Michael Thacker
Hallettsville,Tx
Summary
Thirty years experience in the facilities engineering industry. Work has consisted of client subject matter expert, project design coordination, piping design lead, piping design, checking, construction support and working closely with high value centers. The past twenty-five years have been spent using 3D systems for design. Experienced in coordinating model reviews with contractors and clients. I have worked closely with contractors and/or clients to ensure a safe, constructable and operable facility is developed. Implementation of client’s standards are held and safety in design is always the main focus. Encourage modular design where applicable, to reduce site construction time and also keeping in mind layout and equipment spacing. Onshore projects have included chemical plants, cryogenic units, fractionation facilities, cracker units, renewables, compressor facilities and skid layout. Offshore projects include topsides work for fixed leg platforms, tension legged platforms, , Spars, gravity based, FPSO’s and turrets.
Experienced professional with solid background in providing expert guidance and solutions. Known for reliability and adaptability in dynamic environments. Exceptional at fostering teamwork and driving successful outcomes.
Overview
34
34
years of professional experience
Work History
Piping & Layout Subject Matter Expert (SME), OSBL
Chevron Phillips Chemical
06.2022 - Current
- Golden Triangle Polymers Project. Facility will produce polyethylene used in multiple plastics applications with expected operations to begin operations in 2026. Responsibility is to represent the company in the engineering contractor’s office, oversee the piping and layout of the facility, assist contractor where needed to ensure company specifications are being applied, 30/60/90 model reviews and verify all company requirements are met. Currently mobilized to site in order to assist in construction, commissioning and start-up of the facility.
Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (E3D)
Zachry Engineering
02.2022 - 06.2022
- LanzaTech LanzaJet sustainable aviation fuel plant. Working with team responsible for piping layout from detail design to IFC.
Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (E3D)
Burns & McDonnell
09.2021 - 02.2022
- Marathon Dickinson Renewable Diesel Facility- Assisted in modeling demolition piping, checking equipment in the model based on the vendor drawing, isometric checking and coordinating with the project’s high value center.
Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (PDMS)
Wood
02.2017 - 08.2021
- Chevron Anchor (semi-sub). Assisted in topside piping design until shifting to checking all equipment on the facility. This in order to ensure the model was most up to date with the latest vendor information.
- Sr. Piping Designer (S3D) – Motiva, Port Arthur cracker Unit -Part of team responsible for Boiler area of the project. Duties included Equipment and Piping Layout, modeling all 4” and larger piping in the boiler area and associated racks. Worked with all disciplines closely to ensure a quality product.
- Piping Checker (Cadworx) – Phillips 66 Gray Oak Pipeline – Lead checker – Large pipeline project that will crude oil transportation from West Texas to destinations in Corpus Christi and Sweeny/Freeport markets. Responsible for checking 10 launcher/receiver sites along the pipeline.
- Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (PDMS) – BP Mad Dog 2 (semi-sub). Water Injection Module lead and then shifted to other topsides modules to assist with checking piping & equipment, updating model per latest P&ID’s, review comments, iso production, iso revisions and miscellaneous tasks that would arise and need to be resolved.
Design Manager
Tenawa Resource Management
02.2014 - 01.2017
- Haven Gas Plant (Cadworx) – Largest gas plant in the Midcontinent region. The plant is a 1.3 Bcfd cryogenic gas plant located in Haven Ks and straddling Panhandle Eastern pipeline system. Responsible for overall facility design. Worked closely with contract Engineering firm, vendors, fabricators and construction crews. Field technician during fabrication, construction and start-up. Helped resolve any design discrepancies.
Sr. Piping Designer (PDMS)
Wood Group Mustang
06.2012 - 02.2014
- Anadarko Heidelberg (Spar). The platform will have the capacity of 80,000 bopd and 2.3 mcf/d located in 5,300ft of water. Responsibilities include piping layout and checking for various areas of the platform.
- Sr. Piping Designer (PDMS) – Anadarko Lucius (Spar). The platform will have the capacity of 80,000 bopd and 450 mcf/d located in 7,100ft of water. Responsibilities included checking piping and equipment for various areas of the platform.
Sr. Piping Designer (PDMS)
KBR
02.2011 - 06.2012
- Chevron Big Foot (TLP). The TLP will have a production capacity of 75,000 bopd and 25 MMcf/d of natural gas located in water depths of 5,200ft. Responsibilities included area piping layouts in both production and utility areas. Coordinated with outside business units to ensure workflow was continuous.
Sr. MDS/Piping Designer (PDMS)
WorleyParsons
07.2010 - 02.2011
- ExxonMobil Sakhalin gravity-based platform, offshore Russia. Cellar Deck Lead for team responsible for providing support for piping, electrical and HVAC.
Sr. Piping Designer / Lead (PDMS)
KBR
02.2007 - 07.2010
- Chevron Lianzi FEED, BBLT compliant tower modification, offshore Angola. Add an additional train to the existing facility. Duties include laying out new modules, routing new lines to the existing facility, site visits to verify piping in the position.
- Sr. Piping Designer (PDMS) – Chevron Jack St. Malo FEED (semi-sub platform). Responsible for equipment and piping layout in the hull box. Identify egress and material handling paths and ensure there is proper accessibility around equipment and walkways.
- Sr. Piping Designer / Module Lead (PDMS) – Total Pazflor FPSO, designed with a processing capacity of 200,000 bopd, 150 million cubic feet per day of gas, and a storage capacity of about 1.9 million barrels of crude. Responsible for layout and piping on the gas modules. Duties include laying out modules as well as overseeing layout being created in outside offices.
- Sr. Piping Designer (PDS) – Saudi Kayan Olefins Plant producing 1,350,000 tons per annum. The plant will be erected at the SAUDI KAYAN Cracker complex in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Duties included layout of HDA Unit using PDS along with the client’s rigid specifications and a tight deadline.
- Piping Area Lead (PDMS) – Chevron Tombua Landana compliant tower. Capable of handling 130,000 barrels per day of oil, receive 210 million cubic feet per day of gas and have a 310,000-bpd water-injection capability. Over saw the final stages of the cellar deck design. Responsible for the cellar equipment and piping along with coordinating with other area leads on hook up of production modules that are to be integrated on the cellar deck.
Project Piping Design Coordinator (PDMS)
SBM Imodco
07.2005 - 02.2007
- Chevron Frade FPSO, offshore Brazil. The water depths will range from 900-1200m.The facility will comprise of an oil producing system sized for 100,000 bopd, gas compression and treatment sized for 106MMscfd and a water injection system sized for 150,000 bpwd. Over saw the plant layout phase of the project. Developed module layouts to turn over to detail design. Organized team and aligned tasks to meet schedule demands.
- Project Piping Design Coordinator (PDMS) – Petrobras P-53 turret project - Marlim Leste Field Development - Lead for team in designing piping systems using PDMS. Responsible for organizing manpower, layout, deliverables, working with the high value center and communication with various disciplines to ensure a quality product.
Project Design Coordinator (PDMS)
Alliance Engineering
11.1997 - 07.2005
- ConocoPhillips Magnolia. (TLP) will produce oil and natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico Magnolia field in nearly 7,400 feet of water, a record depth for this type of floating structure. The Magnolia TLP production facilities will be capable of handling 50,000 barrels of oil and 150 million scfd. Worked with all disciplines and engineering to ensure the design was developed to the client’s desires. Started with preliminary P&ID’s and followed project through to first oil. Spent 3 months in fabrication yard assisting with integration work and 3rd party contractors for offshore. Assisted offshore construction with scheduling tasks through work packs and physically verifying critical tasks offshore before handing over to construction.
- Project Design Coordinator – AGIP tie-back of the King Kong and Yosemite gas fields in Green Canyon 472/473 and 516 to GC 254 to the existing Allegheny TLP in 3,300 feet of water. The gas production rate was increased from 35 million scfd to 185 million scfd Responsible for the development of equipment arrangements, mechanical flow diagrams, piping plans, sections, details and pipe supports. Responsibilities also included working with all disciplines as well as close contact with the fabrication yard and construction crew. Field work included platform reviews/walkdowns and dimensional verifications for equipment before fabrication and erection.
- Leading Piping Designer - BP Beachfield slug catcher and gas distribution facility. Responsible for equipment arrangements, mechanical flow diagrams, piping plans, sections, details and material take-off.
- Leading Piping Designer - BP/Vastar “Pig Receiving”. Responsible for the development of equipment arrangements, mechanical flow diagrams, piping plans, sections, details, isometrics and pipe supports
- Piping Designer - Clients including Delos, Pogo, Solar, ONGC and Williams Field Services. Responsible for the development of equipment arrangements, mechanical flow diagrams, piping plans, sections, details, isometrics and pipe supports
Piping Designer
S-CON Engineering
11.1996 - 11.1997
- Responsible for area piping layout, isometrics, as-builts & field work for various ongoing gas plant projects including NGC, Warren, Williams Field Service, TECO and Nitrotec.
CAD Piping Designer
Gallagher Corporation
04.1996 - 11.1996
- Part of design team for Corpus Christi Natural Gas project. Duties include piping, area layout, fabrication isos and field work. Designed anime treating plant located in North Texas. Designed pump skids for several companies overseas.
CAD Piping Designer
Tepera Technical Services
01.1996 - 04.1996
- Designed piping layout for skid mounted and block mounted compressor units to be used by Cooper Energy. Duties included skid layout, piping design, and isometrics.
CAD Flowsheet designer
ABB Randall
02.1995 - 01.1996
- Developing smart detailed PFD’s and P&ID’s for gas treating facilities. Part of CAD quality group that kept up with standardization, software/hardware updates and customer CAD requirements.
CAD Piping Designer/Draftsman
Tepera Technical Services
02.1992 - 02.1995
- Designed gas compressor facilities including piping drawings, plant layouts, isometrics, etc. for various companies in the petroleum and chemical industry. (Baker M.O., Williams Field Service, Dresser Rand, and others)
Education
Associates Degree -
Houston City College
05-2026
PDMS Basic Piping & Equipment Design Training Program - undefined
Alliance Engineering
01-2005
PDMS Basic Piping & Equipment Design Training Program - undefined
Mustang Engineering
01-2002
Pursuit of process piping degree
University of Houston Downtown
01-1996
Completed courses toward technology degree
University of Houston
01-1993
Skills
- E3D/PDMS
- S3D/SP3D
- Navisworks
- AutoCAD
- Cadworx
- Microsoft Office
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Team leadership
- Self motivation
Timeline
Piping & Layout Subject Matter Expert (SME), OSBL
Chevron Phillips Chemical
06.2022 - Current
Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (E3D)
Zachry Engineering
02.2022 - 06.2022
Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (E3D)
Burns & McDonnell
09.2021 - 02.2022
Sr. Piping Designer/Checker (PDMS)
Wood
02.2017 - 08.2021
Design Manager
Tenawa Resource Management
02.2014 - 01.2017
Sr. Piping Designer (PDMS)
Wood Group Mustang
06.2012 - 02.2014
Sr. Piping Designer (PDMS)
KBR
02.2011 - 06.2012
Sr. MDS/Piping Designer (PDMS)
WorleyParsons
07.2010 - 02.2011
Sr. Piping Designer / Lead (PDMS)
KBR
02.2007 - 07.2010
Project Piping Design Coordinator (PDMS)
SBM Imodco
07.2005 - 02.2007
Project Design Coordinator (PDMS)
Alliance Engineering
11.1997 - 07.2005
Piping Designer
S-CON Engineering
11.1996 - 11.1997
CAD Piping Designer
Gallagher Corporation
04.1996 - 11.1996
CAD Piping Designer
Tepera Technical Services
01.1996 - 04.1996
CAD Flowsheet designer
ABB Randall
02.1995 - 01.1996
CAD Piping Designer/Draftsman
Tepera Technical Services
02.1992 - 02.1995
PDMS Basic Piping & Equipment Design Training Program - undefined
Alliance Engineering
PDMS Basic Piping & Equipment Design Training Program - undefined
Mustang Engineering
Pursuit of process piping degree
University of Houston Downtown
Completed courses toward technology degree
University of Houston
Associates Degree -
Houston City College