2023 Speakers

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Ayman Cheta  is a Fellow of IMechE and a registered Professional Engineer in Texas. He joined Shell in Dec 2005. Prior to Shell, he worked for Total, Amoco and BP. He is currently a Mechanical Engineering Lead with Shell P&T Engineering in Houston. His 35+ year career spans roles in maintenance, reliability, inspection and integrity, as well as assets and major projects’ support.

His industry leadership experience includes:

• Current Chair of IOGP Piping & Valve Standards SC.
• Vice Chair of API CRE Subcommittee on Piping and Valves 2006-2009
• Chair of ASME B16 Standards Committee SC C 2014-2020
• Head of US Delegation during ISO TC/5 meetings 2014
• Member of US TAG (Technical Advisory Group) to ANSI on ISO TC/5 and TC/153 related matters.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Barry Hoeffner, Business Development and General Manager at Ladish Valves has over 30 years’ experience in the Chemical and Refining Industries. As a Chemical Engineer, Barry brings a unique perspective to the Flow Control space. His focus for the years in the Valve Industry has been in application engineering and development of severe service and engineered ball valves.

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM- 5:00 PM

Bill Patrick is the Piping Technology Global Improvement Leader for the Dow Chemical Company working out of Houston Texas, leading engineers globally within the company in developing value initiatives in the area of piping technology. He has over 30 years of experience in piping materials with expertise in valve technology and their application in the chemical industry. He currently is member of API Subcommittee on Piping and Valves and ASME B16Standards Committee and subcommittees on Valves as well as Flanges. He holds a Bachelors and a Masters of Engineering Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Western Ontario and is a licensed professional Engineer in the province of Ontario.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing
Thursday, June 8th – 3:30PM

Dr. Brindesh Dhruva serves as EVP, Chief Marketing & Technology Officer for Bray International in Houston, leading valve and actuator technology development worldwide. He holds a PhD in Engineering and Applied Science from Yale University.

Brindesh holds multiple patents and has been published in several technical journals. Prior to joining Bray in early 2013, Brindesh held several strategic management positions over a 14-year period with Schlumberger with responsibility for product development within various business units and worldwide locations.

KEYNOTE: EPA Update & Environmental Technological Advancements
Wednesday, June 7th – 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Fugitive Emissions: Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Emerging Technologies: Low Emissions
EZ Pack Extreme – Low-E Injectable
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30PM

Bronson Pate has 12 years of full-time professional experience in the valve industry, however, he explained he has 35 overall years of experience, as he was technically born into the industry.

Currently the Global Fugitive Emissions Director  for MagDrive Technologies, Pate is in charge of helping and leading day-to-day operations, along with driving sales domestically, as well as internationally.

Pate has served as a leader for international business with China, Malaysia, Singapore, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and Europe. He has become familiar with VV, VVa, GGG, GGa, KKK, QQQ, MON, HON, API 622, API 624, TA-LUFT, and ISOM 1500 standards, and has worked with multiple facilities to develop Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs, which includes programs subject to U.S.A. LDAR Consent Decree (CD) requirements.

For Pate, the subject of fugitive emissions control is extremely important. He has gained experience in fugitive emission source LDAR monitoring, tagging, and database management including Process and Instrumentation Diagram (P&DI) review. He has participated and lead more than 250 USA CD LDAR audits and was trained and mentored for a Lead Auditor capacity by Graham ‘Buzz’ Harris, and David Ranum. Pate also has environmental compliance experience focused on air quality compliance for refining, petrochemical, and natural gas processing industries, and is familiar with air permitting.

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
Additive Manufacturing of Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30PM

Carlo De Bernardi holds a Master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Pavia in Italy.

He has 21 years of experience in the Oil & Gas Industry where he started as a process engineer progressing in various engineering and project management roles in several international locations.

Carlo moved to Houston, TX, in 2005 and joined ConocoPhillips in 2012 as Corporate Valve SME supporting both Company’s Projects and Operations globally. He’s an active contributor of various Industry Standardization Bodies, including API, IOGP, ASTM and ASME leading several initiatives, including the API 20S Task Group and several Industry JIPs.

KEYNOTE: Modernizing Research & Development for the Future
Thursday, June 8th – 11:00 AM

Fugitive Emissions: Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Influence of PTFE Coating Content in High Temperature Application of Fugitive Emissions Graphite Packings
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Carlos is a senior executive with career in a top-tier multinational company, including leadership roles in the Americas and India. Full P&L responsibility for the organization in India with solid experience in R&D, operations, process optimization, costing and restructuring in multicultural environments. Active participant in international working teams with several papers published and studies championed for standard setting organizations and conferences. Analytical and strategic thinker with a drive for teamwork and emphasis on attraction and development of future leaders.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Valve Maintenance & Repair Total Cost of Ownership
The Valve Trifecta – Highest Quality, Best Delivery and Lowest Price. Is it Achievable?

Thursday, June 8th – 1:00PM – 2:30PM

Charles Metrailer possesses 30 plus years of experience with valves and automation. He started his career at Grant supply in 1988.   He held various roles with Crane, KTM Ball Vales which was acquired by Tyco for whom he worked for 19 years.  Through Charles’ worldwide travel, he has learned numerous specifications and standards associated with the global  valve business allowing him to gain  great insight into production processes and the special valves related to the operations of those production units. Charles is currently MRC Global’s  Executive Director of Downstream  Valves and Automation. In this role, he  utilizes  specifications and global standards correctly to help engineers apply the correct valve for the required process conditions.

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

A pragmatic problem solver with deep technical insight, Chris has spent his career in the Oil & Gas industry working on the most complex projects in a global environment. Having lived or worked overseas most of his career he has a wide range of technical experience in many operational areas. He has managed teams of engineers that worked around the globe on the world’s most high profile projects. His primary focus as a Technical Authority in the piping and valve industry is to increase the integrity & facility operational up-time, and improve industry practices (while assessing failure modes). He is also very well versed in global supply chain operations and has set up contracts for the supply into major global business units. He has worked on leadership teams with most of the major operators and supply companies and is skilled in areas spanning management, commercial, technical, quality and supply chain.

And of course he is also a very proud Texan that has run his own business for many years which is dedicated to creating the world’s finest custom cowboy boots and preserving Texas culture.

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Ms Dwyer is a piping material engineer with Fluor and began her career with Fluor in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 1988.  She began as a piping designer and soon took an interest in piping material.  In that office there was a variety of projects including hydrocarbon, mining and even brewery piping.  After a number of years as a specialist in the Johannesburg office, she was offered a position in the Fluor office in Houston.

In Houston Claire was the lead piping material engineer on numerous hydrocarbon projects and, in late 2008, became the operations supervisor for piping material engineering. In this position, she gets a good overview of all the project piping requirements.  Previous experience included a few years in the material management group that involved expediting and procurement activities.

Claire is now one of the representatives of Fluor at the API Refining Meeting, which is held twice a year and gives the participants a direct chance to influence the content of the valve standards.

Crystal Creppel Mire, BS Mechanical Engineering LSU, 2006. Joined Chevron in 2006 as a Facilities Engineer in the Gulf of Mexico. I have held numerous roles in the FE function including Shelf Operations, Shelf Small Projects, Deepwater Project FE, Reliability
Lead, Business Planning FE, i-field technology deployment and Technical Codes and Standards Advisor. I joined Chevron Technology Company, CTC, in January 2023 and am currently the Chevron JIP33 Deployment Engineer

KEYNOTE: Attracting and Leading with People
Thursday, June 8th – 10:30 AM

Craig is widely recognized as an expert in corporate management and has over 40 years of international experience in the valve and actuator industry.

KEYNOTE: Creating the Next Generation of Career Engineers and Subject Matter Experts
Thursday, June 8th – 10:00 AM

Dan DeVine began his more than 30-year career by obtaining a degree in Chemical Engineering, and finding a job at Union Carbide in Clinton, Iowa, as a Production Engineer. Today, he continues on the same career path as an Independent Contractor through Midland Engineering for a company called Corteva, which is a spinoff of Dow Chemical (Ag Division) and DuPont (Ag Business). In this position, DeVine is responsible for providing valve technology strategy and piping consultant services, as well as assisting with pressure vessel evaluations, repairs, and new purchases for capital projects.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing
Issues Faced by Plants When Going from Base Loaded to Quick Cycling
Thursday, June 8th – 3:30 PM

Daniel Freebern brings to market over 20 years of Severe control valve experience. Advanced Valve Solutions USA Inc. has a bespoke package of dedicated valve products to solve the majority of the problems, our
customers are faced with today. Daniel has worked with many OEM’s to help them move from a base loaded operation to a more reliable, quick, modulating and start stop regime. Based on specific and extensive experience in these types of operating regimes Daniel has been successful in meeting his customers’ goals. While with AVS Daniel has been able to put solutions in place that lead to reduced maintenance costs, reduce starting time and upgrade the reliability of existing installations. With many years of experience Daniel and his team work with highly qualified European manufactures supporting our goals to bring a complete solution of performance, reliability and reduced maintenance cost to our customers in the Power industries

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
Additive Manufacturing – Recent Advances, Proof of Concept, and Industry Hurdles
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30 PM

Daniel McConnell graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Shortly thereafter he joined Bray where he served as a controls design engineer. He has held several positions at Bray, but for the last several years has served as the Research and Development Lab Test Engineer responsible for validation and testing of Bray’s valve and control products. In this role, he has helped expand Bray’s extensive lab capabilities including automation, programming, strain gauges, IoT, and 3D printing.

Industry Trends
Path to Net Zero: Emissions Reduction and Delivering Sustainable Operations through Collaboration
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Valve Maintenance & Repair – Total Cost of Ownership
Business Benefits of Valve Condition Monitoring
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

DAVID M. ANDERSON is a Director in the Score Group and is responsible for the global deployment and development of the company’s valve condition and performance monitoring products and services, which are focused on delivering emissions reductions, operating cost reductions, risk minimization and efficiency maximization for the benefit of all stakeholders.

With 38 years of experience of working directly in the valve industry, David has worked in many roles. He is in his 28^th year of employment in the Score Group and has been involved in valve diagnostics and condition monitoring for over 20 years.

David is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Chartered Quality Professional, a Member of the Chartered Quality Institute and a Member of the Institute of Asset Management. He is a time served Mechanical Engineering Technician by trade and has a wide array of Engineering and Business qualifications and is passionate about sharing his knowledge and coaching / mentoring others.

Emerging Technologies: Low Emissions
Magnetic Solutions for Lower Emissions
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30 PM

David Yakos is an inventor, artist, and mechanical engineer; developing everything from leak-free magnetically activated valves that contained cryogenic helium for NASA to to high tech toys & games for fun.  He has been named inventor on over 50 patents,  developed a prototype-of-the-year named by Popular Science and  highlighted in Forbes Magazine as a leading creative.  With over 14 years of magnetic valve research, development and application, his goal is to eliminate fugitive valve emissions in places where leaks are not an option.  He is co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of MagDrive Solutions, www.magdrive.tech the pioneer of magnetically actuated valves providing emission-free solutions for oil & gas, cryogenics, petrochemical, aerospace and nuclear energy.  Validated through API testing, MagDrive aims to completely eliminate fugitive emissions that can be hazardous to personnel, harmful to the environment, or costly in terms of lost product.

Valve Safety
Failsafe Function of Electric Motor Operated
Valves (or What to Do When the Power Goes Out)
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 PM – 1:00 PM

Dean Geraci has over 25 years experience developing products and markets in in the Medical Device, Sensor and Defense Industries with a proven record of bringing products to market, identifying solutions to customer needs to develop markets and developing manufacturing processes to create unique products for several markets

Dean held leadership positions in Engineering, Technology Development, Marketing, Market Development and Management, providing unique multidisciplinary prospective in domestic and international markets for products, procedures and processes ranging from product design and development to identifying and providing key solutions for customer needs.

Dean Pick is the president and CEO of Kinitics Automation, a company based in Vancouver, BC that develops and manufactures motion control products based on SMA materials and the company’s proprietary Bundled Wire technology. Dean is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree from the University of Waterloo, and is the inventor of five granted patents in the fields of transmission control and shape memory alloys. He has worked extensively in the automotive, process control, and aerospace industries.

Hydrogen Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Ed Edgar is an engineering graduate of The University of Houston and is a Professional Engineer licensed in the state of Texas. He has been a design engineer and engineering manager in the Oil and Gas industry for 31 years. In his current role as Valves Technical Manager, he manages New Product Development and provides technical support for all Cameron Valve products globally. Ed has participated in API and ISO standards development for 19 years and is Chairman of task groups for API 6DX and API 6DSSX, and is Co-Chairman of API 6D, 6DSS and 6FA. He is also the Convenor of ISO TC67/SC2 Work Group 27 responsible for ISO 14313, ISO 14723, and ISO 12490.

Hydrogen Valves
Keeping up with Hydrogen – a Vision on Testing
Thursday, June 8th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Works for Ventil Test Equipment in the Netherlands; Subject Matter Expert Testing for Hydrogen, Lead for CNC Production Testing

Emiel has a background in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in energy systems. He started his career in the Oil and Gas industry, working on all aspects of Process Systems and Skids. He then joined Ventil Test Equipment, a manufacturer of Pressure Test Solutions for Valves, as a specialist for non-standard machinery.

Today, he spends the majority of his time developing machinery and technical solutions specifically for pressure testing for non-conventional, CNC and, in particular, Hydrogen applications

Valve Safety
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Foster Voelker has spent his entire professional career in the valve industry, which began with him studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston. Currently, Voelker is the Director of Engineering at Williams Valve Corp., where his responsibilities encompass all tasks related to engineering and quality, this includes valve design, the quality control (QC) inspection processes, and after sales service. When he is not traveling, Voelker focuses on a large scope of activities, which ranges from answering technical inquiries, reviewing project specifications, or trying to catch up on tasks he missed while travelling.

Valve Maintenance & Repair: Total Cost of Ownership
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

With a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Gilbert Alonzo spent 30 years of his career working in the petrochemical industry, and six and a half in the oil and gas exploration business. Currently, Alonzo is a consultant, and is preparing to begin contact work for BP, in the Gulf of Mexico.

Industry Trends
Digitalization Trends for Field On-Off Mechanical Assets in the Process Industry
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Girish is a technology and strategic engineering leader with 20 year’s experience in the Actuation Industry. He has experience leading geographically dispersed global teams. He has proven ability to lead new products and technology platforms, engineered products, foster process improvement, and enable growth in the engineering function. He possesses a strong business acumen to drive customer focused innovation and product development. He is experienced in setting up engineering centers in Asia, Europe and North America.

Panel Discussion: Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Glen Beal is a Piping Engineer with over 30 years’ experience. His piping engineering expertise includes developing engineering specifications and managing corporate valve technology as an end user; he has worked in the EPC Services sector as a Piping Engineering Specialist and Technology Manager; and now he is working in the supply and distribution sphere of the piping and valve industry.

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Industry Trends
ESG Reconciliation Utilizing Engineered Gear Operators 

Proposed Changes to EPA Regulation 40 CFR 60 in Regard to Pneumatic Controllers
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Gobind N Khiani, a UCalgary alumnus of Masters in Mechanical Engineering is a seasoned change-maker. He has a proven track record in technical and value engineering and holds a Fellowship in Engineering and an MBA. He is the Chairman of the End User Group at API and Vice Chairman of the Standards Council of Canada. He has done peer review on Emissions Management regulatory documents for ECCA and participated in research and development initiatives. Further, his experience is in the energy sector in the improvement of standards, technical compliance, strategy, governance, digital innovation, engineering management, technology, sustainable development, and operations. He is also skilled in Asset Integrity and Maintenance Management. As a volunteer, he is involved in technical standards (energy, tech, public safety) and has been a mentor/judge at First Robotics Canada. He is also the past chair of the CBEC of APEGA.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Hydrogen Valves
MSS Standard for Valves in Hydrogen Service
Thursday, June 8th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Greg Johnson has been in the valve industry for 40 years and is the president of United Valve, a 58-year-old valve service company located in Houston, Texas. He has been active in standards development activities for over 25 years in API, ISO and MSS. He is past-president of MSS as well as chairman of the VMA Education & Training committee. He also serves as chairman of the API sub-committee on piping and valves, manufacturers and contractors group

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:oo PM

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Control Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Greg Peterson has had 25 years executive sales management experience in valve and automation sales, promoting growth at the corporate level to the 25 Top national accounts and building and leading high-performing teams.

Currently in his role as Vice President Valves Actuation Measurement Instrumentation with MRC Global he has experience negotiating contract programs, strengthening the corporate culture and boosting profits in the North American valve markets with major energy related companies.

Greg has a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing degree, with emphasis in Computer Science from Northeastern State University.

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Haithem Elseddik is piping and valves SME for Chevron Technical Center (CTC) since joining Chevron in 2019, based in Houston, Texas. Before joining Chevron, he worked as a piping material engineer since 2004 for EPC projects in the Middle East, Europe, South America, and the United States. He is a registered professional Engineer in Texas, a voting member in API subcommittee 6 and Core Group of IOGP S-562.

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
The Journey Towards Wellhead Autonomation
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30 PM

Hossam Gharib is a senior product engineer specializing in the development of surface safety systems with Stream-Flo Industries Ltd. He received his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta, and BSc and MSc in mechanical engineering from the American University in Cairo. Dr. Gharib has over 20 years of experience in research and development with 12 years in oil and gas downhole and surface equipment product development. He is currently leading the engineering development of the next generation smart emergency shutdown (Smart ESD) systems at Stream-Flo Industries. Dr. Gharib has 14 granted patents, 4 patent applications, and 16 technical publications. He is a licensed professional engineer with The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Fugitive Emissions: Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Zero Emission Valve Automation for Gas Pipelines
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Howard has had a career spanning nearly 40 years in valve automation market working with both independent valve and actuator manufacturing companies to deliver the latest technology to the many end user markets who use automated valves in their plants and processes. Experience includes Global Sales & Business Development responsibilities across many industries and applications. Roles have include delivering a board level strategic vision along with management implementation for introducing new technology to solve current day pipeline valve challenges such as reducing methane emissions from field instrumentation and controls to zero. Howard has served in an advisory capacity with Industry Associations and currently working for Bray International.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing
Data Driven Predictive Health Monitoring of Valves and Actuators
Thursday, June 8th – 3:30 PM

Jack Booker is principal Electrical Engineer with 27+ years of experience as a Project Manager and Technical Contributor developing products and services. Extensive experience managing diverse, multi-discipline development teams, including six years of international service, most developments distributed over multiple locations and involving direct interaction with field organizations.

Demonstrated Competencies

♣ Ability to manage diverse development teams following established product life cycle management procedures, incorporating requirements definition, configuration/architecture selection, risk identification and mitigation, verification and validation testing, manufacturing introduction, and field deployment.
♣ 15+ years of experience with high level design of system architectures, including power, telemetry, and connectivity issues, digital, FPGA, and analog circuit design, and embedded system development.
♣ Established hands on expertise in designing and deploying telemetry and permanent downhole monitoring systems and managing inherent problems associated with high temperature, field environments, channel limitations, and wellsite operational concerns.
♣ Demonstrated ability to manage and direct contract engineering companies and contract manufacturers.
♣ Ability to transfer experience among multiple oilfield segments, Wireline Surface Acquisition and Telemetry Systems, Intelligent Completions, including permanent monitoring and control systems, SCADA systems, and Artificial Lift Monitoring systems. Routinely involved in additional areas as a technical reviewer, design contributor, and auditor.
♣ Flexible with demonstrated aptitude to transfer technical ideas/solutions from one application to another.

KEYNOTE: Optimizing the Global PVF Supply Chain for a Sustainable Future
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:00 AM

Jack McCarthy currently serves as MRC Global’s Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Quality and Technical Sales. He leads an international team of product experts, supply chain professionals and inventory specialists, and is responsible for the management of the global PVF supply chain. Jack has held a variety of leadership roles in his career at MRC Global including Vice President of Supply Chain Carbon Steel Pipe Fittings & Flanges & Valves, Actuation, Measurement and Instrumentation and Vice President of Supply Chain Management Carbon Steel Pipe Fittings & Flanges, where he led MRC Global’s line pipe team. Prior to joining MRC Global with the acquisition of LaBarge Pipe and Steel in 2005, he held roles in business development, sales, and sales management in the industrial distribution industry. Jack is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a former vice president and board member of the National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors.

Valve Safety
Considerations in the specification of Fuel Gas Safety Shutoff Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Jay has 25 years of leadership experience with 15 years in O&G. His experience includes operations management, equipment and automation design, global support, sales leadership, and flow control solutions. He is an inventor with 3 granted patents, a problem solver, and enjoys jumping in on project designs. He is currently the Global Business Development Manager for Valmet Flow Control, a global manufacturer of valves, actuators, and controls.

Fugitive Emissions: Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Influence of PTFE Coating Content in High Temperature Application of Fugitive Emissions Graphite Packings
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

João H. Pontes is a Professional Mechanical Engineer from the State University of Campinas and currently holds the position of R&D Engineer at Teadit. He is responsible for the development, manufacturing and testing of new products for critical fluid sealing processes, focusing on solutions for pumps and valves.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing
Challenges in Torque Reduction and Lifecycle Time Increase for Quarter-Turn Trunnion Ball Valve
Thursday, June 8th – 3:30 PM

Justin Bernard graduated magna cum laude from Rice University in May of 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and in Visual and Dramatic Arts.  He began work as a design engineer with a Houston-based valve manufacturer, where he worked with gate, globe, check, and ball valves – making a significant impact with design and testing of cryogenic ball valves. In 2021, he joined Bray where he serves as a ball valve engineer. In this role, he has helped develop Bray’s ball valve testing capabilities, and is currently working on a new ball valve design concept with patent pending. Over the course of the past year, he has been performing computational fluid dynamics simulations for design and analysis for Bray’s control valve products. A particular focus of his in this analysis and in his work in general is verifying the validity of assumptions to ensure that he can produce a correct, elegant solution.

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
How AI is Going to Change the Industry
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 – 2:30 PM

Luke previously held the position of Quality Assurance Manager for Sunbelt Supply. Luke had previously worked at Neway Valve for 10 years and was responsible of resolving all Neway’s North American valve technical inquiries and product issues from 2010 to 2018, handling over 1,000 cases of customer complaints. He most recently worked as the assistant plant director in China implementing automation production and improving production quality and process. As many other here presenting, an active member of API SCOPV taskforces, including API 600 gate valve standard and API 624 emission testing standard.

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
Reducing Operational Costs in Valve Manufacturing and Distribution through Artificial Intelligence-based Bill of Materials Sourcing and Response
Thursday, June 8th -2:30 PM

Marty Dytrych is the CEO of Industrial Data Labs, a company that provides the PVF Industry’s first AI-Powered Inside Sales Copilot. Marty is a seasoned entrepreneur who has worked with several startups in the healthcare and oil and gas industries, where he is focused on finding product/market fit, developing new products, and accelerating growth by leading their sales and marketing teams and strategies.

Marty’s passion lies in extracting value and developing new products at the intersection of information, sales, and decision-making. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and leverages his skills and experience to guide Industrial Data Labs in providing innovative solutions to their customers. With Marty’s leadership, Industrial Data Labs is making a significant impact on the PVF industry by introducing cutting-edge technologies that enhance sourcing efficiency and provide invaluable insights.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Mark Ruffin is the Technical Director for Teadit North America in Pasadena, TX, overseeing their team of Applications Engineers and Technical Field Sales Operations. Being one of the nation’s leading SMEs in Bolted Flange Joint subject matter, he has authored and maintained standards for assembly of bolted-flanged connections and valve packing installations, he also participates as a voting member on a myriad of industry standards committees. Mark has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in sealing, bolting, training and technical support that he has gained over his 15+ years in the industry.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Matthew DeLong has over 30 years of experience specifying piping materials for the chemical and LNG industries. He has worked for Union Carbide Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, IHI E&C International Corporation and now IHI Energy Solutions. Matt is currently a member of ASME B31.3 Section Committee, a member of the ASME B31.3 SubGroup on Fabrication, Examination and Testing, the Chairman of the ASME B31.3 International Review Group, a member of the ASME B31 Fabrication & Examination Technical Committee and one of the co-leads of the PIP (Process Industry Practices) Piping Function Team. He has a Bachelors of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University.

Valve Maintenance & Repair – Total Cost of Ownership
The Valve Trifecta – Best Quality, Best Delivery, Best Price Is it Achievable?
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Matt Hartfiel serves as MRC Global’s Vice President of Downstream, Industrial & Energy Transition for Valves, Automation, Measurement and Instrumentation. His deep understanding of customer needs and pain points allows him to offer the best solution to customers based on the application. Matt started his career in engineering, switching to sales when he joined Crane as a Sales Engineer and advanced to Global Key Accounts Manager. Prior to joining MRC Global in 2020, Matt served as Vice President of International and Strategic Accounts for Sunbelt Supply L.P., leading their APAC operations and National Accounts team and program. Matt graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil/Structural Engineering.

Hydrogen Valves
Hydrogen Challenges for Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Matthew Doherty, is currently a Senior Transition Technologies Engineer with the Cameron Technology Valves organization with in SLB. In this role, Matthew researches the technical challenges for valves in hydrogen, CCUS, and renewable fuels, to enable the selection, or development, of ideal valve configurations for these trending applications. Prior to this role, Matthew spent over 10 years in various shop, field, and office based Engineering roles supporting the repair and remanufacture of valves. Matthew is a licensed professional Engineer in the state of Texas, and holds Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston, and a Master’s in Engineering from the University of Arkansas

 Fugitive Emissions: Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Do Valves Really Contribute 60% of Refinery Emissions Today? Current Status and Improvement Potential in Industrial Valve Fugitive Emissions

Thursday, June 8th
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Michael Kitchens graduated from the University of Texas-Austin in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Shortly thereafter he joined Bray where he served as a valve and controls design engineer. He has held several positions at Bray, but for the last 4 years has served as the Research and Development Lab Manager responsible for validation and testing of Bray’s valve and control products. In this role, he helped establish Bray’s extensive lab capabilities including cryogenic, severe service, life endurance, and fugitive emissions testing. Recently Michael served on the API 641 task force, where he helped create the new “Type Testing of Quarter-turn Valves for Fugitive Emissions” standard.

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
Additive Manufacturing – Recent Advances, Proof of Concept, and Industry Hurdles
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30 PM

Michael Kitchens graduated from the University of Texas-Austin in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Shortly thereafter he joined Bray where he served as a valve and controls design engineer. He has held several positions at Bray, but for the last 4 years has served as the Research and Development Lab Manager responsible for validation and testing of Bray’s valve and control products. In this role, he helped establish Bray’s extensive lab capabilities including cryogenic, severe service, life endurance, and fugitive emissions testing. Recently Michael served on the API 641 task force, where he helped create the new “Type Testing of Quarter-turn Valves for Fugitive Emissions” standard.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 – 3:30 PM

Michael Walley is a Stationary Equipment Consulting Engineer in LyondellBasell’s Global Asset Integrity & Turnarounds group. He
is a subject matter expert in the areas of valves and heat exchangers. During his 30+ years in the petrochemical industry he hasworked at multiple site locations and in central engineering groups, always focused on equipment reliability, mechanical integrity, and technical specifications of equipment – both as an individual contributor and manager of those teams. Most recently, he was the Lead Mechanical Engineer on LyondellBasell’s POTBA Project – the largest of its type in the world. Michael has been a member of API’s Subcommittee on Heat Transfer Equipment and a long standing member of the ASME. He is currently updating Company Standards for Valve Specification Design Criteria and Plate-and-Frame Heat Exchanger Design & Specification.

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Valve Maintenance & Repair: Total Cost of Ownership
Quality in the Valve Industry – Going Above & Beyond
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Mitch Anderson currently works for Bray International in Houston, TX holding the title of VP, Global Quality. He is a valve and actuator industry veteran of over 15 years, acting in engineering, manufacturing, quality assurance, and IT roles. Mr. Anderson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University and is currently pursuing an Executive MBA degree at Texas A&M University.

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Industrial engineer specialized in commercial diplomacy with more than 25 years of professional practice. He works as an expert consultant, adviser and instructor in business strategy and negotiation. Currently is responsible of the management and representation of more than 30 international manufacturers to the Dominican Republic market, added to the development of exports of goods and services to the United States
and countries in Central-South America and the Caribbean.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing
Data Driven Predictive Health Monitoring of Valves and Actuators
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 – 3:30 PM

Jimenez graduated from the University of Texas-Austin in December of 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He spent 7 years at Emerson as a design engineer, working primarily on pneumatic and hydraulic actuators with a focus on the nuclear/seismic business. For the last 3 years, he has been with Bray where he has worked to support and expand the actuation product lines, provided his expertise in root cause failure analysis, and most recently, worked to leverage data analytics and machine learning for valve and actuator health monitoring.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Paul Heald joined Bonney Forge in 2009 as a centralized Vice President of Product Engineering and China Operations, where he leads across both domestic and international operations to supply products and services to exceed customers’ expectations. Prior to Bonney Forge, Heald began his career over 30 years ago as a Design Engineer at Fisher Controls and PECO and since has been an Engineering Manager/Director at other valve companies including, Valve Technologies, Tyco and MGC where he has successfully managed diverse design and manufacturing groups both domestic and international for varying types of valve products including ball, control, gate, globe, check, regulators and relief valves. Heald holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Control Valves
Pressure Balanced Coaxial Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Ralf Hinz is an experienced Vice President of Sales and Marketing with a demonstrated history of working in the mechanical or industrial engineering industry for over 20 years. He is highly skilled in Negotiation, Engineering, Business Development, Sales Management with Leadership and Team Building.

Industry Trends
Digitalization Trends for Field On-Off Mechanical Assets in the Process Industry
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Riyaz Ali has B.E. (Hons) in Chemical Engineering and MBA from India with special work on use of control valves for severe service applications.

He has been in process control instrumentation field since past 44 years. Presently, employed with Emerson Automation Solution – Flow Controls (since 1993), involved in implementing microprocessor-based technology for field devices for process control and Safety instrumented system.

He has presented various papers on topic pertaining to “Use of Digital Valve Controller for Safety applications” at ISA, AIChe, Texas A & M etc. His papers on the subject have also been published from time to time in various Control Instrumentation magazine including, InTech, Petroleum Technology, Automation and Control, Control Solutions etc.

He also holds various USA patents pertaining to Digital Valve Controller for Process Control and Safety applications.

He also participated as member of Ff-SIS committee, which brings Fieldbus Foundation protocol for use in Safety Instrumented System.

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
Additive Manufacturing of Valves
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30 PM

Roberto Bolzonella has a Bachelor’s degree from the Polytechnic of Milan in Aerospace Engineering. Currently he is the Research and Development Coordinator of PetrolValves and, among others, is responsible for the application of modern computational methods and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Valve Maintenance & Repair Total Cost of Ownership
Three Pillars of Compliance
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM -2:30 PM

Emerging Technologies: Low Emissions
LiveSeal Fitting – Low-E Injectable Port
Thursday, June 8th – 2:30 PM

Rodney Roth has over 25 years of experience in the manufacturing, design, R&D, engineering, sales and marketing of stationary sealing solutions to include packing and gaskets. Rodney has extensive experience in the recommendation and design of engineered  sealing solutions for use in all types of valve and flange applications with a focus on Low E sealing Technology for valves and large diameter critical flange sealing.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Ron Merrick has forty years of experience in specifying valves and other piping materials. He is presently a Senior Fellow and Director of Piping Material Engineering at Fluor Enterprises in Sugar Land, Texas, with responsibility for Fluor’s corporate master piping material catalog. This catalog supports Fluor’s business units involved with fluid flow, with line classes designed for hydrocarbon processing, chemical process, utility, power and mining. He has been a piping materials engineer for Fluor since 1975, in Houston and Saudi Arabia, and involved with plant design for locations in Alaska, Continental U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. These plants cover markets as diverse as hydrocarbons, basic and specialty chemicals, power, and gas processing. He is also Fluor’s engineering specialist in piping shop fabrication. Merrick is the author of several articles on valve selection, and of the book Valve Selection and Specification Guide. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Wichita State University, and is a registered professional engineer in Texas and other states. He is the past president of the PVF Roundtable, an organization devoted to the Pipe, Valve and Fitting industry. Other professional involvement includes membership in the API Refining Division, as past chairman of the Subcommittee on Piping and Valves subgroup Manufacturers & Contractors subcommittee, and as a US delegate to ISO TC 153 SC1Design, manufacture, marking and testing of valves.

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Sam Davis is President of RFS Compliance Solutions, where he directs the company’s operations and growth path. He began his career in the industry with Beric Valves in sales and business development. After nearly a decade, he recognized the industry’s growing demand for consultants in the fugitive emissions market and formed RFS in 2018 to help the market properly connect the pieces of this evolving industry on a global scale. In 2020, he formed Donsol, LLC., a full valve and actuation facility offering everything from the assembly of the actuation with the valve to a full inhouse custom hardware shop. He is very dedicated to recognizing the needs of his
customers and providing the high level of customer service with his products that they deserve.

Fugitive Emissions Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Zero Emission Valve Automation for Gas
Pipelines
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Shahrum Iqbal has been with Bray International for 9 years and is currently Actuation and Controls General Manager for Bray.  Shahrum holds a B.S. from Texas A&M University in Engineering.  He has published several publications on control valves and automation

Control Valves
Control Valve Technologies in Thermoplastics
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Following his time in the US Marine Corps as an aviation electronics technician, Shane began his career in the process instrumentation and control industry. For more than 15 years he has held roles in research labs, technical sales and service companies, and business development. Shane’s experience with instrumentation, valves, actuation and controls spans multiple industry segments including municipal water and wastewater, oil and gas, liquid transmission, steel, and chemicals. He is a certified trainer, uncompromising customer advocate, and passionate problem solver.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing
Valves for Molten Salt Applications
Thursday, June 8th – 3:30 PM

Shridhar Patil is Engineer specialist for triple offset butterfly valves at Flowserve.

His responsibilities include designing, developing, and validating triple offset butterfly valves for critical applications such as cryogenic, high-temperature, molten salt, hydrogen, and oxygen applications. This involves creating 3D models and performing engineering calculations, running finite element analysis to validate the design, and preparing guidelines and SOPs for special applications.

His special work interests include structural & transient thermal FEA, Valve testing and qualification, Decarbonatization & Digitization. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) degree in Mechanical engineering.

Fugitive Emissions
Monitoring & Sealing Technologies

Thursday, June 8th, 2023 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Simon Weiler is a German graduated engineer with substantial related work experience in the field of fugitive emissions valve testing. Since he is graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Mechatronics), he is working in the valve testing laboratory and has conducted several hundreds of valve tests. He is working at AMTEC in Germany since more than 18 years.

Emerging Technologies: Digital Transformation
Additive Manufacturing of Valves
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 – 2:30 PM

Slade Gardner founded Big Metal Additive to address the issues and deficiencies for industrial metal additive manufacturing. The company produces large, complex geometries with the option of finish machining surfaces, directly on our machines. A skilled engineering team can work quickly from a CAD solid model to accomplish design adjustments, optimization, process simulation and production.

Control Valves
Managing Noise in Control Valve Applications
Thursday, June 7th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Solibella is an Electrical engineer specialist in Automation & Control systems, who is the North American Control valves product manager at Valmet. She received the degree of Electrical Engineer and her master’s degree from Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela, and served for a couple of years as a professor in the same university for the Engineering faculty.

Her passion is teaching people about topics that she loves like the control valves. She believes that control valves have a direct impact on the operability and efficiency of any plant, so every processor should have the knowledge needed to select the correct valve for their specific application. She considers sizing and selecting a control valve as one of the most beautiful arts in the Engineering world since you can learn a little bit about everything, such as material compatibility, fluid mechanic, instrumentation etc.

“My journey into Neles/Jamesbury products started over 12 years ago when I was an undergraduate student at the Universidad de Carabobo, when I was working on a research project about control valves, I was able to discover these amazing products through the book “The valves” by Neles/Jamesbury. Two years later, I started working as an Application Engineer for the exclusive representative of Neles/Jamesbury products for Venezuela back then. During my time with the rep, I was able to visit some of the Neles/Jamesbury plants around the world, and receiving a lot of training about control valves, and I immediately fell in love with the culture and people of this company, so this became my dream company back then. Overtime, I became in a Senior Application Engineer providing technical support related to Neles/Jamesbury products for Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago for a couples of years. In January 2021, I joined the Global Application Engineering team based on Shrewsbury plant in Massachusetts and after one and a half years of working with the Global Application team, I was promoted to the North American Control valves product manager at Valmet. I would say that here at Valmet every day is an opportunity to learn and grow, we are a diverse team with different cultures and languages, all qualities that make my experience here feel more like a dream than just a job”.

Fugitive Emissions: Monitoring & Sealing Technologies
Sustainable Polymer Based Sealing Solutions in the New Circular Economy and the Special Case of Fluoropolymers and PFAS Restrictions
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Since May 2022, Dr. Bremner has served as the Materials Technology Director for Advanced Sealing Technologies, a Michelin High Tech Materials Company. Prior to this, Tim held the position of Materials Technology Director for CDI Energy Products. From 2004 to 2019, Dr. Bremner was the Vice-President of Materials Technology for Hoerbiger Corporation, and during this time additionally acted as Co-Director of the APPEAL Industrial Research Consortium based at Texas A&M University in College Station Texas, working on a variety of industrially sponsored projects related to the use of high performance engineering polymers across energy sector applications. Dr. Bremner’s 36 years of experience in the world of polymers spans a wide range of fundamental and applied R&D, including product development, polymer process technology development, catalyst development and reaction scale up, process control and modeling, novel characterization methods and instrumentation development, dominated by a focus on high performance engineering polymers in highly demanding environments. Dr. Bremner holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Waterloo in Canada, followed by Post-Doctoral Fellowship appointments studying radiation degradation and NMR characterization of polymers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia and polymer physics of polymers back at the University of Waterloo.

Industry Trends
ESG Reconciliation Utilizing Engineered Gear
Operators

Proposed Changes to EPA Regulation 40
CFR 60 in Regard to Pneumatic Controllers
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Tim Chicoine is an experienced sales manager in the field of quarter-turn valves, valve automation and controls, and steam specialties. His current focus is helping energy and industrial customers improve their valve operation by utilizing specialty gear operators and electric actuators. His purpose is to assist clients in achieving their ESG goals through reduced GHG emissions and pipeline electrification.

Industry Trends
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

After 35 years of experience in the energy industry, Tim Goedeker, Senior Regulatory Advisor/Professional for TRICORD Consulting and former Senior Principal Environmental Consultant for Phillips 66, knows the value of experience and the importance of innovation. Starting his career as a Technical Service Engineer in the oil refining sector and moving into the environmental side with HSE-Refining, Tim has a vast knowledge and understanding of this ever evolving industry.

Valve Maintenance & Repair Total Cost of Ownership
The Valve Trifecta – Highest Quality, Best Delivery and Lowest Price. Is it Achievable?
Thursday, June 8th – 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Tom has 5 years with MRC Global as Director of Quality, Vendors & Auditing and 25 years of experience in the PVF industry holding roles in manufacturing, distribution, end user and military/gov.

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Valve Safety
Thursday, June 8th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

With close to 25 years of experience in the industry, Tony has held positions in manufacturing, design and sales here at VanAire. His proven track record and the knowledge that he has gained has helped earn his current position. He is passionate about ensuring that VanAire consistently provides high quality mounting hardware that optimizes the entire Valve Automation Assembly. It is his goal to help the industry become aware of recent changes regarding Industry requirements revolving around Mounting Kits.

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Tony Smart is a Global Leading Valve Expert. Former Shell Senior Mechanical Engineer – Team Lead, LSME and Technical advisor Enterprise Frame Agreements for Valves & Sealing Products. He has 42 years (35 years with Shell) proven experience in the O&G industry spanning all businesses and operations. He possesses in-depth knowledge of Valve Markets, Engineering principles, Codes and Standards from conceptual to detailed design, manufacturing & validation. He has provided technical solutions to a broad spectrum of clients, networks and committees. He is LSME on IOGP Standardization, long-term API/ISO WG representative and 25 years Valve World Steering Committee member. He is former Entrepreneur & Director of 2 dynamic and successful IT/Engineering Companies; MAINPRO BV and CRAFTWARE LTD.

KEYNOTE: Chairman’s Welcome
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 10:00 AM

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 11:30 AM

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc.
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Panel Discussion – Supply Chain, Procurement & AML Optimization
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Trace Scrivner is a Senior Mechanical Engineer with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, located in Spring, TX.

Trace is a registered Professional Engineer (TX) and a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Over the last 22 years, he has supported ExxonMobil’s downstream refining and chemicals operations in the U.S., Europe, and Canada.  Although his work activities have included design, analysis, and fitness for service, his current role is Piping & Valves technology owner.

Trace is currently the Vice Chair of ASME B31.3 Subgroup Design, as well as ExxonMobil’s voting member for the API Subcommittee on Piping and Valves.  Trace is currently leading the Task Force to update API 602

Hydrogen Valves
The Hydrogen Economy and the Role of the Valve
Industry
Thursday, June 8th – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Will Powers has over 12 years of valve experience ranging from Engineering to EPC Project Quotations to Global Key Account & Industry Management. His focus has been on Industrial Gas over the last 4 years as the Global Industry Manager for the IG market previously with Neles (now Valmet) and Bray currently.

Yuta Sato started his carrier as a mechanical packing & gasket engineer at Nippon Pillar Packing Corporation in 2009. He has been involved in the development of several unique products patented by Nippon Pillar.

Panel Discussion – IOGP Update
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Panel Discussion – Valve Design & Specification — The Good, Bad & Ugly of API, ISO, ASME, MSS, TA-LUFT & End User Specs, etc. 

Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Wojciech Zmudzinski is a Professional Engineer, Mechanical Engineer graduate of University of Toronto, Canada, with extensive experience in valve design and manufacture, new technology qualification and testing, service failure analysis and repair. Extent of experience in offshore and onshore oil and gas topside and subsea facilities, petrochemical, mining, pulp & paper, power and chemical industry sectors. He has worked internationally in both technical and commercial roles for valve manufacturers, repair and engineering service provider, and EPCI contractor.

In his current role at bp America Inc. as Engineering Advisor for Valves, Wojciech provides guidance and deep discipline expertise in valve and actuation engineering, covering detail design and analysis, manufacturing processes, valve qualifications, and testing, supports operations with failure investigations and root-cause analysis, risk assessments, and equipment criticality evaluation. During his career, he’s developed a sound understanding of forging & casting processes of materials used in valve industry, including application of ceramic & cermet coatings and weld-overlays.

Over the years, Wojciech developed a credibility within the valve industry, serving as a Steering Committee Member and Chair of 2018 Valve World conference in Düsseldorf, Germany, continuing to support Valve World Americas and Industrial Valve Summit (IVS) as advisory board member.

With an extensive network of technical and commercial contacts within valve & actuator manufacturers in Europe, North America, and Asia, Wojciech represents bp in several API valve and actuator sub-committees, as well as IOGP, ASME, and ISA.

Emerging Technologies: Valves & Packing

Valve Knowledge for Piping Designers

Thursday, June 8th, 2023
2:30 P.M. – 4:30 P.M.

William G. Beazley, PhD, PE, is the Treasurer and Retired Executive Director of the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED). He also serves as Treasurer of the SPED Piping Design Foundation. Dr. Beazley has over 40 years of experience on design and automation in the Petrochemical and Aerospace industries and teaching at the university level. He received his PhD fromthe University of Texas at Austin, TX. He taught design at the University of Illinois at Urbana, IL for 4 years. He managed the first CAD operation at Brown and Root, Inc.’s Marine Division and helped found the Computer-Aided Plant Design Users Group. He has worked as a Pipe Stress Engineer and Work Process Improvement Consultant. He served on the IGES and PDES/STEP working groups for piping and plant design. He has served as Board Member, Executive Director and now Treasurer of the SPED, where he led their Professional Piping Designer Certification initiative