S. Mark Wilhelm, Ph.D.
Mercury Technology Services
23014 Lutheran Church Road
Tomball, Texas 77375
USA
Telephone: 281 255 3775
Cell: 713 261 3154
E-mail: smw@hgtech.com
Professional Experience
Dr. Wilhelm is an internationally recognized scientist having special expertise on metal contamination in petroleum and petrochemical processes and on the environmental pollution deriving from metals in petroleum and natural gas. Dr. Wilhelm has served in an advisory capacity for numerous major energy and petrochemical companies, industry groups and the U.S. Government. He consults with companies worldwide on matters related to mercury in hydrocarbons. In 1994, Dr. Wilhelm founded Mercury Technology Services, a private consulting firm, to provide process engineering and plant services to industrial clients. As President and Technical Manager for MTS, he designs and implements mercury removal processes, waste treatment systems and decontamination procedures for refineries, gas processing facilities and chemical plants.
Dr. Wilhelm has over twenty years experience in consulting, research and project management. His technical activities are directed to solving problems related to metal contamination, predicting the fate of mercury in petrochemical processes and preventing environmental pollution. His research activities are directed to understanding the distribution of metals in distillations and separations. He has written extensively on the origins and fate of mercury in natural gas and petroleum.
Prior to founding Mercury Technology Services, Dr. Wilhelm served as Division Manager for Cortest Laboratories where he provided contract research services for clients worldwide. He has served as program manager and principle investigator for projects funded by U.S. DOE, U.S. EPA, Gas Research Institute, American Petroleum Institute and the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. He also has held positions with Battelle Memorial Institute and Exxon Production Research Company.
Since 1980, Dr. Wilhelm has been engaged as Research Associate in the Department of Chemistry of Rice University where he participates in basic chemical research in the laboratory of
Professor Norman Hackerman. His academic research interests involve the electrochemistry of metals and surface oxidation phenomena.
Education and Recognition
1975 - B. S., Chemistry, University of Texas (Arlington)
1979 - M. A., Chemistry, Rice University
1979 - Ph. D., Chemistry, Rice University
1978 - Collin Fink Award, Electrochemical Society
1979 - Sigma Xi
1989 - Sam Tour Award, ASTM
1988 - Distinguished Author, SPE
Professional and Technical Affiliations
American Chemical Society
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Society of Petroleum Engineers
Air and Waste Management Association
National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE International)
Former member, Electrochemical Society (ECS)
Former member, American Society for Metals (ASM)
Former member, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
Former member, American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM)
Former member, NACE Committee T-1, T-2, T-3, T-1F, T-1G, T-2E, T-3A, and T-1F9
Past Chairman, NACE Committee T-1F-9, Test Methods for Sulfide Stress Cracking
Past Chairman, NACE Committee T-2E, Geothermal Corrosion
Former member, ASTM Committee G-1, Corrosion Testing
Chairman, High Alloy Completions Symposium, Offshore Technology Conference (1989)
Employment
Mercury Technology Services
President and Technical Manager, 1995 to present
Founded Mercury Technology Services in 1994 to provide consulting, remediation and process engineering services to government and industrial clients. Presently serving as project manager for U.S. EPA program investigating mercury in crude oil. Consultant to industry on matters related to equipment decontamination, process chemistry and methods to remove mercury from hydrocarbons and wastewater. Developer of computational methods to determine the fate of metals in petrochemical processes.
Central Environmental, Inc.
Program Manager, 1993 to 1994
Manager of development program sponsored by the Gas Research Institute directed at methods to remove mercury contamination in pipelines, refineries, gas plants and chemical processing equipment. Developed decontamination processes for equipment and waste streams.
United Nations
Consultant, 1988 to 1995
Consultant to developing nations in the areas of petroleum production, materials and process chemistry.
Cortest Laboratories, Inc. (Intercorr International)
Manager, Chemistry Division, 1984 to 1993
Manager of technical group (20 people) involved with corrosion research, process simulation, materials selection and product development. Directed and served as principle investigator for projects involving corrosion, electrochemistry and environmental degradation of materials. Consultant to clients in the petrochemical and petroleum industries on the effects of hydrogen sulfide and mercury on engineering materials. Developed treatment chemicals for corrosion prevention and environmental remediation.
Battelle Memorial Institute
Research Scientist, 1983 to 1984
Project manager and principle investigator for contract research on corrosion, environmental chemistry and materials selection. Developed electrochemical methods and equipment for engineering applications.
Exxon Production Research Company
Research Chemist, 1979 to 1983
Technical consultant and researcher on materials for oil and gas applications. Developed performance profiles on materials for deep sour gas well environments.
Rice University, Department Of Chemistry
Research Associate, 1979 to Present
Concurrent with other employment, served as a research associate at Rice University with responsibility for the supervision of basic research on the semiconductor properties of surface oxides and the transport of hydrogen in metals and metal sulfides.
Legal
Expert opinions, depositions and expert testimony:
- Quality of crude oil containing mercury (2001)
- Remediation of mercury-contaminated residences (2001)
- Demolition of a thermometer factory (1996)
- Remediation of a mercury lamp factory (2000)
- Mercury spill in high school (2004)
- Process design (2006)
- Equipment failure (2008)
Patents
- US Patent 5,238,488 - Process and Solution for Transforming Insoluble Mercury into a Soluble Compound.
Project Experience
Publications (mercury)
Publications (materials)
