Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
Timeline
Generic

VELU SUBRAMANI

Naperville,USA

Summary

Result-oriented technical leader with 20+ years of experience in Catalysis R&D and industrial process engineering, including 13+ years at BP Oil Company and 4 years at Bayotech H2 production company. Possess diverse experience in R&D innovations, commercial manufacturing, team leadership, program management, research proposals development, strategy development, and execution of complex multidisciplinary projects for successful delivery and deployment. Extensive experience in design, synthesis, scale up of catalytic and adsorbent materials and processes development for environmentally friendly organic synthesis, hydrogen / syngas production, syngas conversion to ethanol and transportation fuels, adsorptive removal of organic sulfur compound and organic chlorides from refinery feedstocks. Excellent communication skills at translating technical information in an understandable format and presenting to customers and stakeholders as demonstrated by inventing several US and International patents, authoring more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles with 7000+ citations, editing books on Compendium of Hydrogen Energy (2015) and Hydrogen and Syngas Technologies (2010), and editing special issues in Catalysis Today International Journal on renewable energy technologies.

Overview

27
27
years of professional experience

Work History

PRINCIPAL ENGINEER

BayoTech
04.2021 - Current
  • Leading R&D and pilot plant testing Program for screening the most active catalyst formulation for Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), validating process concepts and executing engineering projects for the commercial deployment of 1 to 5 ton/day distributed hydrogen production Hubs.
  • Directing several 3-rd party collaborative programs to scale up SMR catalyst, designing and fabrication of SMR reactors & furnaces, process modeling, and integration of unit operations, including PSA & compression, for clean hydrogen production process.
  • Leading R&D innovation projects for developing future hydrogen production & Carbon Capture technologies.

PRINCIPAL ENGINEER

BP Products North America Inc.
10.2007 - 01.2021
  • Led R&D project teams for developing novel catalytic and adsorption process technologies for addressing several catalysis, corrosion, fouling, and process impact issues in refinery units across BP sites
  • As a process engineer at BP Gelsenkirchen refinery-Germany, investigated refinery reliability issues, and developed and implemented mitigation options for improved operation of the refining assets
  • Led catalysis / adsorbent development project teams for: Developing novel adsorption technology to reduce organic chloride contaminants from bio-feedstocks to advance the manufacturing of bio-diesel / bio-jet fuels in refineries (patent filed by BP in 2023, WO 2023/278530A1; PCT/US2022/035458)
  • Screening and identifying high-performance and low-cost adsorbent materials for removing chloride contaminants from catalytic reformer feedstocks across all BP refineries for cost saving
  • Developing new generation FCC catalyst formulations to maximize diesel
  • Creating a laboratory screening tool mimicking field conditions to assess asphaltene dispersants and inhibitors to solve fouling problem for upstream oil production that became BP’s intellectual property (US patent issued in 2019, Patent No
  • US 10513651 B2)
  • Completed a yearlong expatriate assignment (2018-2019) at BP’s Gelsenkirchen Refinery, Germany and conducted technical studies and identified the availability and performance improvement opportunities in hydrocracker, Reformer, and Crude Distillation Units
  • Managed several BP funded collaborative research programs with leading Universities internationally (The University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign - USA, University of Alberta - Canada, Imperial College-London, Cambridge University, The University of Manchester - UK, The Borovski Institute of Catalysis – Russia) focusing on fundamental understanding of catalysis, corrosion, and fouling issues
  • Managed, trained and mentored several junior level scientists, engineers, lab technicians, interns and co-ops

RESEARCH SCIENTIST / CATALYSIS TEAM LEADER

Research Triangle Institute
10.2004 - 10.2007
  • Developed several projects for funding from DOE and industrial clients, led the catalysis team composed of scientists and engineers to execute technology projects resulting in commercialization of catalysts and adsorbent technologies and filing patents and publications
  • Development of a high activity nanoparticle iron-based catalyst & adsorbent for steam-iron process in a fluid-bed reactor for pure hydrogen production
  • Scale up and evaluation of a novel iron-based Fischer-Tropsch spray dried catalyst in a CSTR slurry reactor for the commercialization of syngas to diesel process
  • R&D on developing highly selective catalytic process for the conversion of biomass-based syngas to ethanol and higher alcohols
  • Investigation of the role of colloidal silica binders on the performance of FCC refinery catalyst with a goal of increasing the market share of the colloidal silica product
  • Developed novel adsorbent materials for pilot plant evaluation of CO2 capture from power plants

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Pennsylvania State University
02.2001 - 09.2004
  • Novel Catalytic & Adsorption and Reforming Processes for hydrogen production: Developed several projects for funding from US EPA, DOE, NSF and Industrial clients
  • Executed funded projects for developing novel adsorbent materials based on zeolites, mixed oxides and supported metals-based adsorbents for desulfurization of jet fuel / diesel for on-board reforming over NiRh bimetallic catalysts to produce hydrogen-rich gas for solid-oxide fuel cells
  • Mentored graduate students for their Ph.D
  • Dissertations on the Oxy-reforming of ethanol and jet fuel, Dry (CO2) reforming of natural gas, and water-gas shift catalysis for hydrogen production
  • Collaborated with researchers at Pacific Northwest National Lab and Argonne National Lab for catalyst characterization
  • The research work resulted in filing US and International patents and publication of over 10 peer-reviewed journal articles

RESEARCH FELLOW

National Industrial Research Institute of Nagoya
06.1998 - 01.2001
  • Novel Catalytic Process Development for hydrogen production for fuel cell applications: Developed novel catalytic methodology for hydrogen production for fuel cell applications by steam reforming and oxidative steam reforming of methanol, ethanol, and natural gas
  • Mentored graduate students for their M.S
  • Dissertations
  • Collaborated with University of Nagoya & Toyota R&D, Japan and National Chemical Lab, Pune, India on catalyst characterization
  • The research work resulted in filing of US and International patents, and publication of over 15 research articles in peer-reviewed journals

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - CATALYSIS

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras

Master of Science (MS) - CHEMISTRY

University of Madras

Bachelor of Science (BS) - CHEMISTRY

University of Madras

Skills

  • Team Leadership and project management
  • Coaching & mentoring team leadership
  • Extensive 3rd party client management
  • Agile methodology project management
  • Catalytic technology expertise
  • Oil & gas process engineering expertise
  • Proposal & working experience with DOE, EPA
  • HAZOP, PSR, PHA Safety review experience
  • Strong interpersonal and communications

Affiliations

  • American Chemical Society (ACS), 20 years
  • Program Chair, American Chemical Society Fuel Chemistry Division, 2011-2012
  • Editorial board member, Catalysis Communications International Journal ‐ Elsevier, 2013-2021

Timeline

PRINCIPAL ENGINEER

BayoTech
04.2021 - Current

PRINCIPAL ENGINEER

BP Products North America Inc.
10.2007 - 01.2021

RESEARCH SCIENTIST / CATALYSIS TEAM LEADER

Research Triangle Institute
10.2004 - 10.2007

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Pennsylvania State University
02.2001 - 09.2004

RESEARCH FELLOW

National Industrial Research Institute of Nagoya
06.1998 - 01.2001

Master of Science (MS) - CHEMISTRY

University of Madras

Bachelor of Science (BS) - CHEMISTRY

University of Madras

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - CATALYSIS

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras
VELU SUBRAMANI