Mr. Donald R. Palys, P.E.
Background
Mr. Palys has over 28 years of experience in the electric utility, process and heavy manufacturing industries. He has served as a Manager with hands-on experience and Consultant in a number of areas related to distribution electrical systems. He managed a number of engineers and designers in the development of projects constructing high and low voltage power distribution conductors, transformation, switchgear, instrumentation and control practices for utility organizations and industrial corporations. His experience with projects such as this makes him an excellent candidate for Project Manager.
Education
BS, Electrical Engineering, State University NY at Buffalo
Subsequent course attendance includes: Substation Engineering; Grounding & Relaying Applications; Power Systems Transient Analysis & Surge Protection.
Member of IEEE Industry Applications, Engineering management, and several Power Engineering Societies.
Licensed
Professional Engineer: New York,
New Jersey.
Relevant
Job Experience and Performance
Commonwealth Edison – Lead Consultant on assessment of eight major outages suffered during the summer of 1999. Duties included inspections of substations, manholes and cable vaults where failure occurred and review of system switching records. Development of assessment on reasons, including recommendations for operational modifications.
Black
& Veatch - Program/Project Manager responsible for multiple
turnkey EPC projects, concurrently in progress under the New York Power
Authority’s Electrotechnologies Program.
Contract scope included study, recommendation, design and build
functions. The DSM/energy
efficiency improvement projects, were at various large NYPA customers located
within NY City. Representative
projects involved expansion, upgrading, or newly integrated central chilled
water plant installations, at educational and health care campuses, with added
capacities of 3,000 to 8,000 T. Major
components included package chillers, cooling towers, condenser and chilled
water distribution piping, electrical utility interface, transformation,
primary and secondary power distribution, switchgear, instrumentation and
control, sitework and utilities, structure, demolition, etc.
Determinations of individual project viability were closely tied to
payback from projected savings due to efficiency improvement based reductions
in energy consumption.
Black & Veatch -Electrical Manager responsible for performance of an electrical discipline group of up to 20 engineers, designers, technicians, in conduct of industrial, university and utility oriented practice. Major clients included various IBM facilities, AT&T, NYNEX DASNY, Dartmouth, Vassar and several other college campuses, Central Hudson Gas & Electric and numerous others. Extensive experience within process environments highlights knowledge of, and sensitivity to, the impact of schedules and downtime with emphasis upon safety, reliability, efficiency, maintainability and cost effectiveness. Activities included stand-alone electrical prime, and electrical support of multi-discipline projects.
Low, medium, and high voltage power distribution, 120 V thru 115 kV, included many combinations of subsurface & overhead conductoring; transformation; new switchgear and modifications to existing; overcurrent & overvoltage protection; emergency, standby, peak shaving generation; power quality investigations; lightning protection.
Instrumentation & Control included individual stand-alone PLC, DDC, loop control, relay logic, as well as integrated applications in conjunction with DCS and SCADA systems via copper conductor and/or fiber optic data highway. Motor control implementations included the variety of full & reduced voltage, solid state, and variable frequency equipment.
Multi-functional responsibility included individual project management, project engineering, business unit co-management, marketing and business development, preparation of proposals and estimates, contract negotiation, and litigation support as expert witness.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company - As Inspection Engineer, performed engineering/quality based audits at suppliers of electrical and gas distribution products. On-site evaluation of production and QA methods, capabilities, and compliance with specifications. Resolution of design, manufacturing and product failure problems was routine. Contributed to revision of several distribution product standards. Travel primarily within the eastern half of the country.
Consulting Engineer - Sole proprietorship in conduct of a consulting engineering practice, self limited to electrical power distribution, control and utilization. Services were provided primarily to upstate NY process industries (paper, glass, chemicals), from his Syracuse offices. Full engineering services included: specification and design; surveys of existing systems, equipment & operations; planning and recommendations regarding installation, upgrading & expansion; preparation of project budget estimates; bid & contract documents; evaluation of quotations & bids; construction monitoring. Clients included Crown Zellerbach Corp, Corning Glass Works, IBM, others. Membership was maintained, through 1986, in the American Consulting Engineers Council.
Bussmann Manufacturing Div., McGraw-Edison Co. - District Manager responsible, in central New York State, for applications & sales engineering of fusible overcurrent protective devices for medium & low voltage power systems, control and electronic circuitry. With emphasis upon an engineering based market approach, conducted numerous seminars and participated in others’ instructional activities stressing proper engineering practice in selection & application of electrical system components & protective equipment, based upon circuit characteristics, component withstand capabilities, and code compliance.