Kenneth Russell
​Compounding Extrusion Consultant

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Kenneth Russell

Ken is a chemical engineer with approximately 35 years of experience in technical service, polymer processing, process and product development, and troubleshooting. His problem-solving approach is a data driven, customer centric approach utilizing all available resources on lab, pilot plant and manufacturing scale. Ken is skilled in DOE, data analysis, process troubleshooting and process scale-up and has demonstrated the ability to liaison between manufacturing, sales, technology and the customer to provide high quality economical products and new process developments.
Ken is an expert in reactive extrusion with direct experience on the development and production of maleic grafted polyolefins, TPVs, ionomers and post reactor modified active polymer systems.

Ken also has compounding expertise in high temperature, high performance polymers including polysulfone, polyethersulfone, PEEK, PPA, Polyamides, polyolefins, and complex blends of polymers as well as skills in reactive extrusion including grafting and complex chemical reactions to polymer side chains.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 
Process Engineer – COMPANY NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST
11/2021 – Present
Georgia
Plant technical expert for processing of polyethylene into thick sheet per proprietary formulations. Leading plant efforts to address operator training, increase productivity, resolve quality challenges and provide technical leadership for new business development.
 
December 2019 – November 2021
Sr. Plant Engineer – LioChem, Inc
Conyers, Georgia

• Managing 3 contractor crews plus subcontractors for the construction of a $5 MM plant expansion to launch a new business product line.
• Optimize plant operations, improve compounding processes and decrease yield losses for a color concentrate compounding facility. Responsible for process improvements for 5 twin screw production lines, 2 Roll mill operations and 2 laboratory development units. Facilitating daily planning and inventory meeting to ensure smooth operations and address upcoming issues.
• Manage incremental plant capital projects to improve quality and operational issues. Designed process modifications that have had a direct improvement on productivity.

 
March 2014 – November 2019
Optimized Compounds LLC, President/Owner
Buford, Georgia

• Provided process and product consulting in polymer systems in the area of new product development, product industrialization, process improvement, SPC/SQC implementation and process scale-up.
• Successful and on-going projects included:
  • Process consultation to a major polymer compounding company
  • Process consultation to a major profile extrusion manufacturer
  • New product development and process development for a major material manufacturer in India
  • Resin subject matter expert for a large consulting firm
  • Development of TPV products for high temperature applications
    • Co-author of patent on new TPV formulation to be submitted November 2020
  • Development of grafted polymer systems for packaging tie layer applications and compatibilization
  • Design of several reactive extrusion processes for polymer modification.

 
 
July 2008 – March 2014
Solvay Specialty Polymers, Sr. R&D Engineer - Compounding Industrialization
Alpharetta, Georgia

• Managed the scale-up of compounding processes from lab scale to pilot scale as a member of various product development teams. Responsibilities include defining testing and product specifications, defining process operating conditions, modifying screw designs as needed and verifying processes are translatable to commercial compounding sites.
• Improved product quality and process operation through redesign of compounding process and screw configuration for improved mixing.
• Oversaw process technology transfer to compounding sites within the company and to partner companies worldwide as business needs require.
• Supported manufacturing sites with any process issues such as problematic feeding, low rates/yields, and poor product quality.
• Compounding ultra-high performance products such as carbon fiber filled PEEK, highly glass and mineral filled high temperature PA and PPA products.
• Transferred process-sensitive formulations from R&D to commercial manufacturing plants.
• Developed process for compounding HFFR PPA product and addressing corrosive effects of additives.
• Transferred product formulations and process operations to partner companies in Asia working directly with engineers and operators in China and Japan.
• Provided support for experimental compounding runs in India from the US.
• Determined process capability and control using statistical software to identify areas for process improvement. Skilled in SPC implementation in polymer processes.
• Worked directly with automotive and consumer products customers to address quality and product issues.

 
June 2005 – June 2008  
Gateway Services Consulting, Process and Technical Service Engineer
League City, Texas

• Design Engineering – Zeppelin Systems USA – pneumatic conveying systems
• Designed polymer devolitalization process based on flash devolitalization
• Designed specialized handling process for highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide products.
• Provided process troubleshooting expertise and technical service on development of new specialty polymer resins for client’s customer.
• Designed training program modules for training and certification of polymer processing operators including detailed documentation for lockout tag out program for 14 processing lines
• Designed heat transfer system for heavy oil storage tanks
• Calculated heat transfer requirements for cast heaters for polymer processing equipment.
• Designed pneumatic conveying system for plastic pellet transport. Process technical troubleshooting.

 
December 2006 – March 2008
PolyOne Corporation, Sr. Process Engineer
Seabrook, Texas

• Responsible for process definition, troubleshooting and product quality for key Seabrook customer.
• Primary focus is on the continuous production of compounded products based on customer formulations while improving process and product quality and consistence.
• Implemented statistical process control as part of the operating discipline.
• Providing operating direction and discipline in polymer compounding process.
• Regularly approached for knowledge in resin systems, extrusion operations and new process development.

 
March 2004 – June 2005
Applications Development Leader, Celanese Corporation
Houston, Texas

• Led the development effort of the Emerging Markets business segment of PVOH focusing on development of a melt processable polyvinyl alcohol product line.
• Implemented appropriate use of design for six sigma tools to assess voice of customer, quality functional deployment and implement appropriate solutions to meet customer needs.
• Defined melt processing parameters and film quality requirements.
• Provided technical service support to troubleshoot customer opportunities.

 
August 2002 – March 2004
Technical Service/Process Engineer. PolyOne Corporation
Seabrook, Texas

• Technical representation of PolyOne to customer for producer services business.
• Process Development of customer products on PolyOne equipment, primarily twin screw extrusion, reactive extrusion and compounding.
• Coordinated process trials of new products 
• Process troubleshooting technical expertise of hard to process polymer formulations.
• Designed compounding processes to resolve customer issues and qualify processes for customer products.

 
January 1995 – April 2002
Chevron Chemical Co/Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.,
Orange, Texas
 
Resin Development Engineer Supervisor, Reactive Extrusion Pilot Plant 1995 - 2002

• Developed, optimized and scaled-up reactive extrusion systems for the manufacture of OSP® Resin involving a multi-component reaction, devolitalization, steam assisted stripping of monomers and pelletization.
• Implemented design modifications and improvements for process optimization based on experimental data.
• Implemented on-line SPC process controls for critical process variables.
• Authored process technology manual detailing process development and scale-up engineering.
• Invented process component which increased process efficiency by 40%.
• Coordinated operator training which brought together plant operations and research technicians to ensure a smooth successful start-up of a new plant operating unit.
• Directed the activities of two full-time operating technicians, maintenance technicians and laboratory personnel in the process and product development of reactive extrusion processes. Consult a staff of 10 operators for config in new process developed in house.

 
Operated pilot plant with no recordables for 2 years and no first aide incidents for 1.5 years.

Previous products developed include acrylate-based ionomer and modified experimental polymers for scale-up to commercial production processes. Responsible for $300 M expense budget and $130 M capital budget. Implemented MOC process and instituted safety programs for REX pilot plant.
Development Engineer - Specialty Polymers Technology                     1994 - 1998
Responsible for the product development of high value functionalized products produced on high pressure autoclave reactors and reactive extrusions lines. Implemented initial trials of experimental products on full scale production units. Developed polymer formulations into viable products and commercialized 20 new EMA, EVA EnBA and specialty LDPE homopolymer products in 1995 - 1997. Demonstrated the ability of autoclave reactors to produce very high MI and VA resins beyond original design capabilities. Invented autoclave process for new proprietary copolymer for packaging resins. Introduced process improvements resulting in increased process control and reduced transition times.

Product Development Engineer - LLDPE                                               1992 - 1994
Planned and executed experimental programs for the development of new products to support the LLDPE business unit utilizing licensed BP gas phase LLDPE and HDPE technology. Designed experiments to obtain process and product data in the pilot plant which was correlated and modeled for use in scale-up to commercial production. Developed experimental plans for the start-up and initial qualification of a catalyst and prepolymerization unit for catalyst development programs to support the LLDPE and HDPE product lines. Provided leadership to two quality teams for continued process improvement which resulted in the highest operating efficiency of all pilot plant units.

Engineer - Pilot Plant                                                                             1989 - 1992
Provided engineering for projects and operations in the low pressure pilot plant for the development of polyethylene resins. Responsible for numerous projects exceeding $1.5MM annually. Provided direction and leadership for lead technician and maintenance personnel including the scheduling of a contract crew for construction and maintenance work. Developed the Management of Change Procedure for the pilot plant to meet internal customer needs and plant safety requirements. Certified HAZOP Trainer 1992.
1988 - 1989
J. M. Huber Polymer Services Division, Technical Service Engineer
Orange, Texas 
Responsible for defining all operating parameters and machine set points for the production of customer compounded products. Direct interface with customers to determine optimum processing conditions to meet desired product properties Designed screw configurations for co-rotating twin screw extruders for optimum product properties. Developed new products and modified existing processes for increased quality and productivity. Specified equipment and procedures for safe and efficient operations. Discussed customers’ needs and developed formulations to meet those needs. Assisted operations management in the education of operators and material handlers.
 
1986 - 1988
Comet Design, R&D Technician
Bound Brook, New Jersey                                                  
Product and formulation development for engineering polymer products
 
1985 - 1986
Rutgers University, Pilot Plant Engineering Aide
Piscataway, New Jersey
Developed and build PET recycling pilot plant
 
 
 
 

 
EDUCATION

• Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, Master of Chemical Engineering,
• Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, Master of Engineering Management
• Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Bachelors of Science, Chemical Engineering
• Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Certificate of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering

 
CERTIFICATIONS

• Certified Plastics Technologist (CPlasT) #000119 May 1998

 
PUBLICATIONS

• Chapter on “Single Screw Extrusion Safety” for SPE's Technician's Toolbox (Published 2004)
• Chapter on “Twin Screw Extrusion Safety” for SPE's Technician's Toolbox (Published 2004)

 
PATENTS

• WO 99/48963 US 99/06379 Oxygen Scavengers with Reduced Oxidation Products for Use in Plastic Films and Beverage and Food Containers
• US 09/733,652 Patent Pending Reactive Extrusion Process with Partial Condenser and Reflux

 
ASSOCIATIONS

• International Councilor Society of Plastics Engineers 1997 – 2003, 2005 – 2008
• President Tex-La Gulf Section of SPE - 1994 – 96