Mark S. Karrs has extensive experience in pyrolysis technology, with emphasis on furnace design, project management, procurement, and construction planning and oversight. Over a 25+ year career, he has executed all phases of ethylene plant design, from the conceptual to startup and troubleshooting. He has worked on dozens of expansion studies and revamp/upgrade projects associated with existing units.

Mark gained his experience as a Process Design Manager for Lummus Technology, and as a Project Manager and most recently as Director of Engineering for the Lummus Heat Transfer division. Selected projects include:

• Managed process design effort for the world’s first Million metric ton per year liquids cracker, the largest single train Ethylene Plant in the world at the time.

• Responsible for the development of the most recent radiant coil technology, as well as the design of all pyrolysis modules for all proposals and projects.

• Proposal preparation and project execution for an Ethylene unit reconfiguration that significantly reduced energy use and achieved a 92% reduction in NOx via SCR retrofit.

• Managed a 3 heater addition for an olefins complex that included design of all piping, instrumentation, electrical and civil requirements plus support to client’s procurement staff with erection subcontracts.

• Design of a hot oil heater, circulating pumps, heat exchangers and all related piping, instrumentation and electrical for an overseas client.

• Proposal preparation and execution for the addition of one new fired heater and revamp of nine existing fired heaters at a 40 year old pyrolysis facility.

• Managed contract to supply engineering and materials for hydrogen reformer heater and three smaller heaters for export to a South American company.

• Led investigations and personally performed troubleshooting on operating heaters to help clients meet performance objectives.

Mr. Karrs holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and holds two patents in the area of heat transfer equipment design. He has participated in a wide variety of conferences related to ethylene plant design, and has authored technical articles associated with fired heater design, maintenance, retrofits, coil balancing and NOx reduction.

This page was last updated December 16, 2009