“Maximizing resources through a global network of materials specialists” | WINTER 2013

A M a t e r i a l s T e c h n o l o g y I n s t i t u t e P u b l i c a t i o n

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Risk Based Inspection

http://mti .membercl icks.net

RBI in the Spotlight at EuroTAC and AsiaTAC Meetings, see pages 4 & 5.

3 AmeriTAC Vice Chair Embraces New Role

5 EuroTAC 2013 Meeting Preview

11 Associate Director Greene Retiring

6 Casting Quality Prediction Project

4 Spring AsiaTac Meeting in Japan

10 Scheel: From TAC Chair to Associate Director

2 Q&A with John Aller

“Maximizing resources through a global network of materials specialists” “Maximizing resources through a global network of materials specialists” “Maximizing resources through a global network of materials specialists” “Maximizing resources through a global network of materials specialists” “Maximizing resources through a global network of materials specialists” | | | WINTER 2013WINTER 2013WINTER 2013

COMMUNICATIONS

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MTI recently announced that John Aller will succeed Dr. James Macki

as its Executive Director in 2014. In the interim, Aller is working through the leadership transition as an Associate Director. The materials engineering veteran brings more than 35 years of international supervisory and top leadership experience within the chemical process industries to MTI. While working in executive level positions with member company Lloyd’s Register Capstone, Aller took on added responsibility as MTI’s TAC Vice Chair then TAC Chair. “John is a strong and familiar personality to MTI,” noted MTI Board of Directors Chair Ed Naylor (AkzoNobel). “We are thrilled to have found a person of such integrity who has proven so dedicated to the ideals that make MTI a unique organization.” (For a news release, visit http://mti.memberclicks.net.)

MTI Communications (MTICom)caught up with John Aller recently for an interview, discussing his views of MTI, past and present, and what he sees for the organization in the future.

MTICom: John, what would you MTICom: John, what would you MTICom:like to convey to MTI members as you head into this first year and prepare to take over for Executive Director Jim Macki in 2014?

Aller: First, let me say that I am truly honored to have been named

Executive Director of MTI. It will be my privilege to serve and follow in the footsteps of Jim Macki. Jim has done an outstanding job, and I appreciate his long commitment to the organization. Secondly, one of my primary goals will be to stay focused on delivering value to our membership. Everything we do needs to reflect value − it is a key part of why MTI exists. If you look at it with a broader perspective, MTI is simply a group of companies that have come together to help meet the materials-related needs of the chemical-producing companies. They either are producing companies or they are companies that support the producing companies. In my career, almost half of my time was spent working for a chemical-producing company, and for about half of my career, I have worked for companies that provide services to the producing companies. So I think I bring a unique perspective on the opportunity for synergy between our producing and supplier members. MTI can’t be successful unless both of those groups are successful. As I look on the horizon, I think we’re in a period of history when the opportunities have never been greater, yet the future has never been more uncertain. So, as I work with MTI, my overarching goal will be to leave MTI as a stronger, hopefully more resilient and more relevant organization to its members.

About this Publication:MTI Communications is published by the Materials Technology Institute, Inc. (MTI). MTI is a unique, cooperative research and development organization representing private industry. Its objective is to conduct generic, non-proprietary studies of a practical nature on the selection, design, fabrication, testing, inspection, and performance of materials and equipment used in the process industries. Copyright © 2013 Materials Technology Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact:Submit all correspondence regarding MTI Communications to:Materials Technology Institute, Inc.1215 Fern Ridge Parkway, Suite 206St. Louis, MO 63141-44081-314-576-7712 (telephone)1-314-576-6078 (fax)mtiadmin@mti-global.org

MTI CommunicationsEditorial Board:Michael Anderson, SyncrudeDavid Barber, The Dow Chemical CompanyDebby Ehret, MTIGene Liening, The Dow Chemical CompanyJim Macki, MTISteve Springer, DuPontHeather Stine, MTIMichael Turner, AkzoNobelBill Watkins, MTI

Editor: Kirk Richardson, MTI

Subscriptions:For a free subscription, write to MTI or contact mtiadmin@mti-global.org

Calendar:EuroTACMarch 25-27, 2013Frankfurt, Germany

AsiaTACApril 11-12, 2013Osaka, Japan

AmeriTAC 111June 10-13, 2013St. Louis, Missouri

Please contact us at 314-576-7712 or mtiadmin@mti-global.org for more information or to find out how your company can become a member.

Website:http://mti.memberclicks.net

MTI Associate Director John Aller will succeed Jim Macki as Executive Director in 2014.

Looking ForwardQ&A with John Aller, MTI’s Incoming Executive Director

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Back in 2006, Syncrude’s AmeriTAC representative, Michael Anderson, spent

most of his first meeting observing and listening as MTI’s materials engineering brain trust worked to solve non-proprietary challenges. Over the ensuing years, he gradually began to reach for the microphone, soon becoming one of the organization’s most active participants. Then in October 2012, Anderson took his participation to another level, assuming the role of AmeriTAC Vice Chair. For a member with plenty of responsibilities back at the company R&D center in Edmonton, Alberta, volunteering to help plan and lead three TAC meetings per year is a significant commitment. But the materials engineer has seen so much value from his participation in MTI, that he views this as an opportunity rather than a burden.

“I’ve seen incredible value come from Syncrude’s MTI membership, and because of that, my involvement has continuously

grown over the six years since we joined,” says Anderson. “I see it as time to give an extra step of involvement and get a little bit further into the nitty gritty of running the organization. Rather than just sitting back and taking, I can actually provide some guidance and leadership. To take that responsibility on and to spread it amongst various people in the MTI organization is a positive direction.” Assuming a leadership role is not without its benefits. “It’s a good opportunity for me personally, but it’s also a good opportunity for Syncrude as we can influence the strategic direction of MTI a little bit,” he points out. “It’s also good for the organization (MTI). We have more people who have some leadership experience within the organization. So I think it’s a win all the way around.”

Anderson adds that having a cluster of companies at MTI with similar, non-proprietary research needs has been beneficial. “Syncrude was the initial oil sands member company in MTI,” he

states. “Now Suncor has joined, and we’re still looking at having some others come alongside. As we do that, we’re able to look at different types of projects that MTI might not have been interested in before. That doesn’t change the whole strategic direction of MTI, but it does add a different dynamic.”

Diversifying membership is one of the challenges for MTI on the road ahead, according to Anderson. “When I was getting Syncrude to join, I saw value in the work that MTI was doing on high temperature materials,” he recalls. “That was my area of expertise and I could see obvious benefits to being involved in an organization that would help me solve the current technical issues. If we can get MTI working on topics that would be of interest to other oil sands operators, then they may see the value and decide to become members as well. Additional members increase the overall strength and effectiveness of MTI.” Project results are the heart of value for MTI member companies, and as a member, Anderson

AmeriTAC Vice Chair Embraces New Role

MTICom: Do you feel that it’s in MTI’s best interest to expand globally and that there are great opportunities out there to strengthen our organization around the world?

The seed was planted here in North America many years ago, and it’s been sown in Europe and started to expand there, as well as Asia. What’s your perspective on growth for the organization and where we’re going globally?

Aller: For MTI to remain relevant, it has to be focused on where the chemical industry is, both in terms of its needs and in terms of location. The major investment in the

chemical industry is predominately in the Middle East and in the Far East. MTI recognized that several years ago and began to focus first on a European organization and then an Asian organization. In the future, we will need to strengthen our presence in both of those locations. I think we’ve achieved a significant level of momentum in Asia. It is particularly interesting in Asia, because the industry there is fairly young and there’s a tremendous desire among the technical workers for more knowledge. There’s a huge interest in training, sharing, collaboration, and in extracting knowledge from the more

mature Western organizations. I think that’s created the pull for some of our success there, particularly in China. I’m sure we’re going to see the same things happening in Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam and some other countries that are really emerging in the chemical industry. The same opportunity probably exists for us in South America as well, although I think there will be a different set of challenges for us to be successful there. I don’t believe that MTI has achieved all of its potential yet in Europe, although we’ve been there a bit longer and have great member companies who drive our EuroTAC Meeting. Perhaps

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Spring 2013 is a time of significant change at MTI as its members and affiliates will

meet for the organization’s first AsiaTAC Meeting outside of China, during Japan’s cherry blossom season. The two-day session will be held at Mitsui Chemicals’ facility in Osaka, Japan, April 11-12.

“During the previous meetings, Japanese members always showed strong interest in attending the meetings and made excellent contributions to the discussions in panels,” reports AsiaTAC Chair Henry Ye of DuPont. “They also expressed a strong interest to contribute more to MTI AsiaTAC and suggested holding a second annual meeting in Japan. “We think a meeting held in Japan will be helpful in attracting more potential Japanese members to attend AsiaTAC meetings and participate in projects. Through the exchange of ideas, it will be a good opportunity for non-member Japanese companies and MTI to get to know each other better. Eventually we hope that more Japanese companies will consider joining MTI to continue the dialog.” “Strategically, AsiaTAC is evolving from an organization with a strong China focus into an organization with an Asia focus,” observes MTI Associate Director Jesse Chen. “This is one of the first concrete steps the AsiaTAC leadership team has taken toward that end.” MTI member companies Mitsui Chemicals and Asahi Kasei are the key drivers behind this meeting, according to Chen. “While the technical program was organized under the leadership of Dr. Masao Nakahara of Asahi, the Mitsui team has offered strong support to the meeting by letting MTI hold its first Japan meeting in their Osaka facility,

free of charge, and by providing important administrative and logistic support,” he reports. “Without their support and cooperation, this meeting would not be possible.” The Japan Society of Corrosion Engineering (JSCE) and the Society of Chemical Engineering of Japan (SCEJ) will be co-sponsors of the meeting, and representatives from several major Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Chemicals, Sumitomo Chemical, Tokuyma, Ajinomoto, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, Idemitsui and Daikin plan to attend and make presentations. MTI Associate Director John Aller and Gene Liening of The Dow Chemical Company will provide Keynote lectures titled “Integrating Operational Excellence and Asset Management to Manage Plant Risk” and “Change in the Chemical Industry”, respectively. “Both speeches are very timely and pertinent to the current interests of the practicing materials engineers in the world,” says Nakahara. “Since many chemical companies around the world were built many years ago and have operated for long time spans, there will also be a special session discussing the challenges in aging plant sites.”

In addition, AsiaTAC will feature several interactive panel sessions, including:

• Degradation phenomena in aged chemical plants • Common material issues in the boiler facilities of the process industry • Application of Risk Based Inspection and Maintenance • The role of material engineers in an operation environment

In all, AsiaTAC Japan will feature more than 20 presentations

and panel sessions as well as the opportunity to network with fellow materials engineering experts from around the world. “All member company representatives are strongly recommended to attend this meeting,” recommends Ye. “Members of producing companies may find advanced materials technology in this meeting, which will be useful to their operation improvement. Members of supplier companies will have a chance to network with world class Japanese chemical companies.” “The current material-related challenges and activities facing Japanese chemical industries will be better understood by MTI member companies, thus the possibilities of cooperating with MTI member companies in the form of new MTI projects will be enhanced,” concludes Nakahara. “For the Japanese non-member companies, this meeting will be a great chance to understand the global trend of materials engineering and the activities of MTI. This meeting will further expand and enhance MTI’s global cooperative network.” As an added benefit, organizers have timed the meeting to coincide with a popular season in Osaka. “April is the cherry blossom season in Japan,” notes Ye. “Osaka is one of the best places to enjoy the beautiful season. All attendees will enjoy the beautiful season and scenery.” For more information about the meeting, visit http://mti.memberclicks.netor contact MTI headquarters at mtiadmin@mti-global.org.

Spring AsiaTAC Meeting in Japan

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have timed the meeting to coincide with a popular season in Osaka. “April is the cherry blossom

Japan,” notes Ye. “Osaka is one of the best places to enjoy the beautiful

attendees will enjoy the beautiful season and scenery.” For more information about the meeting,

http://mti.memberclicks.netor contact MTI headquarters at

mti-global.org.

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Building on last year’s successful EuroTAC Meeting, MTI will once again hold

its annual European event in Frankfurt, Germany, March 26-27. DECHEMA, which kindly hosted the 2012 session, has once again offered its meeting facilities, a tour of its site, and several cutting-edge technical presentations. Conducting the meeting at DECHEMA provides other intangibles, according to Michael Turner, EuroTAC Chair. “They have excellent and accessible facilities, and we fit in with their community,” he says. “When you break for coffee, there are examples of their work all around and it means something to us. We also have the opportunity of hearing some of the latest developments going on in our industry.”

Last year’s EuroTAC Meeting went so smoothly, with so much interaction between participants, that the Organizing Committee has borrowed from a popular business book title and isn’t going to fix what isn’t broken. That said, Turner, Natalie Gelder, Maria Ostergaard, Lars Rose, Dietlinde Jakobi, and Andrew Kelleher have engineered an agenda with past favorite topics and

added a few new sessions. “This is a meeting ‘for the

members by the members’, so we listen to comments and suggestions from previous meetings to try and gauge what would be of interest and plan the meeting agenda around those,” explains Turner. “This year we will continue the ‘Open Forum’ we started last year, which allows members to discuss items or topics that may concern them or that they are currently dealing with, without the necessity of putting a formal presentation together. This way they can get instant feedback from their peers, and it is also a way of generating potential project ideas.” Other topics on the agenda include a Review of Polymer Projects; Permeation of Polymers; Cost Efficient Tank Solutions Using Duplex; Life Cycle Costing; RBI Worldwide – Future Practices; RBI with Bayer Technology Services; Operating Windows – API 581, Integrity of Operating Windows; Safeguarding Mechanical Properties – Forges, Flanges, Cast Valves, and Fittings; a look at the new MTI Online Forum and more. Turner and his team have

enhanced their successful formula by adding panel sessions to provide members with a broader perspective on some of today’s hottest topics. “This year we are planning a session on various aspects of “Asset/Mechanical Integrity”, which more often than not, is related to safe plant operation,” he notes. “This is something that everyone within the Chemical Processing Industry is trying to ensure.” EuroTAC isn’t just an opportunity for some of the world’s best materials engineering minds to meet, it’s a forum where the up-and-coming generation can absorb knowledge and benefit from institutional knowledge. “Young engineers who want to learn will be in a room with some of their foremost peers, and everyone is easily approachable,” observes Turner, adding, “The more experienced ones have the opportunity to hear and understand how colleagues in other similar companies approach certain subjects, to debate certain issues and hopefully take the whole industry forward.” MTI has arranged meals for EuroTAC 2013, including a special dinner at a local restaurant. There will be plenty of opportunities to catch up with your colleagues in the processing industry and meet new contacts. “The networking aspect is one of the most important and the feeling that there is probably someone at the meeting who will be able to help you with something that you may be facing,” suggests Turner. To take advantage of all the meeting has to offer, visit http://mti.memberclicks.net and register for this once-per-year opportunity.

EuroTAC 2013 Preview

Networking at EuroTAC.

Bernhard Rijpkema (left) with Juan Bustillos (right) talk about FRP at EuroTAC 2012.

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The reliability of fluid-containing castings, such as pumps and valves, is critical in

chemical processing plants, which has made it a hot topic at MTI. In fact, the topic is so hot that MTI backed a Casting Quality Prediction Project, which ultimately yielded a potential preventative process that could help its members avoid costly schedule delays or even more serious in-service safety issues. “Where this becomes a big issue is on these large, one-of-a-kind castings, where a manufacturer has six months to a year invested in the up-front work,” confirms Project Champion Brian Fitzgerald of ExxonMobil. “You get far along the road with final machining, and you find a defect, then that becomes a real issue. These things are expensive in the best case, and you’ve got a lot of time invested in them.” In the worst case, you have a bigger problem than a blown schedule. “When we don’t find defects, then six months after it goes into service, we have a weeping leak that starts,” continues Fitzgerald. “It’s not a good situation when you have an acid leak or another fluid coming out. It becomes a potential safety issue for anyone who comes into contact with it, and anything that touches the ground is potential environmental issue.” To help minimize the possibility of such scenarios, MTI approached the Steel Founders Association of America (SFSA) to help develop a better detection process. “The alloys that the MTI Task Group were interested in were those that are used in aggressive corrosive media and valves/pumps that were considered to be short run items,” points out Malcolm Blair, Vice President of Technology and Chairman/Secretary ISO TC17/SC11 at SFSA. “They were not available ‘off-the-shelf.’” In other

words, they are not easily replaced.

Thinking ahead Working with the SFSA and the University of Iowa, MTI studied the Niyama criterion as a potential solution. The Niyama criterion is a common simulation output variable routinely used by foundries to detect solidification shrinkage in steel castings. It is a real quantity, with units based on the ratio of the local thermal gradient to the square root of the local cooling rate. A series of case studies showed that the cause of leakage in valve and pump castings can be attributed to micro-shrinkage, a defect too small to detect on radiographic film. Niyama values reveal those trouble spots where leaks might occur, so that necessary design adjustments can be made prior to the casting process. “Getting better castings the first time around will lower costs by reducing non-destructive examination (NDE) that we have to do and limiting rejects and recycles that the foundries have to deal with,” according to Fitzgerald. MTI and SFSA developed a two-phase approach in an effort to help industry realize those goals. Phase I of the joint study demonstrated that the Niyama calculation was a reliable predictor of solidification shrinkage in castings. In addition, the project showed that commercially available casting simulation software produced consistent Niyama values when material property data and the Niyama calculation temperature were standardized. Phase II determined that the Niyama value was an accurate predictor of the location of solidification shrinkage in nickel-base alloy castings. This portion of the project examined problems associated with limited-production cast valves used in the most

aggressive environments; custom castings that can’t be replaced off-the-shelf. One of the team’s most important achievements was development of additional thermal data sets (thermo-physical properties) for the duplex stainless steel and nickel-base alloys, particularly those that are ‘materials of choice’ in the CPI. The accurate calculation of Niyama values relies implicitly on the use of appropriate thermal data sets for the alloy being considered. Since some of the alloys of interest aren’t widely used, thermal property data simply didn’t exist, leading to the likelihood of unreliable Niyama value calculations. Developing reliable data wasn’t an easy task. “It should be pointed out that SFSA had already developed a number of other data sets,” notes Blair, adding: “MTI and SFSA agreed to exchange details of their thermal property data sets,” By its conclusion, the project generated 11 new thermal data sets, providing greater resources for everyone from foundries to engineers like Fitzgerald.

a Two-way sTreeT Ultimately, the Project Champion hopes that the program will help processing industry companies improve reliability and

Casting Quality PredictionUsing Niyama Simulations to Help Foundries Cast Better Pumps and Valves

An inside look at a failed valve.

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Using Niyama Simulations to Help Foundries Cast Better Pumps and Valves

could allow foundries to improve yield and reduce costs. Many foundries already use the software programs for which the data sets were designed, so implementation is possible without added investment or a steep learning curve. Blair cautions that solidification simulation, like Niyama, can’t overcome flawed casting designs. “This is at least a two-way street, where the casting designer and the foundry need to work together to ensure that the design is capable of producing an acceptable casting,” he explains. Blair adds that best practices include identifying critical areas of a casting that have been problematic in the past. Typically those are thermal hot spots that appear during the solidification process. “The use of this work can lead to the design of more reliable castings, as some of the current designs may not be optimized in terms of their solidification behavior,” he concludes. “Purchasers should be able to use this information to develop purchasing specifications that will allow them to create lists of qualified suppliers.” Although ExxonMobil hasn’t had the opportunity to employ the Niyama software in a castings project yet, Fitzgerald plans to take advantage of the tool the next time that the company needs a large nickel alloy or duplex stainless steel pump body. “We’re investing a little more in front-end engineering with a higher assurance that when we get to the back end we’ll have a better product and eliminate these potential safety and environmental issues,” he says. “Niyama may eliminate the problem ahead of time, rather than us depending on NDE to pick it up.” The state-of-the-art casting quality prediction process that MTI and SFSA helped develop is a step in the right direction.

revisiTing The subjecT In the meantime, MTI will revisit casting quality prediction in a follow-up presentation at

AmeriTAC 110. Blair will review Project 204-10, which expanded the previous Niyama casting quality prediction work to include thermal data sets for 5%, 9%, and 12% Cr alloys. In addition, a final report is available in the Projects section of the web site. Blair’s presentation will also show that radiography is not capable of indicating the existence of micro-shrinkage and, consequently, will not reveal easy paths for corrosive media to attack through the wall of a valve or pump. “Using solidification simulation allows the foundry to predict the Niyama values in the casting and will indicate that micro-shrinkage is unlikely in critical areas of the part,” he reports. Though SFSA’s initial joint project with MTI was completed five years ago, Blair believes that we don’t have all of the answers when it comes to Niyama. He indicates that there may be a need to provide thermal data sets for commonly used alloys that don’t have them. For instance, “Thin wall

castings (<0.5 in.) need to be studied, as in many instances, these are produced by the investment casting process,” he says. Since the investment casting process utilizes preheated ceramic shells, Blair suggests the need for a clearer understanding of the effect of preheating on the Niyama value. The castings expert notes that he plans to share more information, but adds that you will have to wait for his live presentation. For the full version, join the discussion at AmeriTAC 110.

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Niyama simulation helps foundries avoid microporosity problems.

AmeriTAC 110. Blair will review Project 204-10,

include thermal data

and 12% Cr alloys. In addition, a final report is available in the Projects section

Blair’s presentation will also show that radiography is not capable of indicating the existence of micro-shrinkage and, consequently, will not reveal easy paths for corrosive media to attack through the wall of a valve or pump. “Using solidification simulation allows the foundry to predict the

castings (<0.5 in.) need to be studied, as in many instances, these are produced by the investment casting process,” he says. Since the investment casting process utilizes

Casting defect (leaks around a gasket)

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recognizes their tremendous value to his organization. However, he advocates taking on projects at a sustainable pace. “I see a bit more focus on sustainably doing the work, rather than hitting it all at the same time and over-extending everybody,” observes Anderson. “From our perspective, I see an ongoing need for technical and knowledge development projects. I don’t see that drying up. As we invent and start to use new processes in our plants, we will continuously look for process and reliability improvements to make the most out of the infrastructure already in place. We will need to be looking at projects that are intended to give us a better understanding of the issues facing the materials engineering community. For example, what materials do we need to bring to bear to combat the corrosion issues of new processes, how do we reuse or recycle those materials that are no longer required in plants that are being decommissioned or how do we reduce the total amount of material that is required?

“Another issue that we have is being able to advance new technologies, and these could simply be the materials of construction,” suggests Anderson. “How do we justify more expensive materials in an economic environment in which the margins are small?” He believes that it is a real challenge in the industry without an easy answer, but adds, “I think we’ve got a lot of good technologies that we can apply, and MTI is one of the places that people are going to get the information they need to initiate change.” Anderson, AmeriTAC Chair David Barber, and the industry as a whole face other ‘bigger picture’ challenges in coming years. “One of the biggest that I think we need to deal with is concerning the demographics of the technical

people in all our organizations,” he believes. “What I mean by

that is the technical strength in all of our companies is biased toward the people who are going to retire fairly soon. If we don’t deal with that, as an industry, we’re going to be in trouble. We need to bring in young, straight-out-of-school engineers and get them involved in MTI, participating in meetings and leading projects. We’re getting some of those folks really involved now, but we should expand to include every company.

“I see it as a bigger issue than just within MTI. This is an industry-wide problem for materials engineers, and we’re going to see it manifest very soon. But it’s not just materials engineers. It’s not just the CPI industry. This is common everywhere and, therefore, we have to have a strategy to deal with succession. That’s something I want to see if we can tackle as an organization.

“I have enough grey hair of my own, in my early 40s,” Anderson laughs, “but we’ve got to be getting these people in who are 25 and getting them introduced into the MTI organization. I wouldn’t even say that is as much a challenge as what we’re going to accomplish by going after the larger prize – a connection to the many universities who graduate materials engineers. We have to get those bright minds that don’t necessarily know where they want to go. We need to get them into materials engineering, instead of something else, because

it’s not going to take very many years, and we’re going to lose so many people to retirement. “We can still continue to look to some people for consultancies, but there’s an end to that too. Peoples’ careers may end in a consultancy-type role, but after a while, they don’t do consulting anymore either. They’re just out of the picture completely, from a technical perspective, and we’ve got to deal with that lost resource and institutional knowledge.”

In the meantime, the new AmeriTAC Vice Chair expects information to continue to flow between today’s material experts in the online forum and at live TAC meetings. He is encouraged by the level of participation that former TAC Chair Robert Sinko helped spark at AmeriTAC and would like to see even more. “We may try something a little bit more formal where we get people to write down their top three interests and their areas of expertise,” Anderson says of his and Barber’s plans. After all, he knows firsthand where reaching for the microphone that first time followed by regular participation can ultimately lead. “I’ve enjoyed it, and I enjoy the folks that make up MTI,” concludes Anderson. “I’ve learned an incredible amount from lots of different people. This is a good opportunity for me personally – a chance to give something back, and as is always the case with MTI, receive even more in return.”

Anderson Embraces New Role > CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

AmeriTAC Vice Chair Mike Anderson (right) with Chair David Barber (left).

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some things need to change about our approach in Europe to be even more successful, and we’ll probably need to use Europe as a location to draw in a lot of the big investment that’s going on in the Middle East. We’ll be looking, I hope, at a strategy for how we continue to create a relevant MTI organization, by reaching even more globally where we see investment creating opportunity.

MTICom: What opportunities do you see for MTI for the balance of 2013 and beyond into 2014? What are some of the things you’re excited about?

Aller: I’m excited about a number of things. MTI is a stable organization, and we continue to see growth and retention of key membership through what’s been a very difficult three years for the industry and the global economy. MTI is still relevant, still strong, and still able to address the needs of the members. We have a strong foundation on which to build for the future. That gives us the opportunity to begin to look strategically at what we need to do to become even stronger. Our ability to remain viable as an organization is dependent on understanding and meeting the needs of our member companies and reaching out in different areas, in different ways, to deliver value and to grow membership. A key opportunity for us is to look at how to expand our membership with relevant companies, with particular focus on new producing members, and then adding a slate of strong supplier members that will provide synergy and enhance our organization. In addition to membership, I think we have an opportunity to evaluate our projects to make sure we identify, from a staff and project management standpoint, which ones are a bit off target in terms of our

original objectives. I would like to see us drive a project management process in a way that will allow us to deliver high quality projects every time, as quickly as we possibly can.

MTICom: John, you’ve been around the block a few times and been involved in other organizations during your career. How do you differentiate and make a case of value for MTI vis-à-vis other industrial organizations or societies? What differentiates our organization from those and creates a compelling value proposition?

Aller: In my view, there are a number of excellent organizations that have some overlap with MTI. They tend to be larger organizations, and they tend to be much slower in their ability to identify, take on, and solve problems for the industry. They generally have to achieve consensus among a broad variety of members that are not nearly as aligned as the MTI member companies. MTI has a remarkable ability to be flexible. We can be light on our feet because of the size and culture of the organization. MTI can identify, through its membership, a problem that’s relevant to the industry and can immediately go about solving that problem in a way that addresses the membership needs. Part of MTI’s uniqueness lies in the ability to create a collaborative effort among its members who are interested in a particular issue. This eliminates approaching a project from a single company perspective. This gives us a very broad approach to solving problems. At the same time, there aren’t as many constraints within MTI as can be found in other organizations, which might be larger and more bureaucratic. MTI is able to deliver unique solutions that are leveraged by its membership, so the members get an almost custom solution for their

problem, but at a much lower cost than if they try to solve it themselves, and with a much broader range of input. I think that is clearly an advantage to MTI membership.

MTICom: Tell us about your past leadership positions with MTI and how you feel they’ve prepared you for your upcoming role as Executive Director.

Aller: Most of my previous interactions with MTI have been as a representative of a member company, which allowed me to work in a broad number of responsibilities with MTI, including working on several project teams. On a few occasions, I’ve actually been a contractor to MTI on projects. I recently conducted RBI training for MTI in China, and was the contractor on two other projects. I’m fortunate to be a member of a unique group of people that have had a staff role, (since January 1), a member representative role, and a contractor role. In leadership roles, I have served as TAC Chair, Project Champion, PDC leader, Board member, and Board Committee Chair. Those roles have given me a broad perspective of the organization and the leadership needs for MTI.

I have enormous respect for the member representatives that come to MTI and take leadership roles, without any compensation, on top of their day jobs. We see these people investing in MTI because they believe so strongly in what MTI brings to them and to their organizations. My prior experiences with MTI and this perspective have helped me as I’m preparing through an Associate Director role to become the Executive Director. Over the last few months, since I’ve been looking at MTI from the staff side, I have recognized how critical the role is that staff play in

Looking Forward > CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

> CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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The last time that Randy Scheel sat at the head table at an AmeriTAC Meeting, he

was wielding a gavel. The former Chair returns to the stage at AmeriTAC 110, but in a different role. Scheel started as an MTI Associate Director in January. He believes that his

experience in leadership of TAC and on MTI’s Board of Directors will help him in his new role.

“I know lots of people, lots of people know me, and I understand the organization structure,” says the pragmatic Scheel. “Knowing the membership and having worked through all of those different issues means that I understand how the system works, what people expect and how we work together.” He also brings an in-depth understanding of materials and chemical engineering.

“The other piece, which isn’t common, is that I was a chemical plant manager,” points out Scheel. “I was also in charge of the process engineering group and had worked

for years with the process engineering side, which involved

solving the types of problems that MTI focuses on. Not management problems, but technical problems.” Not all of the challenges involved metals. “The toughest one was probably related to our use of plastic materials, in particular the furan-based fiberglass that we used in the separations plant, because there aren’t a lot of people out there who work with that and know that material,” according to Scheel. “It has unique properties and also unique challenges. There was a learning curve for all of us on that, and there weren’t a lot of people who could help us with it.”

So he turned to colleagues at MTI for an answer, posting questions on the forum and eventually getting answers that helped his team handle the situation. “That’s why I always participated a lot in the polymer- side of the meetings because that was always a big area of lack of expertise for us and an area where we needed help,” he adds. “You know, people thought of me as a metal person because I worked for ATI, but I had probably as strong a need and as strong an interest in learning about polymers, and MTI gave me a lot of that.”

Now that he is an Associate

Director, Scheel is working on a variety of projects, including onethat he is very familiar with. “I was Project Champion on a Cleaning Manual, then I turned that over to Michael Taylor (ATI) when I retired,” he says. Now the former champion is tasked with helping to finish what he started.

Scheel laughs, admiting that it wasn’t unfinished business with a cleaning manual that drew him back to MTI. “The thing I like about MTI is it’s a real community of people,” he explains. “It truly is a supportive network. I thought, ‘Well, why should I start over with a new group when there’s a group like this that I really enjoy, that is a community, and that I think I could add something back into?’”

While he is still very interested in metals and polymers projects, Scheel mentions that he hopes to help expand MTI’s reach and access to worldwide materials expertise. “I’d certainly like to be part of helping the continuing involvement of the growth of MTI on an international basis,” he says. “That is an area that I’ve always been fascinated with, ever since I was on the Board. I think it’s a real positive thing, and I would like to be part of helping that growth to continue.”

From TAC Chair to Associate Director

the organization. I’ve developed a very healthy respect for the MTI staff and find they are required to keep many activities going at the same time. It has been astonishing to see the volume of email flying around the MTI organization, and it reveals how many issues our staff addresses on a daily basis.

MTICom: You’ve done everything, seemingly, and now you’re back again. What drew you back to MTI,

and why did you decide to take on this big role?

Aller: Out of all of the experiences in my professional career, one of the things I have come to appreciate highly is the impact of materials engineering on everything in our modern society. Because of my long association with and appreciation for MTI, and because of the timing of the search for Jim Macki’s replacement, it seemed

like an ideal opportunity. MTI is the organization I’ve chosen as the vehicle to try to give something back to the materials engineering profession and hopefully to MTI. The goal for the end of my professional career is to hand over MTI to the next Executive Director with the organization being in the strongest position it has ever been. I’m looking forward to working with the staff, the board of directors, and all of my MTI colleagues.

Looking Forward > CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Randy Scheel

WINTER 2013 | 11

Former MTI member representative, BOD member and current Associate

Director Barry Greene will attend his last meeting at AmeriTAC 110 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Greene plans to retire and won’t waste any time scratching an itch to travel the world. He and wife Alice leave for a European river cruise the week after AmeriTAC, and other exotic travel plans are on the drawing board. Greene’s association with MTI has been a great journey in its own right. The longtime metallurgical engineer was active in MTI from 1988 – 2002, while working for member company BASF. He served on the Board of Directors from 1993 – 2002. After a brief hiatus from the organization, Greene was named an MTI Associate Director in 2004. He couldn’t stay away from the unique group of professionals that he had come to appreciate so much over many years. “Ever since I first became involved with MTI, I had admired and envied the organization and wished that someday I could be part of it,” he recalls. “The past directors and most of the active member company representatives were leaders in the CPI and were actively sharing valuable, non-proprietary

information with other members at the TAC meetings. In my experience, this level of sharing was and still is not available anywhere else in the world.” Twenty-five years after his first meeting, he is no less enthusiastic about the organization, and it’s clear he will miss the technical community. “MTI is just different than anything else out there,” he says. “The people are some of the best in the industry. You can get useful, practical information in a matter of minutes sometimes. The forum makes all the difference. “When I was working for BASF, I used to collect all of the instances in which information from MTI helped me do a better job. Typically, I could list 30 - 40 items during the course of a calendar year that helped me make better decisions about the use of selected welding processes, material selection, avoiding corrosion problems, and inspection methods. Many of these pieces of information saved my employer from wasting large amounts of money, prevented accidents in the field, and improved the quality and reliability of plant equipment. As a result, I never had a problem justifying BASF’s continuing membership in MTI.” Among the many MTI projects that Greene has worked on, he tabs the development of several publications as highlights, including the Damage Assessment Manual for FRP Equipment and a Damage Assessment Manual for Lined Equipment. Greene mentions other rewarding efforts that he participated in, in particular, the collection of strength data for conventional titanium (Grade 2) that convinced ASME to raise

the allowable stresses for the alloy, resulting in lower costs for CPI users of commercially pure titanium. “The project team collected data, organized and analyzed it, and presented it to the appropriate ASTM and ASME committees so that the specifications for the most commonly used grade of titanium could be modified in a way that would safely permit all industry users to use less titanium,” he remembers. “This not only saves money for many users, but it also allows them to minimize the use of an expensive resource.” Humble to a fault, getting Greene to take credit for his contributions is no easy task. “I got a lot of help from a lot of people,” he says sheepishly, adding, “I hope that I was able to reciprocate. It’s give and take.” Though Greene will soon be off on travel adventures, he plans to stay in touch. “What I’ll miss most about MTI is the personal contacts and the camaraderie,” he admits. MTI will certainly miss one of its fixtures and his wealth of institutional knowledge, a guy that will be remembered for always giving back more than he ever took.

Associate Director Greene Retiring

Barry Greene

Greene joins former Associate Director Tony Scribner who retired in December. Scribner’s farewell at AmerTAC 109.

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Quadrant Product Line Triangle

This new MTI Communications how-to column will provide tips, suggestions, and

comments about navigating, customizing, and utilizing the MTI Website. If you have any ideas or topics that you would like covered, please contact Katherine Reinecke at kreinecke@mti-global.org. In this issue, Katherine covers the interactive Event Calendar, a new online tool for MTI members.

evenT caLendar The Event Calendar tab is located in your “My MTI” menu bar and also under “My Profile” menu bar. Both buttons will link you to the same calendar. The Event Calendar lists all MTI upcoming events, Project Team GoToMeeting/teleconferences, event links, etc. This is a great resource for anything that is happening at MTI. Once you have logged into the web site and clicked on the button, you will be taken to the current month’s calendar. You will have the following options to choose from:

• You may view different months by pulling down the menu and clicking “Go” or by clicking “Prev Month”or “Next Month”

• To view a list of events – click:

Current & Upcoming Events in the upper right hand corner. This list contains entries with links to the event information; for example:

FrP inspector Training Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:00 aM Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:00 aM

• All event entries will be listed in blue on the date. You may click on the link for details regarding the entry.

• All GoToMeeting links and Teleconference dial in information will be located in the event entry.

• All meeting registration links,hotel reservation links, meeting document page links will also be contained in the event entry.

• The following link is at the bottom of the entry: Add this event to Outlook. If you have Outlook and your system is compatible, you should be able to have this event added to your personal Outlook calendar. Due to firewalls, security and other set up issues, this may not work on all computers.

If you would like an Event Calendar entry added, please send your request to the MTI Staff at mtiadmin@mti-global.org.

Website Tips and TricksMastering MTI’s Online Event Calendar