Faculty > Leonard A. Fabiano

Leonard A. Fabiano

Adjunct Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

B.S. Chemical Engineering, Purdue University
M.E.Stevens Institute of Technology

email:
phone: 215-898-7077
fax: 215-573-2093

Expertise

Chemical Process Synthesis and Detailed Design

While maintaining an active and primary industrial activity, Professor Fabiano has been an instructor-consultant for the CBE 459 senior design course at the University of Pennsylvania since 1979 and was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering August of 2000. He was selected on the basis of his sound fundamental ability and as a result of his strength in process simulation, practical applications, in-plant experiences and ability to transfer his knowledge to students.

Professor Fabiano has over 35 years of experience in the process engineering and development field and has played a key roll in the detailed design effort in existing and new technology development. He started his career as a junior process engineer and advanced stepwise to Manager of Process Engineering for the ARCO Chemical Company. His technical involvement at ARCO broadened his geographical and cultural range from Alaska, Europe to the Far East. He has lead the process engineering efforts on many chemical, petrochemical and polymer process plant designs. Many of these processes were first of a kind technologies. His specialties include detailed equipment design, application of flowsheet simulation for real plant design and optimization, distillation system synthesis, heat exchanger design and in-plant troubleshooting. His experience also includes plant start-up.

He bridges the gap from theory through real applications currently for CDI Engineering Solutions. He is a "'real hands on person" in addition to an academic appointment and has spent considerable time and effort in operating plant environments.

Awards and Honors

• Olin Chemical Commendation for the sole development of a patented process improvement in chlorine production.
• ARCO Technical Achievement Award for successful troubleshooting and correction of malperforming distillation towers in propylene oxide/tert-butyl alcohol facility in France.
• ARCO Technical Achievement Award for successful troubleshooting and correction of malperforming distillation towers in propylene oxide/styrene facility in South Korea.
• ARCO Technical Achievement Award for advancing the application of computer simulation software within ARCO around the world. Trained ARCO personnel and developed solutions to complex problems worldwide. Award to Department of Chemical Engineering Methods Development, managed by L. A. Fabiano, and individually to L. A. Fabiano.

Selected Publications

Fabiano. L. A., R. A. Knudsen, and T. Bailey, "Experience with ASPEN while Simulating a New Methanol Plant," in Selected Topics on Computer-Aided Process Design and Analysis, AIChE Symp. Ser. 214, 78, 1982.

Mumtaz, H. S., G. Corbett, M. Reagan, W. D. Seider, L. A. Fabiano, and S. Widagdo, "Heterogeneous Azeotropic Distillation Involving an Embedded Two-liquid Phase Region," Proceedings of DYCORD'95 Symposium, Helsingor, Denmark, 1995.

Ciric, A. R., H. S. Mumtaz, G. Corbett, M. Reagan, W. D. Seider, L. A. Fabiano, D. M. Kolesar, and S. Widagdo, "Azeotropic Distillation with an Internal Decanter, " Comput. Chem. Eng., 24 (11): 2435-2446, 2000.

Fabiano, L. A., "Who Should Design Your Companies Heat Exchangers?", Proceedings of AspenWorld 2000 Conference, Orlando, FL, 2000.

Fabiano, L. A., "Coupling ASPEN PLUS with HETRAN to Rigorously Model and Design A Thermosyphon Reboiler," Proceedings of AspenWorld 2004 Conference, Orlando, FL, 2005.

Patents

U.S. Patent 3,668,087, Brine Dechlorination; L. A. Fabiano; 1972

U.S. Patent 5,453,548, Purification of Diteriary Butyl Peroxide; R. Nedwick, J. M. McFarland, and L. A. Fabiano; 1995