Dr. H. Lekshminarayanan

Lekshminarayanan Hariharan Navi Mumbai 400706, Maharashtra, India

Summary

Retired from from Essar Group in March 2010. Served as Vice President for a 5 year period.
GM at Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd for nearly 15 years.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Waterloo.
Awarded Gold Medal for best Thesis during my Ph.D. at IISc, Bangalore. M.Tech at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Employment

• January 2011 - April 2016
  Consultant Essar, Mumbai
• September 2005 - March 2010
  Vice President Essar, Mumbai
  • Leading a team for the proposed petrochemical complex consisting of multifeed cracker, HDPE, LLDPE, EO / MEG, EB / Styrene, PP, Benzene Recovery, C4 Hydrogenation, MTBE or ETBE, Butene - 1, Paraxylene, PTA, LAB, Oxo alcohol, acrylics, screening of alternatives.
  • Conceptual scheme for develop[ed business development plan initiated. Coordinated with EIL for DFR; with NEERI for EIA.
    Coordinated with many licensors to get proposals; the proposals were evaluated and technology selection done.
    The licensing technology selection done. The licensing agreements were finalized. Coordinated with UOP for Refinery - Petrochemical integration.
• 1991 - August 2005
  General Manager Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd, Kolkata / Haldia
  • This is a grass-root Petrochemicals Complex comprising Naphtha Cracker, Butadiene, Pyrolysis Gasoline Hydrogenation (PGH), Benzene, C4 Hydrogenation (CHU), HDPE, LLDPE and Polypropylene Plants.
  • During the project, the responsibilities included selection of technologies for Cracker, Butadiene, Benzene, PGH and CHU; finalising the Licence Agreements; Process Design Basis and interacting with the Licensors to complete the Basic Engineering Packages; Evaluation of Cracker LSTK Bids, awarded the contract and finalised the Contract Agreements. Project Management.
  • Selected the Contractor for Butadiene, PGH and Benzene; managing the Detailed Engineering Procurement and Construction/Pre-commissioning Commissioning.
  • Awarded the CHU Contract on EPCM basis. Project Management includes direct Procurement.
  • Project management of Laboratory.
  • In core team for selection of Polyolefins Technologies.
    Responsible for selecting Styrene, Polystyrene, PBR, Butene Processes, Naphtha de-aromatisation.

  Other Supervisory / Co-ordination responsibilities concerned are :

  • Conceptual schemes development; analysis of inter-dependence/integration of plants with respect to feed, product, storage, utilities, examining alternatives; interaction with outside agencies.
  • During operations in Technology-leading a team for supporting operations, conceptual design, process design/engineering/development.
• 1990 - 1991
  Engineering Manager Tata Chemicals, Gujarat
• 1989 - 1990
  Professor University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
• 1988 - 1989
  Engineer Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, India
• 1986 - 1988
  Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
• 1979 - 1986
  Engineer Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, India
  • Evaluation of Technical Proposals for Technology Selection
  • Co-ordination with Engineering Contractors / Operating Companies
  • Process Design and Development involving a wide range of unit operations and unit process
  • Conceptual Design, Process Engineering - PFD, P&ID, Heat & Energy Balances, Equipment Specifications
  • Process Modelling and Simulation. Scale up of Processes, Translation of Bench Scale Technology
  • Develop Design Methods
  • Process modification and revamping studies to achieve increased productivity and energy conservation
  • Process improvements and trouble shooting, debottlenecking
• February 1981 - April 1981
  Industrial Training International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF), Holland
• 1974 - 1974
  Industrial Training Assam Oil Company Limited, Digboi, Assam
• 1972 - 1972
  Industrial Training Mettur Chemicals Limited, Mettur

Projects Handled Included

• Revamping of BPCL Reformer
• IPCL Polyolefins Pilot Plant-Process Design, Engineering & Project Co-ordination
• Basic Package for Furnace Test Rig
• Fluidised-bed Incinerator & Rotary Kiln for Engineering Research Centre
• Ethylene Dimerisation Plant : Scale up, Process design & Basic Engineering
• Mobile Combustion Laboratory
• Demonstration Gas Cracker
• Hydro de-waxing Trickle Bed Reactor
• Simulation of Reactors : Steam Reformer, Reaction Heaters, Dehydrogenation Reactors.
• During my stay in Waterloo, I participated in Research, Teaching and Supervision of Design / Research Projects. Set up a unit for studies on coke formation in thermal cracking of hydrocarbons. Effects of ageing on reactivity and morphological properties of coke deposits examined using TGA, BET, SEM, XRD, etc.

Education

• 1975 - 1982
  Ph. D, Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore Awarded Gold Medal for best Thesis
• 1973 - 1975
  M. Tech, Chemical Engineering. Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals specialisation IIT, Kharagpur 3^rd position in the class
• 1969 - 1973
  B. Tech, Chemical Engineering Coimbatore Institute Technology, Madras University, Coimbatore 1^st Class 72%

Participation in Conferences

• Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) Cochin, Kerala, India
• IIChE Conference Bombay, Maharashtra, India
• Catalysis Workshop Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Symp. On Synthetic Fibres IIT Delhi, India
• Catalysis Symposium Kingston, Canada
• AIChE Conference New York, USA
• 1976 - 1978
  Secretary, Chem Eng Ass., . Editor of Wall Magazine. Participation in Social and Cultural activities. Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• 1979
  Delivered lectures in Reaction Eng. Summer School, Indian Institute Of Science Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Publications

• Chem Eng. Sci 34 1415, 1979.
• J Chem Eng Japan 10 (6), 435, 1977.
• Carbon 27 (3), 1989.
• Cand J Ch E 68, 327, 1990.
• Paper Presented in ACS Symp. Los Angeles, September 1988.
• Paper Presented in IIChE Conf Cochin, 1977.
• J Petrochem Industry, 1977.

Doctoral Thesis

Area

:  Multiphase Reactors / Reaction Engineering

Title

:  Studies on Trickle-Bed Reactors (A healthy blend of theory and experiment)

Visits

Miscellaneous

• Completed a Research Project on Mass Transfer in Pulsed and Unpulsed Bubble Columns as a part of M. Tech Program
• Analysed Convective Mass Transport with Surface Reaction in Multiparticle Systems
• Experience in setting-up and operation of Laboratory / Bench Scale Trickle Bed Reactors, Rotating Catalyst Basket Reactors (RCBR) and Slurry Reactors