Quality Services

We love helping clients take big ideas from the laboratory through successful commercialization. This means getting a deep understanding of both the business and the technology. We help clients identify risks and find practical solutions. Tough decisions are always required. We encourage using off-the-shelf, practical solutions as much as possible and minimizing risk from new technologies. And when no tried and true solutions are available, we get creative. But every idea, every process and product, must make sound financial sense.

We are experts in process simulation. Our team has a deep background in bioprocessing, solvent manufacturing, industrial and fuel alcohol production, and oil processing. We combine years of practical, in-plant experience with state-of-the-art simulation tools from Aspen Technologies. Our products include steady-state and dynamic mass and energy balance models, heat exchanger designs, and capital cost estimation. We have validated the cost estimation tools against numerous real-world projects so you can trust the results. Our clients have secured project funding on projects in excess of $50 MM using our cost estimates as the basis.

Good designs should be clearly communicated. Our team creates intelligent Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) that are easy to read and understand. We link these documents with our simulation tools for rapid updating during the design process. Also, we make selective use of color to enhance understanding. Good communication reduces mistakes, improves the speed of engineering, and results in safer, better processes.

Safety. Operability. Cost. These all depend on high quality Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs). We create intelligent P&IDs using industry leading software. Beyond the basics of P&ID requirements, the drawing tools track naming and piping consistency and also build databases for instruments, valves, and equipment. We combine advanced tools with experienced, detail-oriented reviews to deliver high-quality products.

Our team frequently packages our process development, simulation, and cost estimation work into Front End Loading (FEL) packages. FEL-1 packages are a first-pass study with block flow diagrams and high level economics. FEL-2 packages generally include process flow diagrams (PFDs), initial simulation work, and +/- 25% capital cost estimates. FEL-3 packages are more detailed and include Smart P&IDs that we use to rapidly generate lists for equipment, instruments, valves, etc. Our goal is to be very flexible with the contents of each FEL package to meet client needs. Our goal is client success, not generating large number of billable hours.

In addition to our own laboratory facilities, we have partnered with contract testing and manufacturing facilities to conduct scale-up studies and produce materials for testing and customer sampling. We have piloted many processes, including biomass pretreatment, starch and cellulose hydrolysis, aerobic and anaerobic fermentation, downstream separations, distillation, drying, and more. We have tested physical properties for many kinds of process equipment, including pumps, pipelines, evaporators, and heat exchangers. We have also worked on multiple grants, both as lead investigators and sub-contractors, to create new process technology. Grant work has included protein separation, enzymatic transformation of sugars and subsequent purification, modified E. coli fermentation, fungal fermentation to produce enzymes, and bacterial fermentation to produce antibiotics.

We provide independent technical due diligence reports for organizations seeking to invest in manufacturing and biotechnology companies. These projects typically include on-site evaluations, interviews, requests and reviews of technical materials, preparation of independent cost of goods sold models (COGS), and risk analysis. Our reports help the investors make informed choices. The reports provide both risk analysis and suggestions for managing these risks, which can be useful both for the investor and the company seeking investment (if the investor elects to share the report with them).

Example projects include the review of many different fuel ethanol facilities in both North and South America, investment into multiple ag biotech startups, technology review for a novel heat exchanger manufacturing process, and review of a novel RNA production process for potential investment.