Jose Antonio Charles

01Challenge

Reduce energy use in a 600,000 kg/h crude handling and preheat train, and design a refrigerated gas plant that meets sales-gas specification while sizing the compressor for a 110 MMSCFD system.

02Approach

• Built the crude train (desalter, exchangers, flash separator) and closed the unit mass and energy balances across the heat recovery network.
• Performed application review and sizing/selection of a centrifugal compressor for the 110 MMSCFD gas system.
• Designed the gas plant flowsheet (inlet separation, chiller, low-temperature separator, sales-gas heater) and integrated process-to-process heat exchange to offload refrigeration.

03Result

• 2.4 MW reduction in chiller duty through heat-exchange optimization
• Sales gas delivered at 10 °C and 6,200 kPa
• Lower fired-heater duty on the crude preheat train through improved heat recovery

01Challenge

Build a defensible safety basis for 7 engineered flow-control systems (feed, product, tails, distribution, storage), and give the team clear visibility into the action items those studies generate.

02Approach

• Led ISA, PHA, HAZOP, and What If/Checklist studies to identify initiating events, safety controls, and preventive and mitigative functions under DOE Integrated Safety Management and PSM-equivalent requirements.
• Evaluated system performance, reliability, and off-normal and accident conditions to derive controls.
• Produced process safety and safety-basis documentation consistent with API, ASME, NFPA, and ANS standards.
• Built an Excel dashboard that risk-ranks PHA and HAZOP recommendations and tracks owner and completion status.

03Result

• 7 systems covered by documented hazard analyses and derived controls
• One risk-ranked view of every open finding, owner, and status across the facility

01Challenge

Move flow-control upgrades, electrification projects, and a piping repurposing through change management at a refinery handling acutely hazardous materials, without losing mechanical-integrity traceability.

02Approach

• Initiated and coordinated MOCs under PSM (29 CFR 1910.119), reviewing updated P&IDs and facilitating hazard reviews with operations, engineering, and contractors.
• Ran HAZID analyses on operations involving acutely hazardous materials and developed mitigative controls aligned with PSM and CalARP.
• Reviewed operating conditions for piping repurposing and oversaw field execution of a condensate flow-control installation per gas standards.
• Pushed each change into the CMMS so preventive maintenance and mechanical integrity records stayed current.

03Result

• 10+ MOCs executed and closed under PSM change-management practice
• Maintenance records updated in step with each change, closing a common audit gap

01Challenge

Understand commercial simulators from the inside by building one: thermodynamics, flash, unit operations, recycle convergence, and process control, each verified against independent references.

02Approach

• Implemented Peng-Robinson and SRK cubic equations of state with PT/PH flash and phase-stability analysis.
• Modeled flash drum, mixer, splitter, heater, and pump units in steady state and in dynamic holdup form, with PID level and pressure control.
• Solved flowsheets sequential-modularly with Wegstein-accelerated recycle convergence.
• Verified on four levels: symbolic math (SymPy), numerical conservation, experimental reference data (CoolProp, GERG-2008), and an independent code (thermo).

03Result

• Vapor pressure within 0.57% AAD of the CoolProp reference (PR, propane)
• C3/nC4 bubble pressure within 0.30% AAD of GERG-2008
• Recycle convergence cut from 49 to 23 loop evaluations with Wegstein
• 330 automated tests; dynamic model 28x faster after profiling
• Component databank of 431 pure compounds with cited sources

01Challenge

Blueprint tolerance discrepancies were driving scrap on aerospace parts, and 11 engineered-to-order workflows had high variance and slow order coordination.

02Approach

• Ran root-cause analysis on the tolerance discrepancies and validated process specifications for a fixture redesign, using GD&T to reconcile drawing and fixture intent.
• Applied Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC) and risk-based methods to sizing, selection, and costing across 11 workflows.
• Worked with manufacturing and quality to improve ERP/MRP routings, BOM tracking, and compliance documentation.

03Result

• 70% reduction in waste from the fixture redesign
• 13% reduction in process variance across 11 workflows
• 25% reduction in lead-time coordination