Richard E. Mitchell has over 30 years experience in engineering, development, research, and business management of petroleum and petrochemicals products, gained during his employment with Sunoco, Inc. Selected positions and responsibilities:

Senior Technical Specialist for Reforming.   Mr. Mitchell provided technical support to seven semi-regenerative reformers in five Sunoco refineries.

• Selected catalysts
• Developed operating procedures
• Solved operating problems, improved operating reliability
• Provided onsite technical coverage for major turnarounds
• Led initiatives to shorten regeneration duration to 5 days or less, improve cycle length, and improve reliability via better corrosion control
• Led Reforming Technology Forum.
• Managed Sunoco’s precious metals inventory.

Manager, Process Support & Development.   Mr. Mitchell managed a group of 25 engineers and 15 technicians reporting to the Vice President, R&D. This group provided technical support to fuels, lubricants, and chemicals operating departments at the five Sunoco refineries.

• Selected catalysts
• Evaluated technologies
• Licensed process and model technologies.
• Solved operating problems, and optimized operations
• Led Reforming Technology Management Committee.

Chemicals Process and Business Manager.   Mr. Mitchell led a group of 20 chemists, engineers, and technicians developing new technologies in the fuels and chemicals areas. In this position, he was also the Technical Project Leader and Business Manager of joint development program with an Italian partner to commercialize a new synthetic fiber, invented at Sunoco and proposed for commercialization.

Process Development.   Dick has hands-on experience with bench and pilot scale process development in a variety of fuels and chemicals areas, including paraffin isomerization, missile fuels manufacture, and underground spill remediation. He carried out a fundamental study that optimized manufacturing economics for Sunoco’s largest wax customer and preserved the business.

Mr. Mitchell has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University, and an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Dick was Sunoco’s Company Representative to the Industrial Research Institute. He holds six patents.

This page was last updated May 26, 2009