Bolting Combo Course

Length:  days  CEUs:   PDHs: 

Randy Wacker, P.E., has over 35 years of experience in the design, specification, maintenance and troubleshooting of process equipment. This includes working in various capacities for over 20 years in three DuPont Petrochemical Plants, and an additional 13 years as a consultant in the DuPont Engineering Technology, Process Equipment Group.

Mr. Wacker is currently the Senior Consultant for Inertech, Inc., where he provides PVRC leak-tight gasket solutions for bolted flange connections and a wide range of process equipment. He is a committee member of the ASME Special Working Group for Bolted Flange Connections, ASME RTP-1 FRP Committee, ASTM F03 on Gaskets, the SAE AMS Aerospace G9 Committee on Sealing, and spent over seven years as member of the NBIC (National Board Inspection Code). He is also a member of the European Sealing Association (ESA), the Fluid Sealing Association (FSA), and is a founding member of the Advisory Group that developed the training program for ASME PCC-1 Bolting Specialist Qualification. Mr. Wacker has authored ASME PVP 2008-61410 (finite element analysis for the PVRC BFJ committee), and has recently published ten magazine articles that discuss various sealing considerations for bolted flange connections.

Patrick Cooper, P.E., has over 35 years of experience in the design, specification, maintenance and troubleshooting of process equipment within the petrochemical industry. He has held lead project engineering roles on several mega onshore and offshore oil and gas projects in North America, while at Shell. He provided machinery technical support to the downstream refining and chemical plants along the gulf coast. His upstream experience focused on facility and production design of offshore floating production facilities along with onshore heavy oil facilities. During his career at Shell, he developed and delivered several technical training courses for new technical professionals, globally.

Patrick brings his knowledge and experience of bolting and flange design to the classroom to share design and maintenance practices for achieving flange tightness after maintenance turnarounds and commissioning/startup of new production facilities. He is an adjunct instructor at Fletcher Technical Community College, delivering oil and gas production/refining courses. He has been a member of ASME for 37 years and serves on the University of Louisiana Mechanical Engineering Industry Advisory Board, advising university staff on research and curriculum to address industry’s technical needs. 

John D. Lay is the Director of Training for Hytorc, the largest manufacturer of hydraulic bolting tools, responsible for North and South America. He has been involved in the teaching of both the theoretical and practical aspects of heavy industrial bolting since 2003 and has been involved in corporate training for over 20 years. John has assisted in the development of several multimedia courses that have been adopted as teaching standards for union apprentice programs in the millwright and pipefitter trades across North America. He is an Affiliate Member of ASME and brings a practical view of complex problems that can be understood by workers and non-engineers, yet withstands the rigors of quantitative review. He is a member of the ASME Bolting Specialist Qualification Program Advisory Committee. John is also an adjunct faculty member at Texas A&M University Engineering Extension Service, for which he teaches the OSHA #7110 - Safe Bolting: Principles & Practices course.

Chris Krantz (BS, MS) is the Training Manager for Hytorc. With more than a decade of hands-on experience in all facets of industrial bolting, particularly in the petrochemical area, he brings a unique combination of practical and theoretical experience to the subject of bolted joint integrity. His expertise extends beyond the nuts and bolts to the design and application of data and learning management systems in support of plant and process controls.

Chris is the key qualifier/inspector/trainer and advisory group member responsible for vetting Authorized Training Providers under the new ASME Bolting Specialist Qualification Program. This innovative blended-learning approach to assembler qualification has benefitted directly from his design ideas for testing centers and competence evaluation criteria. He teaches the ASME “Principles of Bolted Joints per PCC-1-2013” (ASME PD577) and is the principal instructor for the OSHA Training Institute “Safe Bolting: Principles and Practices” (OSHA #7110) course. Chris brings a practical and approachable feel to his classroom that makes the technical aspects of joint assembly more clear and understandable to both engineers and senior maintenance personnel. 

David E. Lay, BA, MBA, is the Director of Training for Hytorc, the largest manufacturer of hydraulic bolting tools. He has been involved in the teaching of both the theoretical and practical aspects of heavy industrial bolting since 1992 and has been involved in corporate training for over 25 years. David is the author of several multimedia courses that have been adopted as teaching standards for union apprentice programs in the millwright and pipefitter trades across North America. He is an Affiliate Member of ASME and brings a practical view of complex problems that can be understood by workers and non-engineers, yet withstands the rigors of quantitative review. David is a member of the Post-Construction Standards Committee and the Bolted Flange Joint Subcommittee of ASME, which recently created the PCC-1-2010 “Guidelines for Pressure Vessel Boundary Bolted Flange Joint Assembly” document.