Choosing an FCCU CO promoter is no longer driven by NO_x emissions

Darin Foote is an Operations Superintendent at CHS Inc.’s Laurel refinery in Montana. While at CHS, he has held roles in refinery LP modeling, process engineering and turnaround management. Mr. Foote has been working 21 yr in the areas of crude/vacuum, FCCU, solvent extraction and fired heaters. Prior to joining CHS, he worked for Flint Hills Resources and John Zink Company in various roles. Mr. Foote earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Alexis Shackleford is an Executive Account Manager for BASF. She provides technical and commercial support for FCCUs. She joined BASF’s refining catalyst division in 2009 and has held a variety of roles, including Technology Specialist, Marketing Specialist and Technical Service Engineer. She has authored many oil and gas publications. Prior to BASF, Ms. Shackleford worked at Shell Oil Co.’s Deer Park refinery. She earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from Michigan State University, with a minor in biomedical engineering.

Aleksei Vjunov is the Global Product Manager for BASF Refining Catalysts. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Chemist and Team Leader with BASF’s Environmental Catalysis North America R&D based in Iselin, New Jersey. Dr. Vjunov earned BS and MS degrees in chemistry and a PhD in heterogeneous catalysis from TU München, Germany. Prior to joining BASF, he worked as a Researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.