Hydrocarbon Engineering Magazine | LA Turbine

FX-TURBO Help

Call LAT’s +1 855 FX-TURBO Hotline (+1 855 398 8726) any day and anytime when these situations occur regardless of the turboexpander make or
model. A FX-TURBO Specialist will quickly assess the problem and determine an action plan. LAT has you covered whether it’s troubleshooting, repairing
an entire skid, a mechanical center section (MCS), or individual components including expander and compressor wheels, shafts, inlet guide vane
assemblies, or repairs of seals or filters. No problem is too big or small for our FX-TURBO Team.

Aftermarket Services Inquiry >

Turboexpander Evaluation

We don’t just repair the part, we get to the root cause of the problem with a turboexpander evaluation. The diagnostic service includes a comprehensive review of all components and auxiliary parts and the production of a report detailing the findings and corrective action recommendations. LAT’s FX-TURBO Team will dig deep to find the right repair solution plus ensure an isolated problem or failure isn’t an indicator of something more serious happening within the mechanics, instrumentation or equipment performance.

Aftermarket Services Inquiry >

Turboexpander Applications

Following are typical turboexpander designs for midstream and downstream applications.

	TURBOEXPANDER-COMPRESSOR		ARES AMB TURBOEXPANDER- COMPRESSOR
	Oil Bearings	AMB (Off Skid)	AMB (On Skid)
HYDROCARBON PROCESSING
Dew Point Control
Ethylene and Propylene
LNG Boil-Off Gas (LNG BOG)
LNG Liquefication
LNG Peak Shaving
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Natural Gas Liquefaction (NGL)
Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH)
Refinery
INDUSTRIAL GAS
Air Separation
Helium
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
POWER RECOVERY/POWER GENERATION
Geothermal
Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
Pressure Letdown
Waste Heat Recovery

ARES AMB Turboexpander-Compressor with On-Skid Control System - Now Available!

Turboexpander Design & Manufacturing Configurations & Specifications

ARES AMB Turboexpander - Exploded View

Turboexpander-Compressor Oil Bearing Exploded View

Steven Bond

Core Engineering Manager

As Core Engineering Manager, Steven Bond is responsible for managing the schedules and design implementation of the turboexpander for new and aftermarket machines. His focus is to ensure all members of the engineering team fully embrace and maximize the use of the latest software technology in their work as this is key to ensuring L.A Turbine stays on the cutting edge of the industry. Before stepping into this role, Steven held the position of design engineer for turboexpander core and skid designs.

Before joining L.A. Turbine, Steven worked as a stress analyst for The Parsons Corporation in Pasco, WA where he designed and analyzed equipment for the destruction of chemical weapons and the storage of nuclear waste. He then joined ASC Process Systems in Valencia, CA as a project engineer and designed, analyzed, and managed project schedules for autoclaves used in the manufacture of composites.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Walla Walla University in College Place, Washington. Steven is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of California.

Contact Steven

John Maskaluk

Founder

John L. Maskaluk founded and has led the growth and development of L.A. Turbine since 2002. In his role as Founder, Mr. Maskaluk oversees and manages the company’s engineering, manufacturing, operations and sales organizations across the globe including L.A. Turbine’s sales and service centers located in the U.S.A., Europe, Middle East and Asia.

For more than 35 years, John Maskaluk has been involved in the design and manufacturing of highly-engineered technical and mechanical products including time spent as general manager with Philadelphia Gear Corporation and five years as operations manager for Rotoflow Corporation.

Mr. Maskaluk is a member of the American Society for Quality Control and is also certified as an ISO 9000 Quality System Auditor and in South Coast Air Quality Management (AQMD). Additional certifications include Fire Prevention and Hazard Communication (OSHA) and Lean Manufacturing and Operations.

John Maskaluk holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Zenobe Gramme College in Belgium.

Contact John

Kathie Ulloa

Human Resources Manager

As the Human Resources Manager, Kathie Ulloa brings more than 20 years of experience in human resource (HR) planning, talent acquisition and management, leadership development, compensation and recognition, diversity, workplace and personnel programming to L.A. Turbine. In her leadership roles, Kathie has demonstrated great success in helping fast-growth companies achieve their goals by aligning people strategies with business strategies, with particular emphasis on small to mid-size organizations. Kathie is taking this approach in her leadership of L.A. Turbine’s global talent acquisition and retention strategies; compensation and benefit administration; employee relations policies, practices, and regulation compliance; and with the design of the Company’s personnel roadmap for future growth.

Ms. Ulloa has a diverse background of HR experience in the professional services, technology, cinema, manufacturing and healthcare sectors. Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Kathie held the positions of Regional Human Resources Manager for Abeo Management and served as a Resources Business Leader at Harison Toshiba, providing support to 200+ employees and their operating unit leaders. Her experience with both companies includes the creation of a talent management program focused on career pathing and succession planning, compensation program management, Affirmative Action and EEO compliance, HRIS management, and the development of employee policy and procedures. Kathie also has extensive training in, and earned the designation of leadership coach.

Contact Kathie

Daniel Jackson

Operations Manager

As Operations Manager, Daniel Jackson oversees the people, processes, material and equipment investments needed to provide aftermarket services and manufacture, assemble, test and deliver new turboexpander equipment designs on-time and on -budget within L.A. Turbine’s 90,000 sqf. manufacturing facility.

Specifically, Daniel is responsible for assessing the supply chain to ensure vendor integrity, material quality, competitive pricing, inventory availability and delivery timeliness. In addition, he is responsible for identifying cost-savings and ensuring fiscal prudence with inventory investments, manufacturing processes and product delivery. Jackson also ensures L.A. Turbine’s significant technology investments in software, diagnostic tools and varied CNC equipment are fully utilized.

L.A. Turbine takes pride in our people, their talents and contributions. As such, Daniel makes certain our operations team members feel engaged and valued in their position and empowered to make recommendations on process improvements. Quality, reliability, performance and safety are integral to our people and products thus he also ensures compliance with quality and safety standards.

Daniel brings 20+ years of engineering, operations, training and management experience gained within the marine industry. His accomplishments include the post-assessment implementation of new systems and processes resulting in significant cost-savings, heightened employee morale and outstanding customer service ratings. L.A. Turbine also benefits from his experience surveying new ship construction building and his hands-on work on aftermarket engine and hydraulic designs, electronic fuel systems and computer diagnostics. His attention to detail, emphasis on efficiency, commitment to quality, fiscal attentiveness and his demonstrated ability to meet deadlines serve L.A. Turbine well.

He is a Yachtmaster Offshore Captain and holds multiple Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Royal Yachting Association (RYA) licenses and certifications related to engine operations, maintenance and engineering.

Contact Daniel

Shawne Thiry

Vice President of Marketing

Shawne Thiry brings more than 25 years of marketing, sales, business development and corporate communication experience to the position of Vice President of Marketing. In this role, she has responsibility for all marketing activities including strategic marketing, public relations, communications, branding, advertising and events for L.A. Turbine and the company’s global partners.

Prior to joining the company in 2013, Shawne worked as a consultant providing strategy, marketing, event and project management services on behalf of agencies and corporate clients. It was in this capacity that she began working with L.A. Turbine.

Before working as a consultant, Thiry worked for Carlson Marketing Group (CMG), a privately-held global marketing agency, marketing services solutions for employee, channel and consumer audiences. While serving as a relationship marketing executive for CMG, she built and managed a multi-million dollar portfolio of Fortune 500 companies in the technology, consumer products, manufacturing and service sectors. As an account executive she was responsible for proposal development, program design, project management and delivery of client marketing programs. During her ten years with the company, Shawne received several awards for superior performance achievements and leadership contributions.

She began her career working for NCR Comten, a subsidiary of NCR Corporation (NCR), in a public relations capacity. Her responsibilities included employee, media, consultant and analyst relations, and event staging. She was promoted to NCR’s corporate headquarters where she handled global media relations and provided support to the executive office.

Shawne holds a Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration-Marketing degree and a Masters in Business Communications certificate from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Contact Shawne

Frank Loth

Quality Assurance Manager

As Quality Assurance Manager, Frank Loth manages all aspects of the quality assurance and quality control departments at L.A. Turbine. Quality in the design, manufacturing and delivery is tantamount to L.A. Turbine’s success thus Frank plays a critical role in ensuring all standards are met. As such, he develops and implements quality management systems to comply with, and be certified to, the ISO9001 Standard as well as performs internal and external audits for system compliance and subcontractor accountability for the Company. He is certified as an AS9100 and AS9110 Lead Auditor and an ISO9001 Internal Auditor. He is also certified in Lean Manufacturing Practices and Quality Circle Leadership.

Frank brings significant quality experience in the aerospace and aviation manufacturing industry where precision and performance is vitally important and carefully scrutinized as it is with turboexpander design/re-design work. Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Loth worked with Singapore Airlines/SIA Engineering, Hawker Pacific Aerospace, Swiss Air/SR Technics and Continental Airlines.

In addition to his professional experience, Frank Loth attended North Valley Occupational Center where he studied Airframe and Powerplant Systems and became a Federal Aviation Administration-Licensed Aircraft Mechanic. He also holds a Federal Communication Commission Repair License in Aviation and Electronics and studied mechanical drafting at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California.

Contact Frank

Feng Sun

Design Engineer

As a Design Engineer at L.A. Turbine, Feng Sun performs turboexpander core design to ensure the product design for new and aftermarket equipment complies with all industrial standards, satisfies customer performance requirements, and of crucial importance, ensures the product is delivered in a quality and timely manner. Detailed engineering tasks include layout design, finite element analysis (FEA) for design optimization, rotor dynamics calculation, bearing design, three-dimensional modeling, two-dimensional drawing, and machine shop assistance for both new equipment design, and aftermarket repair and redesign projects.

Sun is not only a talented engineer, but he is also a high achiever academically who holds a Ph.D., has done post doctorate research, has research findings published and served as a university lecturer. His Ph.D. and postdoctoral research focused on applying engineering principles in the medical practices, e.g. cryosurgery and laser therapy. The engineering principles used in this research and turboexpander design is fundamentally the same, such as heat transfer, mass transfer, momentum transfer and thermodynamics, etc., which govern the transport phenomena that occurs in a variety of fields. Feng’s work appears in the International Journal of Spray and Combustion Dynamics and Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Feng Sun instructed at the University of California, Riverside in the Department of Mechanical Engineering where he taught undergraduate courses in Dynamics, Transport Phenomena and Introduction to Mechanical Engineering.

Feng Sun earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio and his Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. A native of China, Feng earned his Bachelor of Science in Foundry Technology from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in Beijing, China. In addition to English, he fluently speaks and writes Mandarin Chinese.

Contact Feng

Chad Maccanelli

Customer Service and Experience Manager

L.A. Turbine is a recognized leader in providing aftermarket services and solutions for the turboexpander market. One of the reasons for this success is due to point people like Chad Maccanelli, L.A. Turbine’s Customer Service and Experience Manager. Since 2013, Chad has provided timely and thorough responses to parties seeking turboexpander advice and problem resolution with applications and configurations, performance, operations, equipment repair, spare parts and commissioning. In addition to serving as the global liaison and primary point of contact for all customers, he is responsible for maintaining the Company’s aftermarket database to track performance and service data for LAT branded and non-OEM turboexpander equipment.

As of October 2018, Chad’s role officially expanded to include a focus on the customer experience being provided to both internal and external clients. Shortly thereafter, in January 2019, Chad assumed additional responsibility for LAT’s turboexpander training program curriculum and products.

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Mr. Maccanelli held the position of Manager, Service Parts & Logistics for Capstone Turbine, a gas turbine manufacturer serving the oil and gas industry. In his role, Chad implemented numerous processes to refine inventory management, expedite the parts order-to-delivery cycle, help realize significant company cost savings, and ultimately, improve the overall customer service experience.

Chad has achieved the status of a Six Sigma Black Belt and is a member of the Gas Processors Association (GPA), Rocky Mountain Chapter. He holds a B.A. in Finance from California State University, Northridge campus.

Contact Chad

David Bloss

Director of Field Service

David M. Bloss brings more than 35 years of extensive customer service, project management and international sales experience to his position as Director of Field Service for L.A. Turbine. In this position, Bloss’ responsibilities include the coordination and scheduling of all field service, commissioning, and equipment training in-house and in the field. In addition, he plays a critical role in supporting L.A. Turbine customers by responding to emergency and technical calls, and determining the first-response action plan.

David Bloss joined L.A. Turbine in 2009 as Director of Sales for our applications and aftermarket global sales team. Prior to this he worked with Smith International, Rotoflow, Atlas Copco and General Electric where he served in a variety of positions including Project Management Leader, Regional Sales Manager – Far East, Sales Manager, and Customer Service Manager.

David completed studies in Machine Design and Industrial Technology at Fullerton College in California. His continuing education pursuits include management training classes in lean manufacturing, project management, export controls, Six Sigma Quality Systems, and sales management and sales leadership courses.

Contact David

Julia Budiharso

Director of Project Management

As Director of Project Management, Julia Budiharso oversees and facilitates the successful delivery of projects within L.A. Turbine and ultimately to our global customers. On a daily basis, Budiharso manages projects within the constraints of scope, quality, time and cost to deliver specified requirements while meeting the project objectives and ultimately achieving high customer satisfaction. She is precise in her project timeline planning and scheduling and provides timely and quality communication to all of her stakeholders. Budiharso is well respected among her L.A. Turbine peers and within her global client base.

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine in 2008, Julia Budiharso held a variety of positions during her 10 years at Arvato Digital Services (formerly Bertelsmann Services Inc.) including planner, supply chain analyst, supply chain manager and project manager. Her responsibilities included working on global projects for multinational companies, many representing the Fortune 500. She also worked with GNP Computers as a Configuration Management Specialist.

Julia Budiharso has a Bachelor of Science in Production Operation Management from California State University in Los Angeles, and a Master of Business Administration in Management from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California.

Contact Julia

Troy O’Steen

Director of Sales

As Director of Sales, Troy O’Steen brings more than 14 years of highly specialized sales experience to our customers in the natural gas processing, geothermal power production and liquid natural gas (LNG) industries. His responsibilities include directing and managing the sales team for all new and aftermarket turboexpander products and field service needs within the United States and Canada. Prior to being appointed to this leadership position, Troy has also held management positions in field service management, aftermarket project management, and marketing and customer service within L.A. Turbine.

O’Steen has the unique ability to understand the Customer’s business need and economic impact of the solution at a corporate level yet he also comprehends and is able to speak to the technical aspects of the equipment performance and functionality at the plant level. As such, Troy O’Steen is well respected within his client base as demonstrated by the number of customers who return to L.A. Turbine for future purchases.

Troy is a member of the Rocky Mountain Gas Processors Association (RMGPA) and a member of the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA).

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Troy O’Steen worked for pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in specialized allergy and asthma products and vaccine sales. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California and an Associate of Science in Biology from College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.

Contact Troy

Jackie Yeh

Director of Applications

Jackie Yeh brings an exceptional understanding of turboexpander gas dynamics for the oil and gas industry to her position as Director of Applications for L.A. Turbine. In this role, Jackie Yeh is responsible for understanding and defining the technical and commercial requirements for turboexpander projects as well as testing the mechanical and performance elements of the designed equipment. It is critical to understand the physical reaction of the gas when processed through a turboexpander in order to specify and design the proper size and type of machinery.

Specifically, Yeh reviews the client bid/specifications and contractual terms and conditions which results in the definition of the technical proposal, pricing and production schedules for the response. Not only is Jackie involved in the proposal or concept development phase but she is also responsible for overseeing the final production, testing and delivery stage to ensure complete mechanical and performance compliance.

Jackie’s additional professional accomplishments include the design of industry/equipment-specific engineering tools that improve overall turboexpander design efficiency and her innovative thinking has resulted in the development of an application budgeting tool which gives non-gas dynamics engineers the capability to perform preliminary sizing which results in faster turnaround for budgetary proposals. Jackie is also Six Sigma Green Belt certified.

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Jackie Yeh worked for GE Oil & Gas as a Design Engineer–Gas Dynamics for turboexpander products including turboexpander-generators, turboexpander-compressors and turboexpander-Dyno products.

Jackie Yeh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from California Polytechnic State University in Pomona, California.

Contact Jackie

Tadeh Avetian

Director of Engineering

As Director of Engineering at L.A. Turbine, Tadeh Avetian is responsible for supervising, guiding and directing the Company’s global engineering team. He is also responsible for identifying and defining research and development projects as well as directing the implementation of new ideas in turboexpander design for new and aftermarket equipment.

Tadeh brings a renewed focus on first principles of engineering and the importance of simulation technology and techniques in the design of complex turbomachinery. With this approach, optimization strategies are employed in the design processes and result in increased confidence in performance and reliability. Engineering expertise and state-of-the-art technology, coupled with in-house manufacturing, assembly and testing capabilities allow L.A. Turbine to deliver faster-to-market solutions for customers.

Tadeh returns to L.A. Turbine after serving in a leadership role as Senior Design Engineer at Hyperloop One, an upstart company designing the next generation of high-speed transportation. Simultaneously, Tadeh also served as an adjunct engineering lecturer at the College of the Canyons. Tadeh first joined L.A. Turbine in 2011 as a Core Design Manager and worked with the company until 2015. His responsibilities included designing all new and custom turboexpanders and supporting the design of auxiliary systems. Prior to working at L.A. Turbine, Tadeh held the position of Rotating Machinery Engineer at Technip USA, Inc. (now TechnipFMC). In this role, he specified, sourced and evaluated equipment for the construction of hydrocarbon processing plants, refineries and petrochemical facilities.

Tadeh Avetian is a California-registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California.

Contact Tadeh

David Dorough

Managing Director, L.A. Turbine Europe

As CFO at L.A. Turbine, David Dorough, CPA and CMA, oversees finance, accounting, reporting, and financial planning and analysis for the business globally. Dorough brings many years of experience in the areas of financial services and manufacturing gained while working for global clients of a multinational accounting firm as well as for both publicly and privately held companies.

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, David was the Controller and an officer at Gruber Systems, a provider and manufacturer of composite-based products, services and systems. Before working with Gruber Systems, he served as the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis and as an officer at SunGard, a financial services software company specializing in cash flow management and liquidity solutions. He began his career working with Deloitte as a Supervising Senior Accountant serving many prestigious office of the chairman clients within the manufacturing and financial services sector.

David Dorough earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting with a Japanese Minor as well as a Masters in Accountancy (MAcc) from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Since 1998, he is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).

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Danny Mascari

President

As President of L.A. Turbine, Danny Mascari manages and oversees all functions of the Company on a global basis. Since November 2010, Mascari has been instrumental in the growth and development of new markets and has led strategic initiatives in the areas of engineering design, productivity, manufacturing processes and quality improvements. In addition, he oversees and directs sales and marketing efforts in North America, South America, Asia and Australia.

Danny Mascari holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Woodbury University in Burbank, California. Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Mascari worked with Studio Pali Fekete.

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Christian Maskaluk

Managing Director, L.A. Turbine Europe

In his role as Managing Director, Christian Maskaluk is responsible for the growth, expansion and distribution of L.A. Turbine’s products and services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Prior to joining L.A. Turbine, Christian held various global business development, sales and export management positions in Belgium and Spain within the fast growing wireless, broadcast and storage technology business segments. Developing new distribution channels in Europe and Africa were among his key responsibilities in these positions.

In addition to his business acumen and technical knowledge, the Company also benefits from Christian’s language skills. He speaks French and English fluently, is bilingual in Spanish, and has a passive knowledge of Japanese.

Christian Maskaluk holds a Master’s Degree in Business Management from EPM School in Brussels, Belgium and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Business Engineering Degree from L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in Liege, Belgium. Continuing education courses include attendance at numerous seminars and training in sales and marketing in the United States and Europe.

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Tadeh Avetian

Tadeh Avetian is currently Director of Engineering at L.A. Turbine in Valencia, California, where he is responsible for identifying and defining research and development projects and directing turboexpander design for new and aftermarket equipment. Mr. Avetian first joined L.A. Turbine in 2011 as Core Design Manager. His responsibilities included designing all new and custom turboexpanders and supporting the design of auxiliary systems. Mr. Avetian previously held the position of Rotating Machinery Engineer at Technip USA, Inc. (now TechnipFMC). In this role, he specified, sourced and evaluated equipment for the construction of hydrocarbon processing plants, refineries and petrochemical facilities. Mr. Avetian is a California-registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California.

Luis E. Rodriguez

Luis E. Rodríguez is a Design Engineer with L.A. Turbine in Valencia, California, where he is responsible for the mechanical design of turboexpanders. Previously, he served for 10 years in the engineering department of Sulzer Turbo Services (now Sulzer Rotating Equipment Services) in La Porte, Texas. He has co-authored papers published in the ASME Journal of Tribology and the STLE transactions. He holds a B.S. degree from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela (2001), and a M.S. from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas (2004). He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Texas since 2007 (currently inactive).

Junyoung Park Ph.d

Junyoung Park, Ph.D is the Rotating Machinery Leader Engineer at SAMSUNG ENGINEERING Co. Ltd. Since joining the company in 2008, his responsibilities include detail engineering of rotating machinery and trouble shooting of mechanical vibration issues, mainly in Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Plants. He is involved in several on-going projects working with rotating machinery, such as pumps, compressors, turbines and expander-compressors. Dr. Park received his M.S degree (Mechanical Engineering, 2002) from University of Southern California and Ph.D degree (Mechanical Engineering, 2008) from Texas A&M University.

During his Ph.D period, he worked with several research projects sponsored by NASA. He is a member of KCIMD (Korea Certification Institute for Machine Diagnostics).

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Steven Bond

John Maskaluk

Kathie Ulloa

Daniel Jackson

Shawne Thiry

Frank Loth

Feng Sun

Chad Maccanelli

David Bloss

Julia Budiharso

Troy O’Steen

Jackie Yeh

Tadeh Avetian

David Dorough

Danny Mascari

Christian Maskaluk

Tadeh Avetian

Luis E. Rodriguez

Junyoung Park Ph.d