Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Wyoming, 2006
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Chemical and Mechanical, Florida, #97967
  • Professional Engineer, Illinois, #62065304
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Louisiana, #0045069
  • Professional Engineer, Mississippi, #34718
  • Professional Engineer, Texas, #138588
  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Certification (HAZWOPER)
  • Associate Safety Professional (ASP)
Professional Affiliations
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers—AIChE (member)
  • National Association of Fire Investigators—NAFI (member)
  • National Fire Protection Association—NFPA (member)
  • Past Professional Affiliations
  • American Chemical Society—ACS (past member)
  • American Society for Testing and Materials—ASTM, Committee E27 on Hazard Potential of Chemicals
  • Session Chair for “Developing an Operational Discipline Program,” 28th Center for Chemical Process Safety International Conference (2013)
  • Session Chair for “Sustaining and Improving an Operational Discipline Program,” 28th Center for Chemical Process Safety International Conference (2013)
  • Session Chair for “Risk Management: Journey of Continuous Improvement,” 29th Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2014)
  • Session Co-Chair for “Enhanced Stakeholder Knowledge,” 30th Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2015)
  • Session Chair for “Enhanced Application of Lessons Learned,” 31st Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2016)
  • Session Chair for “Vibrant Management Systems and Intentional Competency Development,” 31st Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2016)
  • Session Co-Chair for “Featured CCPS Projects,” 32nd Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2017)
  • Session Co-Chair for “Manage Risk – The Management Element,” 32nd Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2017)
  • Session Co-Chair for “Manage Risk – The Human Element,” 32nd Center for Chemical Process Safety Internal Conference (2017)
  • Session Chair for “Process Safety,” 12th AIChE Southwest Process Technology Conference (2020)
  • Session Chair for “Process Safety,” 13th AIChE Southwest Process Technology Conference (2021)

Dr. Hart is a chemical engineer with over a decade of experience in providing technical consulting services to clients in a wide range of settings including industrial and large commercial, chemical plants, refineries, gas production and handling facilities, and commercial transportation. His experience has been distributed between investigating incidents to determine cause and contributing factors as well as providing clients with data and analysis to mitigate risks. Oftentimes these investigation rely upon expertise from additional supporting experts, and he has the experience of identifying, assembling, and managing large multi-disciplinary investigations in order to ensure his clients have the data and information needed to support their analyses.

Dr. Hart is an active professional in local and national chemical process safety communities. In addition to his technical committee memberships and publications, he has served in leadership roles in the field of chemical process safety through the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Global Congress on Process Safety.

INVESTIGATIONS OF FIRES, EXPLOSIONS

Dr. Hart's has testimony experience with investigations of fires and explosions that have encompassed a broad range of applications - everything from large industrial and chemical plants to residential settings and consumer projects. Specific issues within these projects that have been addressed by Dr. Hart include origin analysis, fire and damage pattern interpretations, fire dynamics, fuel characterization, self-heating (spontaneous combustion), flammable vapor dispersion, ignition source determination — ultimately culminating in determination of the cause and contributory factors of the incident. As a chemical engineer, Dr. Hart has expertise with assessing and evaluating process instrumentation (PI) data in support of his investigations. In addition to his investigation background, Dr. Hart has performed independent research in these areas which have been produced in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.

INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Dr. Hart has applied his expertise and training to assist clients in a range of industries with issues related to hazardous materials, including hazardous material characterization, contamination issues, environmental fate, chemical reactions. These projects have included waste handling facilities, chemical production plants, food processing facilities, storage warehouse, and oil and gas plants. Through these projects and his independent studies, Dr. Hart has developed the expertise to identify and assess potential hazard effects for a wide range of hazardous materials — addressing explosion versus flash fire, toxic exposure, degradation and reactivity potential, and process equipment/material incompatibility. Additionally, Dr. Hart has experience in the design of high temperature and high-pressure experimental techniques, chemical analysis, and analytical chemistry methodologies and interpretations.

Dr. Hart has also been trained in the use of the consequence and hazard analysis software tools, both in-house and commercial (such as PHAST, licensed by DNV-GL). Dr. Hart has applied the calculation tools and other consequence and risk assessment methodologies in assisting clients with regulatory permit applications for LNG import/export terminals, assessing project risk in the pre-FEED stages of plant design, conducting facility siting studies, building siting evaluations in support of API 752 and API RP 753, performing EPA Risk Management Plan (RMP) evaluations, evaluating natural gas blowdowns, and in fire and explosion investigations.

PROCESS SAFETY AND RISK CONSULTING

In part due to the emphasis of Dr. Hart's expertise with industrial and chemical plant incident investigations, process safety management has been a core topic addressed by Dr. Hart on dozens of projects. These projects include assisting clients with identifying process safety management breakdowns and potential corrective actions in non-litigation settings, addresses incidents involving process safety programs (such as Lock-out/Tag-out, LOTO, hot work permits, confined space entry, process hazard analysis, PHA) in litigation, and identifying, evaluating, and communicating hazards and risks to project stakeholders (including governmental organizations and the public). Dr. Hart has also performed independent research in process safety and risk, resulting in peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings, and guest speaker opportunities.

Dr. Hart's career in process safety and risk consulting has not only provided clients with the understanding and appreciation for hazards and risks associated with their projects, but he has also worked with clients to develop novel risk mitigation strategies. Examples include development of flammable vapor cloud mitigation via use of turbulence and obstructions, reducing incident likelihood through novel pipe and equipment barriers, and use of barriers to shield against explosion overpressures and fire radiation effects.