John McCulloch’s Curriculum Vitae

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Personal Data:

Family name:

 McCulloch

Fore-names:

 John Gordon

Birth:

 12 May 1947 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, UK.

Nationality:

 British

Status:

 Married (with two adult offspring)

Gender:

 Male

Home address:

 Kinnen Dell, Westfield, Bathgate, West Lothian, EH48 4NJ, UK. 
Tel: +44 (0)1506-653095, email: jgm@intint.co.uk

Professional Qualifications:

1969:

B.Sc. Hons., 2.1; Mechanical Engineering, University of Edinburgh,
(with final year class prize in Control Theory).

1970:

 M.Sc. Systems Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

1985:

 Member of Institute of Measurement and Control. Chartered Engineer.

1993:

 Fellow of Institute of Measurement and Control.

Special Capabilities:

Operator interface design for real-time systems.
Has done considerable development work in optimising operator interface design for effective handling of upsets using both traditional DCS and Windows-based environments.
Alarm management philosophy and alarm improvement projects.
Recognised as a leading authority in this area.
Advanced process control
especially using classical algorithm-based techniques.
Real-time dynamic modelling
of process and control systems for control system design, development and evaluation, also training simulators. management strategy.
DCS
Experience of design, specification, configuration and testing. Knowledge of Honeywell TDC3000 and TPS, Emerson DeltaV, and Invensys IA systems.
Technical presentations at international conferences,
recent examples include: Alarm Philosophy; Alarm Improvement Projects; Operator Interface Design; Alarm Flood Reduction.
Training courses
and technical workshop facilitation.
Computer programming:
Pascal, Fortran, Visual Basic.
Miscellaneous:
French at survival/tourist level. Some (limited) Spanish, Dutch and German. Full UK driver's licence.

Employment history:

Nov 1999 to present:

 Self-employed independent consultant control engineer.

Aug 1969 to Nov 1999:

 Employer: BP Amoco plc., (formerly BP Chemicals plc, BP Chemicals International Ltd.)
Address: P.O. Box 21, Bo'ness Road, Grangemouth, FK3 9XH, UK.
Telephone (switch-board): +44 (0)1324-483411.

As Independent Consultant Control Engineer

April 2008:

 Operator Interface Design:  For Real Time Engineering in Glasgow. Detailed design specification for plant overview displays for an oil refinery. Displays intended for a Honeywell Experion platform.

October 2007 to January 2008:

 Dynamic Training Simulator:  For Real Time Engineering in Glasgow. Process modelling for a training simulator for a complex oil production platform - 13 HP separators, 3 LP separators, pumps in series and parallel, two parallel multi-stage compressor trains and associted equipment. Emerson DeltaV platform. The work included development of generic process simulation objects and their implementation in the client system.

January 2007 to March 2007:

 Control System Problem Analysis and Recommendations using Dynamic Modelling:  The cooling system for an exothermic polymerisation reactor had a control system that had been giving problems restricting plant throughput. A low fidelity dynamic model of the process with its control system was constructed using an Emerson DeltaV platform. Several alternative control systems were tested. A report was published containing recommendations for improving the performance of the system.

August 2003 to November 2003:

 Test Engineer:  witness testing of batch/sequential control system (to FDA standards) for complex pharmaceutical application on Emerson DeltaV platform. Duties included preparation of test specifications, preparation and updating of functional design specifications, execution of witnessed tests, design and implementation of configuration changes to correct test failures.

November 2001 to January 2002:

 Alarm Management Article:  provided an article for Belgian control engineering journal summarising the complete spectrum of alarm management issues: problems and solutions, with current best practice clearly defined.

June 2001:

 Operator Training:  Provided 3 days of training to 2 teams of operators using a dynamic training simulator, (constructed in Feb/March 2000, see below), for operators on a North Sea production platform, (through Real-Time Engineering Ltd., Glasgow).

May 2001:

 DCS Configuration: Assisted for 3 weeks with configuration of Fisher-Rosemount DeltaV system for North Sea Oil Platform reinstrumentation, (through Real-Time Engineering Ltd. Glasgow), during Factory Acceptance Testing: debugging of FAT failures, configuration of complex control schemes; sorting out control system integration discrepancies.

April 2001:

 Slug Catcher Advanced Control System: Design and configuration of slug-catcher advanced control system for North Sea Oil Platform, (through Real-Time Engineering Ltd. Glasgow), using Fisher-Rosemount DeltaV system. Algorithm-based advanced control system involving conditional switching of alternative control paths with multiple constraints and over-ride controls.

Feb. and March 2001:

 Low Fidelity Dynamic Training Simulator: Through Real-Time Engineering Ltd., Glasgow for Total-Fina-Elf’s Alwyn platform. Configured in Fisher-Rosemount DeltaV system, the simulator emulated the Glycol regeneration circuit used to dry the gas being exported from a North Sea Oil Platform. Mass, component and energy balances were accurately simulated as were process dynamics; thermodynamic properties were represented by simple polynomials, accurate at design conditions; separation processes were represented by lumped parameters accurate at design conditions. The system used identical displays and control system configuration to the real system, and included emulation of ESD and motor control gear logic. The system resided on a single lap-top computer for easy transport to the platform.

With BP Chemicals, Grangemouth

1997 to 1999:

 Applied Manufacturing Technology Consultant, Operations Support Group
  • Communication with suppliers, especially Honeywell and Foxboro, over BP’s long-term technology development needs.
  • Member of the Honeywell European User Group Steering Committee, and of its Operator Interface Work-shop. In the latter, he took the lead in producing several important documents including Alarm Management Philosophy for Screen-based Systems, Dynamic Alarm Modification, Project Implementation Guidelines for Alarm Management.
  • Networking with other BP and Amoco sites over technology issues, especially operator interface design and alarm improvements.
  • Trouble-shooting of process control problems. Has a reputation for tuning difficult control loops, or finding out what is wrong with the process or control system design.
  • Alarm improvement projects: Kicked off and supervised alarm improvement projects on several older plants. Provided consultancy in this area to another company, (SASOL SA).
  • Revision and development of BP Recommended Practice for alarm management and operator interface design.
  • Preparation of alarm management strategy for new plant projects.
  • Specification and detailed design of operator interface using MS-Windows technology in Honeywell GUS for a re-DCS project on G4 Ethylene plant.
  • One of a three-man team who together developed an initiative to integrate manufacturing technology across the supply-demand network. This has since developed into a Manufacturing Vision policy and is being widely promoted within BP.
  • Provided a short course: Advanced Control and Optimisation for Process Engineers.
During this period, presented a number of papers at large international conferences, including: Operator Interface Design, Alarm Management Philosophy and Alarm Improvement Projects. Has gained a reputation as a very good speaker and is openly solicited to give presentations.

1993 to 1996:

 Process Systems Superintendent, Technical Development Department
Line Management and Technical Supervision of fifteen specialist engineers and two clerical staff. These highly qualified staff included several with post-graduate degrees working in the areas of DCS configuration, advanced control, modelling, simulation, plant optimisation, high accuracy fiscal metering, tank gauging and real-time site-wide database.
The activities of the section included:
  • Commissioning and long-term support of two olefins plant closed-loop optimisers, linked by a supervisory optimiser;
  • Use of dynamic model-based control in a constraint-bound non-linear situation: extractive distillation;
  • Development of dynamic optimisation of grade-transition for multi-product plant;
  • Provision of site-wide real-time database for production management and accounting;
  • Development of human factors knowledge to ensure that plants are managed efficiently during steady operation, and effectively through disturbances.
Although performing this job well, found management of people unacceptably stressful during a period of recession when the requirements for the long-term support of scarce technical resources conflicted with the short-term demands of accounts-led management. Management work-load and interruptions also prevented exploring and promoting the leading-edge development of control technology: the area found most interesting.

During this period, was invited to become a member of the Honeywell European User Group Steering Committee as a result of a paper on Improving the Honeywell TDC Algorithm Set.

Was appointed Chairman of the User-group in 1995, and thus gained experience in communicating with a large international audience, (400 people from 25 countries).

1990 to 1993:

 Control Engineering Superintendent, Technical Development Department
  • Line Management and Technical Supervision of a team of initially five, and building up to eight, specialist Control Engineers. These were all highly qualified staff including two Ph.D. and several with multiple degrees working in the areas of DCS configuration, Advanced Control, modelling, simulation and plant Optimisation.
  • Consultation over the primary and advanced control design for a new ethylene plant including use of dynamic simulation for solving complex control problems.

1986 to 1990:

 Senior Control Engineer, Technical Development Department;
Technical management and guidance, (but not man management), of one contract control engineer, two BP control engineers and a graduate trainee.
  • Feasibility studies, cost-benefit analysis, design, specification and technical support of closed loop optimiser for an ethylene plant.
  • Configuration of Foxboro Spectrum DCS for re-instrumentation of an ethylene plant. Development of conventional advanced control on this system.

1983 to 1986:

 Control Engineer, Technical Development Department;
  • Detailed design, specification, installation and commissioning of digital control systems.
  • Design, development, installation and commissioning of conventional advanced control schemes for distillation columns and hydrogenation reactors. This pioneered the first beneficial use of advanced control on site.

1981 to 1983:

 Instrument/Electrical Engineer, Technical Section;
  • Detailed design, specification, procurement, installation supervision, configuration and commissioning of supervisory control computer and interface hardware for a large ethylene plant with pneumatic instrumentation. Included detailed design of custom computer to pneumatic interface for existing pneumatic panel instruments, (Taylor PQS).
  • Dynamic simulation of a complex gas distribution system for control system design.

1976 to 1981:

 Instrument/Electrical Engineer, Instrument/Electrical Department;
  • Instrumentation and control systems project work, (specification, procurement, installation and testing), for a new Ethanol and Benzene plants. This included high reliability emergency trip system, analogue panel instrumentation and process control computer.
  • Detailed design, installation and commissioning of high reliability emergency trip system for three steam turbine driven compressors on an ethylene plant.
  • These were the first instances of ultra high reliability all-electronic emergency shutdown systems and involved strategic development work, risk analysis and detailed design in close liaison with the vendor, (Rochester Instruments and Systems Ltd.)

1972 to 1976:

 Instrument/Electrical Engineer, Engineering Services Department;
  • Instrument and electrical estimation, development work and trouble-shooting.
  • Detailed design of analogue electronic control systems for two-stage ethylene pipeline letdown station. Included mass-balance control, constraint control and continuous control through alternate process line-ups. This was a high reliability system designed for zero down-time.
  • Reliability analysis of emergency trip systems with poor incident history.
  • Mathematical analysis of polymerisation reactor dynamics for control system design.
  • Computer dynamic simulation of a polymerisation reactor and subsequent process and control system design modification proposal to contain possible reaction runaway.

1970 to 1972:

 Plant Instrument/Electrical Engineer, Instrument/Electrical Department;
  • Ad hoc plant instrument/electrical maintenance, (cover for absence, trouble-shooting);
  • Re-instrumentation of two ethylene plant boilers, (pneumatic controllers, electronic recorders and alarms plus relay ESD system in local control room).

1969 to 1970:

 Trainee Plant Instrument Engineer, Training Department;
  • Induction and initial graduate training at BPCI.
  • Secondment to University of Strathclyde, Glasgow for M.Sc. in Systems Engineering.
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Last updated: 2008-05-08 JGM