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AIChE Announces 2014 Institute Awards for Industrial Practice [Chemical Engineering Progress](Chemical Engineering Progress Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) In 2008, AIChE launched a new series of Institute Awards, focusing on achievements in the industrial sector of chemical engineering practice. These awards recognize individual, teams, or companies, and complement other Institute honors that have traditionally recognized contributions in chemical engineering research, literature, theory, and education. The following Institute awards will be presented on Nov. 16, 2014, at AIChE's Honors Ceremony, held during the Institute's Annual Meeting (Nov. 16-21) in Atlanta, GA. More Institute Awards will be announced in the November issue of CEP. Energy and Sustainability Award Sponsored by Air Products This award recognizes individuals, teams in industry, or entire companies that have accomplished significant energy savings, improved the sustainability of chemical processes, or developed innovative technologies for energy generation or delivery. Presented to Frank (Xin) Zhu, Senior Technology Fellow at UOP LLC, A Honeywell Co. (Des Plaines, IL), for the development and application of novel process design and operation optimization methodologies, and computational tools to achieve significant energy savings in the refining and petrochemicals industries. Frank Zhu's practical methods to improve process design and operational performance have been implemented in refineries and petrochemical complexes worldwide. During his tenure at UOP, Zhu has applied those techniques to numerous projects that achieved typical energy savings of 20-30% - or about $20-30 million per year. He recently applied human factors principles to simplify process design and operations management, which is expected to reduce human errors during operation. He has numerous publications, including the recently published book Energy and Process Operations for the Process Industries (Wiley, 2013). He has 17 issued U.S. patents, 31 applications pending, and 59 patents pending in foreign countries. He earned his PhD in chemical engineering at the Univ. of Adelaide. Engineering and Construction Award This award recognizes individuals or teams for achievements in the design and/or construction of process plants or process plant revamps. Presented to the Bechtel Pueblo Team, (Pueblo, CO), for the successful completion of design and construction of the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant - an innovative alternative chemical warfare agent elimination system. Led by Bechtel National, Inc., the Bechtel Pueblo Team's mission was to design, construct, and operate a novel plant to neutralize and destroy the inventory of 2,600 tons of mustard chemical agent stored at the U.S. Army's Pueblo Chemical Depot. Completed in 2012, the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) represents a multitude of innovations in technology and stakeholder interaction, aimed at safely and effectively replacing incineration as the primary destruction technology. The highly automated PCAPP will use water hydrolysis as the primary means of destroying the chemical agent, in addition to chemical agent processing, energetics processing, and biological treatment. The $4-billion, ten-year project was a significant process engineering challenge from its inception, and the team had to overcome many obstacles to develop a safe destruction process while satisfying the expectations of domestic and international stakeholders. Industrial Research and Development Award This award recognizes individuals or teams working in the industries served by chemical engineers for innovations that have resulted in the successful commercial development of new products and/or new processes for making useful products. Presented to Van N. Truskett, Jetting Technology Manager at Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc. (Austin, TX), for development of scalable, sub-l-pL drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjets for the nanoimprint lithography process used in high-volume manufacturing of complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) devices, hard disk drives, and tablets. Van Truskett earned her PhD in chemical engineering at Johns Hopkins Univ., where she focused on the patterning of small particles using interfacial flows. Her work on patterning continues at Canon Nanotechnologies (formerly Molecular Imprints, Inc.), where she has innovated numerous DOD dispensing methods for the production of high-resolution, low-cost nanoimprint lithography systems for hard disk drives and semiconductor technologies. This technology directly prints nanoscale features onto sub- strates, and has revolutionized patterned-media production for these high-value applications. Truskett has developed ten different types of imprint lithography tools. Her 59 patents (U.S. and international) constitute her company's core jetting technology and have guided the design and manufacture of every related part of the company's nanoimprinting process. She has an additional 50 patent applications pending. Her scholarship is also reflected by her average citation rate of 48 per paper. Industry Leadership Award This award recognizes leadership in activities such as: management; sales and marketing; public and community relations; commercial and business development; training; and public service. Presented to Mark W. Pilling, Manager of Technology at Sulzer Chemtech USA, Inc. (Tulsa, OK), a recognized expert in distillation, who has served the profession by promoting the development of a fundamental understanding of mass-transfer devices. Mark Pilling's responsibilities at Sulzer Chemtech incorporate research and development of high-performance mass-transfer devices, and construction and evaluation of simulations for numerous processes. He is also responsible for technology transfer within Sulzer Chemtech's global organization and between Chemtech and research organizations such as Fractionation Research, Inc. (FRI), a not-for-profit industry-sponsored shared-research organization that provides distillation expertise to companies in the global chemicals industries. Long active in FRI, and a current member of FRI's Executive Committee, Pilling has made major contributions to distillation technology and literature, sharing his vast experience with countless engineers. He recently helped lead major advances in multipass tray technology, with applications in carbon capture and other large-scale services. He also led the development and sharing of vapor distribution technology for refinery vacuum towers, with important economic implications for crude oil supplies. Industrial Progress Award This award recognizes significant contributions by an individual under the age of 40, working in an industry served by chemical engineers. Presented to Laura E. Leonard, Principal Development Specialist in Olefins and Detergents Development at UOP LLC, A Honeywell Co. (Des Plaines, IL), for a consistent track record of technical leadership and innovation, translating fundamental knowledge into commercially relevant engineering solutions. Laura Leonard's work has impacted multiple refining and petrochemicals technologies, with major contributions to light olefin production, clean fuels technology, and integrated refining-petrochemical complexes. In 2010, Leonard became the senior technology specialist for UOP's Oleflex technology, a catalytic dehydrogenation process for the production of light olefins from their corresponding paraffins. Her leadership on the Oleflex process included technology renewal efforts to enhance process performance by combining fundamental understanding of solids flow and catalyst chemistry. Her effective communication, intelligent risk-taking, and leadership of diverse cross-functional teams impact all 17 announced Oleflex units around the world. She has also contributed to the commercialization of UOP's SelectFining process (a selective FCC naphtha hydrodesulfurization process), and to innovative catalyst and process solutions to the problem of gasoline desulfurization without significant loss of product octane. Process Operations Award This award recognizes individuals or teams working in plant operations, process control, and/or supply chain management that have significantly improved the safety, reliability, or economics of process operations. Presented to Stephen A. Kiorpes, Scientific Design Co. and Rust/Raytheon Engineering Co. (retired), for personally directing the field commissioning of five unique first-of-a-kind chemical process plants, all without safety incidents, and for participating in the design and/or startup of a great many others. Steve Kiorpes is recognized for his work at Scientific Design Co. (SD) from 1957 through 1985. SD, which designed, built, and commissioned large and complex chemical process plants, specialized in new and emerging technologies. Kiorpes' work was a major factor in the company's success and international reputation. As a startup engineer (three years), he worked on plants producing ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol, maleic anhydride, and phthalic anhydride. As a startup director (10 years), he was in technical charge of the startup of nine process plants, five of which utilized first-of-a-kind technologies. During his 14 years as Head of Plant Operations and Safety, Kiorpes led the commissioning of about three dozen plants. Almost all were rapidly developing technologies. He participated personally in every startup done under his general supervision, at locations on four continents. (c) 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers |