Yes — and I prefer to start with your actual plant data rather than a clean-sheet design. Send me your last tray efficiency test, the current operating conditions, and whatever simulation file exists (even a rough one). I'll rate the column against your current throughput, identify the limiting tray or section, and quantify how much additional capacity is available before the next flooding or weeping constraint. Typical deliverable: a validated Aspen Plus RadFrac model with a sensitivity study and a one-page technical memo.

Yes. I carry a $2 million professional liability (E&O) policy and $1 million general liability, both renewed annually. Certificates of insurance are available before contract execution. If your facility requires additional insured endorsements or specific coverage language, let me know during the scope call — it's a routine request and adds no delay to mobilization.

I take one or two embedded turnaround engagements per year to preserve the depth of attention each client gets. For Q3 2026 (July--September), I have capacity for one additional engagement starting no earlier than July 7. Scope calls booked before April 1 lock in that window. Engagements shorter than six weeks are typically available with two weeks' notice; anything longer requires the advance booking. Contact me now if Q3 is critical — that slot closes when it closes.

I start with the chemistry — specifically the heat of reaction, the selectivity curve versus temperature, and any solvent or catalyst constraints. From there I build a mass and energy balance at pilot scale, size the primary reactor and heat removal system, and flag every point where a scale-up assumption could be wrong. I've done this for batch, semi-batch, and continuous processes across pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, and agrochemicals. The deliverable is a pilot plant PFD with equipment specifications, a HAZOP-ready P&ID, and a written technical basis document your EPC can build from.

Every engagement starts with a mutual NDA before any data changes hands — no exceptions. I work on an air-gapped laptop for sensitive simulation files, don't use cloud-based AI tools for client data, and delete all client files at engagement close unless you request otherwise. I've held trade secret obligations under NDA for clients in specialty chemicals, petrochemicals, and defense-adjacent industrial processes for over two decades without incident.

Simulation studies run $8,000–$25,000 depending on complexity and number of unit operations. Debottlenecking packages with P&ID redlines are typically $15,000–$40,000. Embedded turnaround support is billed at a daily rate plus expenses, negotiated per engagement. Expert review and audit work is billed hourly. I don't do value-based pricing or retainers — you pay for time and deliverables, scoped clearly before work begins. The 30-minute scope call is free and produces a written scope outline you can use to get competing quotes.