Patrick Mandla Mbele
Cape Town
Summary
Dynamic Instrument Lead with extensive experience at Astron Energy Refinery, excelling in instrument maintenance and budget management. Proven track record in optimizing availability and ensuring quality assurance, while fostering a culture of safety and performance. Skilled in incident investigation and implementing effective strategies to enhance operational efficiency.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Instrument and Analyzer Supervisor (South Side)
Astron Energy Refinery
Cape Town
06.2022 - Current
- Coordinated effective utilization of resources to ensure safe, efficient maintenance of refinery instrumentation and analyzers.
- Ensured compliance with industry standards by adhering to company procedures and manufacturer specifications.
- Directed contractor and company work teams to achieve scheduling, quality, and safety objectives.
- Fostered strong leadership to optimize team performance and engagement.
- Managed individual performance using Company Performance Management Process (PMP) effectively.
- Executed Loss Prevention System Supervisor Stewardship functions, including audits and investigations.
- Promoted Incident & Injury Free behaviors to achieve 0-0-84.5-100 vision.
- Controlled an annual budget of approximately US$600k while ensuring schedule attainment through KPI management.
Instrument Reliability Analyst
Astron Energy Refinery
Cape Town
10.2019 - 04.2022
- My responsibilities include Srcm studies for new projects instrumentation, Instrument PMs optimization, Instrument Bad Actor resolutions, DFR Design for Reliability reviews, Tracking of Instrument mean time threats resolution implementation.
- Participate in monthly Availability Improvements Meetings where we present to the business current initiatives and progress to improve availability and Review or development of spare philosophies, Review of Reliability CDMS documents.
- Developed and implemented field instrument preservation strategies, Preservation exit strategies, Defects elimination and PM strategies for SCEs.
- Support Refinery restart activities until the refinery is fully online with onspec rundown.
- Instrument project selection of new types of field instrumentation, SIL and PHA reviews.
- I’m also the contract owner for our machine condition monitoring system with Baker and Hughs for Bentley Nevada, My role is to ensure that we get the maximum benefit from the (SLA) by ensuring that obsolete components of our systems are upgraded to meet the latest API standard for protection of major rotating equipment and the upskilling of our field technicians to be able to take over from GE field engineers all the vibration probe installation and linearity tests activities.
Instrument Reliability Engineer
SAPREF (SHELL REFINERY SA)
01.2016 - 09.2019
- Support for the maintenance manager and area maintenance teams with advise and resources for problems that require specialist competencies not present in the area teams.
- Competency of all field instrumentation staff (own and contractors) in area teams and looks after career planning, training plans and rotation planning through operating area teams, workshop facilities and other sections.
- Plant safety, integrity and reliability through development, implementation and improvement of specific field instrumentation Engineering Standards that are based on applicable international standards and statutory requirements.
- Development and improvement of field instrumentation Maintenance Strategies, Procedures and Schedules, and sustained plant operation in compliance with the Company's QSHE policy and guidelines.
- Appropriate use of asset management systems (including but not limited to PACER,CIS and Triptest) that are accurate, user friendly and fully utilized by all sections to continuously improve the integrity and reliability of the complex.
- Development of effective shutdown execution strategies for the installed field Instrument equipment.
- Management of reliability and integrity of field Instrumentation equipment through effective participation by members of our section in the multidisciplinary area integrity and reliability management teams.
- Engineering documentation / data are kept up-to-date.
- Financial objectives are met by managing expenditure in my area of responsibility and ensuring cost effective maintenance, and optimum use of smart field instrumentation.
Reliability Engineer
SAPREF
Durban Area
11.2013 - 12.2015
- Analyzed failure history of all major equipment to identify Bad Actors.
- Investigate and resolve Bad Actors.
- MTBM improvement of centrifugal pumps.
- Implementation of pump switch over strategy to improve mean time to failure of all spared rotating equipment.
- Facilitate RCA Investigations for equipment failures and unit unplanned downtime.
- Facilitate equipment maintenance strategy changes RCM.
- Develop and implement preservation strategies for parked equipment during refinery shutdown.
- Monitoring and reporting of unit availability.
Instrument Technician
SAPREF
Durban Area
09.2009 - 11.2013
- Give support and training of artisans on fault finding and repairs of field instrumentation, Instrument loop testing, wiring, commissioning and safe guarding systems (FSC & HIMA).
- Trained on TDC3000 to identify faulty I/O cards, generate trends of historized points, PID loop turning and SOE exploration.
- Bentley Nevada condition monitoring system, gaping of probes, Identify and replace faulty I/O cards.
- Hazardous area Inspection training: Identify none compliance of the equipment to the area classification, maintenance of hazardous area equipment.
- Projects acceptance Area Lead: Monitored all projects in my area of responsibility to ensure compliance to Shell DEP which include types of instruments, instrument hook ups, IS earth configuration, type of material.
- Use piping class for selection of online and inline field instrumentation.
- Generate plant change request to replace redundant field instrumentation and ensure that the vendors used are registered with our board.
- Perform RCAs for all instrument related process upsets in conjunction with process personnel and develop mitigation to avoid recurrence and share the lessons with all the team members.
- Developed work procedures for Furnace Mech Min firing adjustment, Water washing of chambered level instruments etc.
- Served as Instrument Area Lead for 2009 Alky turnaround - Installation of new emergency depressurizing system to improve safe dumping of HF acid to the storage vessel during major process upsets.
- Instrument Project Lead Demineralizing Unit Control system integration to TDC300 from stand alone Mitsubishi PLC.
- CO Boiler water cannon Installation aimed at cleaning the boiler tubes during operation to improve its duty.
- Duties include but not limited to Factory acceptance tests, Verification of field instrumentation hook up against Shell DEP, Loop integrity checks, IS earth integrity checks, Logic full functional testing.
Senior Instrument Artisan
SAPREF
Durban Area
05.2005 - 08.2009
- Repair and Replace field instrumentation according to Shell in house standards.
- Calibration and maintenance of the following types of field instrumentation.
- Level Instruments: Fisher leveltrols Pneumatic and electronic, Contact radar, None Contact radar, liquid and gas Purge, RF point and continuous levels, Floats, Vibrating reed and DP levels.
- Flow Instruments: Magflows, Vortex flowmeters , Turbine flowmeters, Coriolis flowmeters, PD flowmeters, Orifice flowmeters, Pitot tube, Ventury flowmeters and Ultrasonic flowmeters.
- Control valves: Fisher sliding stem control valves, Masoneilan camflex, Ball valves, Slide valves, MOVs, Electro-hydraulic valves, Butterfly valves.
- Instrument Area lead during 2006 Turnaround in FCCU unit.
- Trip testing of ESD systems, Initiators and final elements where applicable to comply to IEC standard.
- Diagnose logics on FSC and HIMA during unit start-ups to help minimise downtime.
- Familiarized myself with Furnace control logics on FSC/HIMA.
Instrument and Electrical Technician
Huntsman Tioxide
Durban Area
09.2002 - 05.2005
- Repair and Replace field instrumentation and basic electrical equipment.
- Replace faulty I/O cards on Siemens S5 and S7 PLCs.
- Calibration and repairs covered the following types of instruments.
- Levels measurements: none contact radar transmitters, Ultrasonic transmitters, Honeywell DP capillary transmitters, Purged levels and nuclear levels.
- Flow measurement: Magflow meters, Coriolis flowmeters and Ultrasonic flowmeters.
- Temperature measurement: Three wire and four wire PT100, K Type thermocouple.
- Pressure measurement: Absolute pressure and Gauge pressure transmitters, DP transmitters.
- Analytical Instruments: Calibration and maintenance of PH probes, Conductivity meters, turbidity probes.
Instrument Technician
Illovo Sugar
Durban Area
01.1999 - 08.2002
- Maintain field instrumentation to meet ISO 9002 standard.
- Calibration and Installation of Level, pressure, flow transmitters and analysers.
- Replacement of faulty I/O cards on Fisher Rosemount DCS and PID turning of control loops.
- Overhauling of control valves, Fisher control valves, masoneilan camflex, Ball valves and butterfly valves.
- Worked on smart transmitters, Honeywell STD900 series, Fugi, Yokogawa and Siemens.
- Infra-red moisture analyser, PT100, PT1000, Type K,J and T.
Education
Industrial Instruments (N5) -
Durban Technical College
S4 National Diploma - Electrical Engineering
Mangosuthu University of Technology
Skills
- Instrument maintenance
- Budget management
- Incident investigation
- Performance management
- Availability optimization
- Quality assurance
State Of Health
Excellent
Criminal Offence
None
References
- Sharone Singo, Reliability Lead, Astron Energy/Chevron, (021) 5084122, +27 842711716
- Nitash Ramcharda, Instrument Lead Engineer, SAPREF, (031) 4801848, +27 828038890
- Saras Moodley, Reliability Manager, SAPREF, (031) 4801662, +27 846190299
- Roelof van Rensburg, Instrument/QMI Lead Engineer, SAPREF, (031) 4801335, +27 825642062
- Sean Redding, Instrument Chargehand, Illovo Sugar Downstream Products, (039) 9758000 (Ext 8234), +27 832254580
- Dinesh Narayen, Senior Instrument Technician, Huntsman Tioxide, (031) 9103660, +27 836807372
Languages
English
First Names
Patrick Mandla
Personal Information
- ID Number: 7209075459081
- Passport Number: A06653849
- Title: MR
- Date of Birth: 09/07/72
- Gender: Male
- Nationality: South African
- Driving License: Code 8
Affiliations
- I obtained a distinction on my trade test
- Best performance certificate in resolving field instrumentation failures
- Good coach and trainer with Coaching certificate from University Of Cape Town
Languages
English
First Language
Accomplishments
- Good leadership for a refinery restart, where I lead the instrument and analyzer team
- Upskilling of the Instrument and Analyzer team
- +80% schedule adherence
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Instrument and Analyzer Supervisor (South Side)
Astron Energy Refinery
06.2022 - Current
Instrument Reliability Analyst
Astron Energy Refinery
10.2019 - 04.2022
Instrument Reliability Engineer
SAPREF (SHELL REFINERY SA)
01.2016 - 09.2019
Reliability Engineer
SAPREF
11.2013 - 12.2015
Instrument Technician
SAPREF
09.2009 - 11.2013
Senior Instrument Artisan
SAPREF
05.2005 - 08.2009
Instrument and Electrical Technician
Huntsman Tioxide
09.2002 - 05.2005
Instrument Technician
Illovo Sugar
01.1999 - 08.2002
Industrial Instruments (N5) -
Durban Technical College
S4 National Diploma - Electrical Engineering
Mangosuthu University of Technology
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