Charles W. Conklin, Jr., PE
Becht Engineering
HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES
91 Duncan Lane
Springfield, PA 19064
Phone: (610) 544-3984
Fax: (610) 544-1868
E-mail: cwconklin@verizon.net
Web Page: Becht Engineering   HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES

BIOGRAPHY:

Charles W. Conklin, Jr., is recognized by the American Petroleum Institute and within the energy industry as a world class expert in the field of heater and heat exchanger design. He has decades of petroleum industry experience, with an emphasis on heat transfer equipment design, analysis, specification, and troubleshooting. Supporting his specialized expertise in heat transfer are his process design, refinery technical service, refinery quality control, and refinery operations experience. He has extensive experience in the modeling and design of fired process heaters and in the design and operation of air cooled heat exchangers in both warm and very cold climates. He has designed shell and tube exchangers for extreme (temperature, pressure, size) operating conditions. He is a Past Chairman of the API subcommittee on Heat Transfer Equipment, and was involved for nearly 3 decades with the writing and revision of heat transfer standards issued by the American Petroleum Institute.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

current-1992 Becht Engineering Advisor
Hydrocarbon Engineering Associates Division, Wynnewood, PA

Expert in all engineering matters regarding fired heaters, air cooled exchangers, shell/tube exchangers including processes requiring these types of energy consuming or energy recovery equipment.
1992-1960 Corporate Heat Transfer Expert
Sun Company, Philadelphia, PA

Designed and specified all types of heat transfer units (including shell and tube heat exchangers) including materials of construction, supervised the acquisition, installation, repairs, and replacement of units in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Sarnia, Ontario; Ft McMurray-Alberta.
1953-1960 Process Engineer
Gulf Oil Corporation, Philadelphia, PA

Developed refinery laboratory test methods to help monitor product quality control. Worked in Refinery Technical Services and Process Operations departments. In the latter, planned, scheduled and performed operating unit performance test runs and surveys on all major process units with the objective of improving efficiency and product quality

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Worked directly with all major fired heater manufacturers, including.:

  • Born
  • C. F. Braun
  • Foster Wheeler Corporation
  • Heat Research Inc.
  • KTI
  • Lummus
  • M. W. Kellogg
  • Petrochem
  • PFR Engineering Systems, Inc.
  • Radco
  • Selas Corporation
  • Stone and Webster
Provided a wide variety of engineering services to industry and governmental clients, including:
Fired Heater Computer Model Development - PFR Engineering Systems, Inc.

Assisted with the original development of FRNC-5PC, a fired heater rating program licensed to the energy industry design and operating companies for use in design of or evaluation of operational improvements for general purpose fired heaters.

Provided real plant operating data and BETA testing support.

Examples of experience with high temperature furnace design and/or troubleshooting:

  • Hydrogen reformer at Methanol Plant
    Motiva, Delaware City Refinery, Delaware City, DE

  • Hydrogen Reformer at Hydrogen Plants
    Sun Company, Toledo, Ohio Refinery
    Sun Company, Yabucoa Refinery, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
    Suncor, Sarnia Refinery, Sarnia, Ontario
    Suncor, Ft. McMurray, Alberta Oil Sands Upgrader

  • Ethylene Manufacture
    Sun Company, Marcus Hook, PA

Examples of refinery heater surveys and performance fine tuning:

  • Examined/reported on performance of all fired heaters in Conception, Chile refinery

  • Examined and provided operational recommendations for all fired heaters in a Delaware, USA refinery

Provided testimony as an expert witness in cases including:

  • Patent Infringement - Foster Wheeler Corp
    Fired heater related case, Livingston, NJ

  • Contract Dispute - US Department of Defense (DFSC)
    Heat Exchange Equipment Fabrication

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

American Petroleum Institute (API) - Heat Transfer Committee Chair (past).
  1. Represented the Sun Oil Company on the subcommittee on Heat Transfer Equipment for over 25 years. Chairman (past).
  2. Assisted in writing and revising of Heat Transfer Standards issued by the API for use by the Petroleum Industry.
  3. Worked with representatives from 30+ other oil companies and observed heat exchanger and heater operations in more than 35 different petroleum refineries.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Chairman of Philadelphia section (past).
Alpha Chi Sigma.
Chemical Consultants Network.
Academy of Natural Sciences - Philadelphia.