Robert Frank

Background

About Robert Frank

Mr. Frank is a Professional Engineer with over 35 years in the utility industry including over 30 years in fossil R&D. He is currently developing a predictive maintenance program for the Idaho National Laboratory as well as consulting for the power industry and is responsible for developing technologies for GHG accounting and mitigation as well as plant assessments and troubleshooting. Major focus is on power generation and energy intensive industries both in the US and abroad. As Director of the EPRI I&C Center, he initiated the development of instrumentation to measure pulverized coal flow on-line and improved combustion measurement and control. Mr. Frank’s previous responsibilities include the development, installation, and evaluation of power plant technologies including in-situ boiler sensors, pulverized coal flow, and on-line heat rate monitoring. As Predictive Maintenance (PDM) Manager at the EPRI M&D Center, developed PDM guidelines, managed machinery condition monitoring systems installation, evaluation, and technology transfer for the utility industry, conducted training and evaluated benefits of PDM. While at TVA, Mr. Frank planned and implemented a program to integrate diagnostic and predictive maintenance techniques in TVA power plants. The systems that were included in integration are slag deposition monitor tests (including Bull Run), acoustic tube leak detector, heat rate monitor, portable vibration monitoring, and others. Mr. Frank has BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee and is a member of ASME and ISA and is the co-patent holder of the Adjustable coal riffler