxy-fuel corrosion inhibitor in collaboration with a Chinese group with testing developments in Singapore under collaboration with SGS 2004Developed a feasibility and blendable oxygenated alternate fuel compositional approach for the distribution of a clean burning fuel in Japan. This project was subsidized by a group based in Hong Kong 2003
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1974 | Degree: BS | Subject: Economics | Institution: CPL - Brussels, Belgium |
| Year: 1977 | Degree: Trainee / Internship | Subject: Corrosion Research | Institution: Laboratoires SECUR - Dr. H. Koeck |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2012 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Diector, VP Research | Department: Now GSI Americas, since 2012 |
Responsibilities:The company is currently being reorganized where its Fuel activities are being separated from the metallurgy division, which currently is focused on consulting activities only.MG Bioindustries is developing new surface preparation technology which is intended to seek patent protection as early as 2014 - 2015, as a result of its formulations being geared toward the main utilisation of biorenewable wastes to produce high value added components. This chemistry will then become licensed for use in the making of alternative fuels and metal treatments. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2003 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Sr. Consultant | Department: Corrosion Research & Consulting |
Responsibilities:GFS R&D was originally called MG Technologies. The Company was working with various capitalization entities in England, France and on Wall Street to launch the Fuel Smart technology. Today we have re-directed our venture as an independent Open Innovation start-up entity. More of our initial attention is being devoted in research in collaboration with a series of Independent laboratories and Acadamia. Our goal is to position GFS in Europe, Asia and the Americas as a premier Anti-Corrosion Research Network to see to the development of cleaner and more efficient solutions in the global fight against corrosion. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2003 to 2011 | Employer: MG Energy | Title: Director of Research | Department: OXY Fuels - became MG Technologies |
Responsibilities:Expert was invited by a Chinese group to reformulate an alternative fuel so as to make it fully rely on oxygenate chemistry. This fuel helped Expert develop several chemistries and processes to advance the product to a full-fledged technology: FuelSmart. FuelSmart proved able to operate a spark-ignition type engine without requiring modifications or additives. As from 2004, the company shifted its core research toward the development of a new generation of environmentally safe corrosion inhibitors that, used in the process, allowed to increase resistance of fuel refining and blending installations agains elastomer and metallic corrosion. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1987 to 2002 | Employer: NRG Technologies | Title: Assistant Researcher to Director of R&D | Department: Alternative Fuels |
Responsibilities:Expert, Mike Schneider and Anthony Nelson partnered to launch NRG Technologies. The Company was set to work on several formulations whic proved efficient to develop advanced alternative fuel additives. The Company was granted patents since 1990. It entered into a joint venture research program as early as March 1989. The research objective was the improvement of the fuel applications of methanol and its chemistry. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1989 to 1996 | Employer: Alternative Fuel Technologies (AFT) | Title: Director of Research | Department: OXY-FUELS |
Responsibilities:AFT was incorporated as a Joint Venture enterprise between NRG Technologies, LP and Romic Chemical Corporation. The goal and mission we pursued was to find ways to improve the energy usage of lower alcohols in order to deliver the gasoline and diesel fuel refining industries with better options in the field of clean fuel technologies, emissions abatement, octane blending and new technologies and products in both the areas of octane and cetane blending. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1986 to 1989 | Employer: ROMIC | Title: Consulting manager | Department: Adhesive division |
Responsibilities:ROMIC purchased an adhesive company in Newark that they wished to reorganize. As ROMIC was interested in some of the know-how proved by Expert's research data, ROMIC decided to involve Expert (Expert) Expert in this project due to his reputable knowledge in the fields of surfactants, polymers and anticorrosion science. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1979 to 1987 | Employer: Laboratoires SECUR | Title: Director of R&D | Department: Advanced Fuels Specialty Chemicals |
Responsibilities:Responsible for a proprietary multiple boiling point oxygenate synthesis principle which captured the interest of MIDAX in France. MIDAX was in a partnership negotiation with a swiss operation that were heavily involved in MeOH alternative fuels. The research program led to the development of two products: a detergent corrosion inhibitor that voided the phase separation typically encountered in gasoline-MeOH blends and a product to balance vapor pressure of gasoline-MeOH blends . |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1977 to 1986 | Employer: Laboratoires SECUR | Title: Director of R&D | Department: Corrosion Lab |
Responsibilities:Expert completed training and was accepted for a two-year internship in 1976. Was hired as a replacement to Dr. Koeck upon his retirement in 1978. Became responsible of the FEO 23 research program which led to the development of an exhaustive catalog of formulations to address issues of ferrous metal surface preparation, corrosion inhibition of surfaces and structures exposed to ISO 12944 C3 to C5i/m environments. |
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Government Experience
| Years | Agency | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 1990 to Present | Agency: California Energy Commission | Role: Panel Member | Description: Worked on Clean Air Act files affected by the usage of fuel alcohols in the matter of fuel blends phase separations and fuel distribution system corrosions |
International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 2009 to 2010 | Country / Region: Middle East | Summary: He organized in collaboration with proeminent industrialists in the region a new surface treatment organized distribution and tech-field assistance Company to serve the oil & gas and chemical/petrochemical sectors in specific high-durability on and off-shore metal ptotection and maintenance needs |
| Years: 2007 to 2009 | Country / Region: North Africa | Summary: He organized a surface treatment field service provider company to collaborate with a large oil & gas energy consortium and their service providers in order to help reduce field costs by 45% over the next five years. The project involves a series of corporations over three continents |
| Years: 2003 to 2004 | Country / Region: Europe and Caribbean | Summary: He organizes an interim maintenance service for a telecom group. The service will allow the group to save over $1M in the retrofit of a series of telecom stations as they are progressively phased-out to be relaced by a new technology. |
| Years: to Present | Country / Region: Asia | Summary: He helped a Philippines-based conglomerate to study a new terminal and infrastructure in the field of developing autonomous chemical manufacturing, packaging and distribution to oversee industrial and marine maintenance. The project is geared to improve environmntal aspects in the field of corrosion maintenance in the energy sector |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| He is a member of the NPCA-FSCT, the SIA, the ACA and was a member of the ACS, and the SAE |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| He is a GTS-SECUR P.E. in surface preparation by corrosion inhibitors technology |
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| He was appointed to the REEEP partnership, as a Hydrocarbon Online Expert advisory panel member, by the Coordination Research Council Methanol Advisory Group for his knowledge in the field of alternative fuels corrosion inhibitors, ether-blended and oxygenated fuel technologies |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| He received honorary degrees and awards from the IMP (1991), the National Alternative Fuel Association in Washington DC (1993), the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (1998),Hydrocarbon Online, Expert advisory panel member (1999), the Saudi chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (2000) |
| Medical / Professional |
|---|
| He followed a two-year internship in process and surface corrosion at the Laboratoires SECUR in Belgium (1975-1977) in collaboration with the late Dr. H. Koeck and with divisions of Rhône-Poulenc and ICI. |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| He has over 40 publications, two US Patents, several foreign patents and a series of pending letters of Patent and is currently working on an Anti-Corrosion Encyclopedia. He is regularly an invited speaker at various conferences in the field of metallic corrosion and oil and gas fields process corrosion in the USA, Germany, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker and a punctual consultant with various large enterprises such as Saudi Aramco, Bapco, Sonatrach, Formosa, Tuntex, CPC, AEE, Aptechnologie, etc. |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| 1977 - 1981: Became in charge of a lawsuit in French Courts regarding the development and application of a surface preparation process that resulted from several confidentiality and contractual breaches against SECUR. The Laboratoire SECUR won both the original lawsuit and its appeal |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| 1978: Studied coating application failures through involvements with Coppée-Rust, Lafarge, Polifrance and Cebelcor. Delegated by SECUR to the 7th International Congress on Metallic Corrosion |
| Vendor Selection |
|---|
| The Research Lab of SECUR carried the responsibility of raw materials quality control, relations with vendors and suppliers as well as a direct collaboration with SGS through their laboratory in Antwerp, Belgium (Depauw & Stokoe). As I was also an assistant to the development of SECUR's collaboration contract with Rhône Poulenc, this responsibility became quite complex. |
| Marketing Experience |
|---|
| Through years of presence to international conferences and symposia as well as the author or co-author of several papers, Expert has been invited on the panel of several corportaions in either the fields of metallic corrosion applications in oil and gas refining and petrochemical processes assisting several corportaions such as SABIC, SAUDI ARAMCO, SONATRACH, VALERO, ICI, National Yunlin University of Science & Technology, Tuntex Petrochemicals, FORMOSA, Air & Waste Management, CCMI, CRD as well as to several boards and associations. |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| He works in collaboration with governments, associations and corporate interests to improve their response or the establishment / application of regulatory requirements. He is further asked at times to provide his opinion in sectors that are less directly connected with his areas of specialty. This has at times reached as far as the beauty industry, cosmoceuticals, neutraceuticals and related fields where ingredients are often selected without fully understanding the process long-term implications. |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| English | He is proficient not only in the language usage but also at the level of translation, authoring technical and scientific papers. He has worked both with UK-based entities and with American-based Corporations essentially in the chemical research and manufacturing fields and in the oil and gas fields. He currently resides in the USA and has a residence in France in the South-West region |
| French | He is French although born in Belgium and permanent US resident. educated in French, he has authored papers in French and in English and often works on developing technical and field training documents in both these languages |
| Italian | Having resided punctually in Tuscany, Liguria and Lombardia during is earlier years he remains familiar with the language and has punctually collaborated on projects were this skill remained refreshed. yet 23 years of living in America makes him less used to the fluent speaking of the language. He has also notions and/or understanding of the Spanish and Portugese languages |
| Dutch | Having lived in Belgium for about twenty years he remains familiar with the reading of the language and to understand the vernaculars of the spoken word |
Fields of Expertise
alternative fuel, anti-corrosive coating failure analysis, anti-corrosive coating material, aqueous corrosion, atmospheric corrosion, atmospheric galvanic corrosion, carbon steel corrosion, chloride corrosion, coated steel corrosion, corrosion, corrosion cost, corrosion prevention, corrosion protection, corrosion removal, corrosion resistance, ferrous metal corrosion, ferrous metal corrosion chemistry, iron corrosion, metal coating corrosion, metal corrosion, outdoor weather corrosion, steel corrosion, storage tank corrosion, surface coating corrosion, tank bottom corrosion, biodiesel startup, biodiesel technology development, carbon dioxide corrosion, corrosion coupon, vapor phase corrosion inhibition, underfilm corrosion, corrosion-resistant aluminum coating, corrosion test equipment, corrosion film, anticorrosive pigment, oxygenate, corrosion-resistant material, ethanol-fueled automobile, aircraft corrosion, gasohol, fuel cleanup, corroding material life length analysis, fuel efficiency, distillation column corrosion control, copper alloy corrosion inhibitor, ferrous metal corrosion inhibitor, electrical connector corrosion, corrosion computation, cavitation erosion control, petroleum corrosion, saltwater corrosion, chemical process equipment corrosion failure, flexible fuel, wastewater treatment corrosion, automobile corrosion, corrosion by-product, corrosion testing, concrete outdoor weather corrosion, corrosion failure analysis, corrosion-related fluid handling equipment failure, alternative fuel vehicle, metal water pipe corrosion, corrosion potential, boiling-water reactor corrosion, concentration cell corrosion, rice-hull fuel, corn cob fuel, cereal-straw fuel, corrosion measurement, deionized-water corrosion, epoxy-coated rebar corrosion, crevice corrosion, alkali corrosion, rapeseed oil, uniform corrosion, soybean oil, marine corrosion, intergranular corrosion, fuel additive, ethanol fuel, brass corrosion, biomass fuel, aluminum corrosion, acidic corrosion