Expert Details

Reaction Engineering, Process Reactor/ Technology Development, Design, Debottlenecking/ Revamp/ Upgrade, Modeling/ Application Software, Process Intensification

ID: 735205 Florida, USA

Request Expert

He is a recognized expert in design, development, scale-up, demonstration and debottlenecking of commercial reactors. With a track record of successful commercialization of three new technologies, currently working for a fourth, and zero-failure, he offers a unique set of capabilities for industries that include environment, energy, coal, biomass, catalysts, chemicals, petrochemicals and minerals.

He is an industry consultant in the area of process development, scale-up and commercialization, reactor design, modeling & simulation and multiphase systems. He published extensively in the area of Fluidization and Chemical Reaction/ Reactor Engineering. His balanced experience comes from positions/business with multiple O&G, E&PC, Catalyst/Tech Development Companies, Academic Institutes, a Simulation Company - as a designer, program manager, hands-on experimenter, technology developer/ adviser, professor, process engineer, modeler, programmer/coder and consultant - all almost exclusively on Chemical Reactor Designs and Chemical Reaction Engineering for over past 35 years.

He is the founder and CEO of a reactor design a company dedicated to provide comprehensive services on Chemical Reactors and Processors that include RAPID and advanced design, development and commercialization of reactors and processors of virtually any kind and complexity. The company currently offers four off-the-shelf advanced RDP’s (Reactor Design Packages) for four products: Methanol, Maleic Anhydride, Phthalic Anhydride and Acrylonitrile that can be promptly customized for the COC (Catalyst of Choice) of the customer followed by the demonstration of a prototype/ pilot reactor. Complete BEP’s (Basic Engineering Packages) for these technologies will be offered soon. Similar packages for more products of demands are planned for addition to the list of his company offers.

His keen interest is also to be involved in/ offer services to emerging/ innovative technologies for Process Intensification (PI) such as micro-channel reactor design/ development, SG/ GTL conversions to fuels and chemicals, production of biopolymers such as PLA, atmospheric/ power plant CO2 recycling to fuels, PTF and recycling of plastics and solid wastes/ MSW.

He co-chaired four international/ national fluidization conferences and published extensively in fluidization and reaction/ reactor engineering and a book chapter on coal combustion/gasification.

He is currently ready to release a smart softpack (GRMTM) that will be a new Reactor Operating System (ROS)/ Platform for easy and cost-effective solutions for commercial Reactors. It covers analysis, modeling, design/development, servicing, revamp and operation/control of all gas-solid reactors including non-catalytic reactors like coal/biomass/MSW combustor/gasifier, pollutants/ trace absorber-regenerator, metal ore/mineral processor. Subsequent versions of GRMTM will include gas-solid-liquid and other reactor types.
He was in-charge of both graduate and under-graduate courses in Chemical Reaction Engineering & Reactor Design at three academic institutes (IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) New Delhi 1970-73, NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) 1977-83, FIT (Florida Institute of Technology) 2005-06).

A book chapter authored by him provides a detailed treatment of the effect of coal rank or type and Combustor/ gasifier operation on the product gas compositions, as well as reaction mechanism and kinetics of these processes. His expertise in chemical reaction engineering extends beyond the area of conventional catalytic processes for bulk chemicals production to coal pyrolysis-gasification-combustion to hypergolic reactions of gel-gel propellants in rocket engines. His unique and added strength is also in the reaction engineering and design of non-catalytic (and mixed - catalytic and non-catalytic) reactors, wherein solids take part with both chemical and physical transformations. Areas covered include Combustor, Incinerator, Gasifier and Pyrolizer of biomass, sludge, coal, solid fuels, mineral Roasters/Calciners, Desulfurizer and Hg removal unit. The reactor types include moving, bubbling, turbulent, circulating, entrained bed, dual-packed-bed reactor-regenerator or a simple packed-bed reactor.

He carried out experimental and theoretical studies on Coal Pyrolysis and Gasification Reactions for WVU/ Morgantown Energy Technology Center (1973-77) with results of these studies listed in SD publications #33-35, #38-39nin Difrex web page and in a book chapter on ‘Kinetics of Coal Pyrolysis and Gasification Reactions’, Ch.2 titled Coal Conversion Technology. He also carried out experimental investigation on the Grid Zone and Bubbling Characteristics of Fluidized Beds. Results are presented in SD publication #15, #29, #30, #31 and #36 listed in the Difrex web page.

He is a recognized expert in new chemical process development. He has a track record of successful commercialization of three new technologies, currently working for a fourth, and zero-failure. He offers a unique set of capabilities for Industries’ needs in environment, energy, coal, biomass, catalysts, chemicals, petrochemicals and minerals. He was a lead engineer for design/ development/ modeling/ successful scale-up of several new commercial/ ready-to-commercialize catalytic reactor systems including Lummus’ ALMA fluidized bed process for production of Maleic anhydride, a fixed bed process for acetic acid production, Syngas production for a new GTL technology and a solid acid Alkylation technology.

He specializes in A2Z (concept to commercialization) of RAPID technology development or revamp w/ catalyst development, reactor safety, prompt development of robust (fail-proof) kinetic & reactor models and provides design/ revamp performance guarantee.

He was the Lead Process and Process Development Engineer for the Fluo-Solids group and the Chief Heterogeneous Reactor Design and Modeling Expert for Technip USA for the Dorr-Oliver Fluo-Solids technologies group.

He provided prompt debottlenecking services to several commercial reactors (at US and Europe) that includes a) a new liquid-liquid reactor at start-up to bring it to design performance within a few days, b) two new fluidized reactors at start-up and c) troubleshooting of a runaway refinery reactor for a Middle East Company.

He developed reactor models for successful scale-up of several new commercial/ ready-to-commercialize catalytic reactor systems including Lummus’ ALMA fluidized bed process for production of Maleic anhydride, a fixed bed process for Acetic Acid production, Syngas production for a new GTL technology and a solid acid Alkylation technology. He was the Senior Consultant and the Senior-most Expert in Reactor/ Process Design, Modeling and Scale-up of Syngas (SG) and FT reactors and associated equipment for the new GTL technology venture for ConocoPhillips (2001-2005). He developed fixed and fluidized Bed S-Zorb Reactor Models for ConocoPhillips (2004-2005).

He developed a reactor modeling package (GRMTM) that covers models for virtually any and all catalytic and non-catalytic solid-gas chemical reactors that include Catalytic Bubbling/Turbulent Fluidized Bed Reactor (Cat-BFB), Circulating/Fast Fluidized Bed Reactor (CFB), Catalytic CSTR (Cat-CSTR), Non-Catalytic Fixed Bed Reactor (NC-FXB), Non-Catalytic Bubbling/Turbulent Fluidized Bed Reactor (NC-BFB), Catalytic Quench Reactor (Cat-QNC), Catalytic Hybrid/ Reactors-in-Series (Cat-RIS) and Catalytic Recycle Reactor (Cat-RCL). And these reactor models apply to chemical reactions of virtually any kind and complexity of reaction mechanism and kinetics. This modeling package (GRMTM) is being prepared for commercial release.

He managed the first Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell R&D program of the Florida Solar Energy Center. He managed the first fixed bed S-Zorb Technology development team for feed gas desulfurization as an alternative for Company’s existing Fluidized Bed technology.

As a PI managed the execution team of three US DOD projects on 1) VHP production in a microchannel reactor, 2) development of rocket propellants hypergolic reaction mechanism and kinetics 3) direct production JP-8 fuel from syngas in a microchannel reactor (MCR).

He was also responsible for a near-Commercial MCR Technology development for Rentech (2008-2010 for direct production of jet fuel from syngas. Developed a new MCR design from concept starting from catalyst development, preparation (and deposition, reactor design, fabrication and assembly, design and installation of complete experimental test unit set up, data generation and analysis hands-down. The new design and performance exceeded the productivity per unit volume of a reactor that is claimed (maximum) in the industry at the time of this development. The project was stopped short of development and operation of a 10-BPD demo unit that would be flowed by a 1,000 BPD commercial unit.

He co-chaired four international/ national Fluidization conferences during 1990 and 1998, and published extensively in the area of Fluidization and reaction/ reactor engineering. He is a former member of Technical Advisory Committee and Board of Directors of Particulate Solid Research Institute (PSRI). He was a lead engineer for design/development/modeling/successful scale-up of several new commercial/ ready-to-commercialize catalytic reactor systems including Lummus’ ALMA fluidized bed process for production of Maleic anhydride. The Lummus’ process received the Kirkpatrick honorary award for “advances in technology” in 1991.

He has an extensive background and experience in coal pyrolysis, combustion and gasification research. A book chapter co-authored by him provides a detailed treatment of the effect of coal rank or type and Pyrolizer/ Combustor/ Gasifier operation on the product gas compositions, as well as the mechanism and kinetics of these processes.

He has demonstrated that RAPID process and product development are now possible by 1) utilizing a standardized procedure or recommended roadmap instead of a random or trial-and-error approach that is common, 2) minimizing data generation and pilot plant/ demo campaign efforts, 3) application of the powerful, stand-alone and user-friendly software package (GRMTM) with built-in property data bases and necessary information on process/ reaction chemistry and kinetics of many commercial attractive products and processes and 4) promptly customizing the design and development package to suit most any other unique process or reaction system.
Now one can take the fastest path to 3-D Solution (Design, Development and Debottlenecking) to complete the necessary tasks in matter of days, if not in hours, provided three vital sets or packs of information are available or gathered. One just needs to pick from a line of road-tested ready-to-use reactor modules from GRM™ smart-pack that can be used as template for any other similar reaction/ process and reactor system. Three sets of information are needed for execution of each module for the new system: 1) process mechanism or reaction chemistry, 2) process/ reaction rate expressions, 3) the rate parameters. These sets are called i-Pack1, i-Pack2 and i-Pack3 meaning information packages 1-3. One may find one or more default packages applicable to the new system in the built-in database. How to build a missing package (say i-Pack3) is also provided.

The smartpack empowers one you with the productivity needed for most of the daily tasks on your reactor/ process or product development or in operation. This includes any and all tasks including testing ● alternate mechanism and kinetics, ● alternate reactors, ● alternate design and operating conditions, ● alternate catalyst/ reacting solids formulations, shape, size, pore structures and packing modes, ●catalyst deactivation, ● alternate heat transfer system designs, ● and more - quick and easy - both during the process/ catalyst development stage and also for optimization, operation and control of the operating reactor, and for Debottlenecking, retrofit and revamp as and when needed.

One is now also ready to take the design to a NEW level. Choose alternate reactors or reactor configurations (for example operation with recycle, quench or multi-staging) and use the same easy 3-step process to find the best reactor solution to satisfy one’s need. The Work Page instantly displays graphical comparison of design details and performances of the alternatives to help one make the decision quickly.

He almost single-handedly designed, commissioned, operated and successfully demonstrated a mercury emission control device for an operating >150’ tall refinery fluidized bed sludge incinerator. The design was later offered as a commercial technology for mercury emission control for similar applications (~2001).

He is now ready to release a smart softpack (GRMTM) that will be a new Operating System (ROS)/ platform for easy and cost-effective solutions for commercial Reactors - that work. It covers analysis, modeling, design/development, servicing, revamp and operation/control of all gas-solid reactors including non-catalytic reactors like coal/ biomass/ MSW combustor/gasifier, pollutants/ trace absorber-regenerator, metal ore/mineral processor. Details of features and coverages of the softpack are available in the website (www.difrex.com) of DIFREX Inc. founded by him. An earlier version of this software package developed over the previous 30 years was to be acquired and marketed by SimSci with its other industry standard products like PRO/II and Romeo.

Past applications of this software pack include various POX (Partial Oxidation) reactors ● Bayonet tube (Double-walled fixed bed-DWFXB) methanol converter ● Turbulent fluid bed (BFB) for Maleic anhydride (world’s first) production ● Tubular fixed bed (FXB) and BFB for Acrylonitrile production ● Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) ● Microchannel for diesel fuel production ● Dual-packed bed (PKD) sulfur absorber ● Bubbling fluid bed (BFB) Laterite ore pre-roaster/ incinerator ● Packed carbon bed for Hg removal from refinery waste incinerator ● Circulating Fluid Bed (CFB), BFB and Moving Bed (MVB) hot gas Desulfurize by zinc titanate ● Coal pyrolysis/ Combustor/ gasifier ● CFB catalyst regeneration ● Oxidative coupling of methane in multiple reactor types ● Trace oxygen removal in PKB ● Hydrocracking in FXB and slurry reactors ● Hydrocarbon Combustor/ burner ● Solid acid Alkylation ● BFB for fuels from tar sands ● FXB, Quench and BFB reactors for chemicals from SG

He provided pilot plant design, experimental program evaluation and model development for a commercial Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) FCC catalyst regenerator for Engelhard Corp. in 1987-89.

The GRMTM model package developed by him includes a Non-Catalytic Bubbling/Turbulent Fluidized Bed Reactor (NC-BFB) module that was successfully tested for performance simulation of a commercial iron ore roaster and Ni extraction unit. This can be readily customized to design of commercial fluidized bed mineral calciners/ roasters and for metals/ precious metals/ silicon or pigment productions.

He was a consultant for prompt debottlenecking of several commercial reactors (at US and Europe) that includes a) a new liquid-liquid reactor in Netherlands at start-up to bring it to design performance within a few days, b) two new fluidized reactors at start-up in US and c) troubleshooting of a runaway refinery reactor for a Middle East Company.

He developed Catalytic Converter System Model for CATALYTICA, CA 1998 through Unsteady state behavior modeling of an automotive catalytic converter system. He developed kinetic model for a fixed bed catalytic hydrocracker for INTEVEP, Venezuela ~1993. He developed CFB FCC Catalyst Regenerator for ENGELHARD, 1987 and helped in Pilot plant design, experimental program evaluation and model development for a commercial Circulating Fluidized Bed FCC catalyst regenerator. Results were presented in the 6th International Conference on Fluidization in Canada in 1989 (SD publication #19 listed in Difrex web page).

He designed a commercial reactor for a new Acetic Acid production Technology for SABIC, Saudi Arabia, 1998 followed by offering an alternate Fluidized Bed Reactor design for the same purpose.




Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 1972 Degree: Ph. D. Subject: Chemical Engineering Institution: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur
Year: 1971 Degree: Post-Graduate Diploma Subject: Chemical Engineering Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Year: 1966 Degree: MS Subject: Chemical Engineering Institution: University of Calcutta, India
Year: 1960 Degree: BS Subject: Chemistry Institution: University of Calcutta, India

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2017 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Founder and CEO Department:
Responsibilities:
Consulting and design, development, scale-up, demonstration and debottlenecking of commercial reactors.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2001 to 2005 Employer: Conoco-Phillips Title: Senior Consultant Department: GTL
Responsibilities:
- Senior consultant and the senior-most expert in Reactor/ Process Design, Modeling and Scale-up of Syngas (SG) and FT reactors and associated equipment for the new GTL technology venture.
- Manager of the first fixed bed S-Zorb technology development team for feed gas desulfurization as an alternate for fluidized bed technology.
- Developed a new conceptual Hydro-processor Design for heavy oil upgrade.

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2000 to 2001 Employer: Technip Title: Staff Technologist Department: Fluo-Solids Group
Responsibilities:
- Lead Process and Process Development Engineer for the Fluo-Solids group and the Chief Heterogeneous Reactor Design and Modeling Expert for Technip USA. Process design and engineering of all Dorr-Oliver Fluo-Solids technologies and development of advanced Reactor Technologies through pilot plant/ experimental development programs, and modeling and simulation.
- Single-handedly (almost) designed, commissioned, operated and successfully demonstrated a Mercury Emission Control Device for an operating >100’ tall Refinery Fluidized Bed Sludge Incinerator. The design was later offered as a Commercial Technology for mercury emission control for similar applications. The design was determined to be the best when compared with two other competing technologies – an ESP (electrostatic precipitator) and a V-bank absorber that utilizes a louvre-bed (multiple parallel slanted absorber beds) design. The comparison was done in the field (next to the sludge incinerator) with Hg emission measurements carried out at the exhausts from all three units (the new device, the ESP and the V-bank absorber operating in parallel). The measurements were carried out by Mostardt-Platt a recognized environmental monitoring and analytical company. The projected Hg removal efficiency of this technology is close to 98% compared to 40-75% observed for the other two technologies.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1998 to 2000 Employer: GTC Technology Title: Senior Advisor Department: Chemical Process Tech
Responsibilities:
- Lead Reactor Modeling, Design and Development Engineer
- Developed a comprehensive reactor model for Liquid Phase Reactor for DMT production.
- Published a series of key papers on Commercial Reactor Designs including 1)CEP Cover page article "Build Robust Reactor Models", CEP, 96(10), p.37, October 2000; 2) “Super-modeling Reactors for Profitability”, Chem. Engg., 107(6), p. 72, 2000, 3) “Modernize Process Reactors”, Hydrocarbon Processing, November, 1999, p.91; 4) “Overhaul Process Reactors”, Hydrocarbon Processing, September 1999, p. 43; 5) “General Reactor Model Improves HPI Applications”, Hydrocarbon Processing, July 1999, p. 45
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1997 to 1998 Employer: SimSci Title: Principal Engineer, Core Technology Development Department: Reactor Modeling
Responsibilities:
Responsible for introducing a General Reactor Model (GRMtm) as the first and most comprehensive commercial product of its kind to the industry. This unique Heterogeneous Reaction and Reactor System and Scale-up Model developed over the previous 20 years was to be acquired and marketed by SimSci with its other industry standard products like PRO/II and Romeo.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1995 to 1997 Employer: SABIC Title: Adviser Department: Technology
Responsibilities:
The key Reactor and Process Design and Development specialist responsible for scale-up of a new single-step Catalytic Process for production of Acetic Acid from concept to commercial scale, for the primary Petrochemical Company of Saudi Arabia
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1989 to 1995 Employer: Fluor Daniel Inc. Title: Principal Technical/Specialty Engineer Department: Chemical Engineering
Responsibilities:
-Chief Fluidized Bed Technologist and Reaction Engineering Specialist, and a Lead Process Engineer.
- Led preliminary design of a complete 400,000 BPD shale oil process plant utilizing a new Catalytic Circulating Fluidized Bed concept for oil shale retorting for a major oil company.
- Principal Process Engineer for complete techno-economic study for two alternate design cases of production of inorganic chemicals from Dead Sea water for Dead Sea Chemical Complex.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1987 to 1989 Employer: Florida Solar Energy Center Title: Program Manager Department: Hydrogen Energy
Responsibilities:
Managed the first Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell R&D program in the Center.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1980 to 1987 Employer: Lummus Crest Title: Senior Process Design Engineer Department: Chemical Engineering
Responsibilities:
- Chief Fluidized Bed Technologist and Reaction Engineering Specialist. Played a key role in the successful Scale-Up of world’s first catalytic fluidized bed process (ALMA) for production of maleic anhydride by partial oxidation of butane (exothermic), from bench to commercial scale, using a unique approach and a modeling tool saving millions of dollars of the process development cost.
- Designed, built and successfully operated a closed-loop CFB Pilot Reactor unit for the maleic anhydride reaction system within a very short time.
- Concluded on Hydro-processor Reactor instability analysis.
- Became a member of advisory board of PSRI (Particulate Solids Research Institute).
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1977 to 1983 Employer: New Jersey Institute of Technology Title: Assistant Professor/ Adjunct Faculty Department: Chemical Engineering
Responsibilities:
In-charge both graduate and under-graduate courses and research in Reaction Engineering & Reactor Deign

International Experience

Years Country / Region Summary
Years: 1995 to 1997 Country / Region: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Summary: As Advisor, was the key Reactor and Process Design and Development specialist responsible for scale-up of a new single-step Catalytic Process for production of acetic acid from concept to commercial scale, for the primary Petrochemical Company of Saudi Arabia. Also helped troubleshooting of a runaway refinery reactor (~1996)
Years: 1984 to 1984 Country / Region: Masstricht, Netherlands Summary: Consultant, for debottlenecking of a liquid-liquid reactor at start-up
Years: 1998 to 1998 Country / Region: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Summary: Consultant, for reactor design for acetic acid production
Years: 2013 to 2013 Country / Region: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Summary: Consultant, for development of a new syngas to olefins technology

Career Accomplishments

Associations / Societies
Member AIChE
Professional Appointments
Session chairs : Ninth Int. Fluidized Bed Conf., 1998 Colorado, US; Fourth Int. Circulating Fluidized Bed Conf., 1996, Beijing, PR China; AIChE Annual Meeting, 1995, Miami Beach, US; Third Int. Circulating Fluidized Bed Conf., 1990, Nagoya, Japan
Invited delegate to the US Chem. Engineering Management & Research Team to Vietnam, 1994
Former member of Technical Advisory Committee and Board of Directors of Particulate Solid Research Institute (PSRI).
Member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

Language Skills

Language Proficiency
Japanese Spoken and basic level reading and writing ability.
Hindi Spoken and basic level reading and writing ability.
Bengali Fluent (mother tongue)
English Fluent

Fields of Expertise

Request Expert

Dev Tool:

Request: expert/reaction-engineering-process-reactor-technology-development-design-debottlenecking-revamp-upgrade-modeling-application-software-process-intensification
Matched Rewrite Rule: expert/([^/]+)(?:/([0-9]+))?/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: experts=reaction-engineering-process-reactor-technology-development-design-debottlenecking-revamp-upgrade-modeling-application-software-process-intensification&page=
Loaded Template: single-experts.php