Mahdi Choopani
Senior Electrical And Process Engineer (Ph.D.)
Graz
Summary
A technical-minded senior electrical and process engineer with +13 years of experience managing and designing multi-disciplinary industrial projects and products with complex requirements. Highly proficient, innovative, and educated in FEED, basic & detailed design of modern plants and artifacts. Special ability in electrochemistry and thermodynamics with a focus on hydrogen, fuel cells, and batteries. Looking to leverage my knowledge and expertise to deliver business and quality values in advanced projects and product development.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
13
13
years of post-secondary education
3
3
Languages
Work History
Head of Technical Affair Department of Engineering
MAPNA Group
Tehran
06.2021 - 08.2023
- Developed suggestions for technical process improvements to optimize resources.
- Liaised between business and technology units to manage delivery schedules for applications.
- Gathered requirements and maintained communication between project teams, internal clients and external stakeholders.
- Recruited and trained IT team members.
- Managed and participated in finalizing the technical contract of projects: scope of work, and technical specifications of several thermal, renewable, and water plants by considering the lesson learned from the previous projects.
- Managed and took part in Daily/weekly/monthly solving of technical problems and technical requirements of under-construction (EPC) and in-operation projects (O&M) in a multi-disciplinary engineering group.
- Performed technical supervision and follow-up activities to accelerate projects in EPC, PAC & FAC phases.
- Conducted technical negotiations with stakeholders as well as costs/time/claim management of projects.
- Conducted several investigations to find out where there were opportunities for cost savings.
- Led feasible study and technical evaluation of a sample green hydrogen product in a hybrid PV/water plant for co-firing generation of a CHP plant.
- Organized and ran monthly project meetings to make sure work was delivered effectively on time.
- Responded to unexpected events with speed and professionalism to ensure a positive outcome along with proactive suggestions on how to address them.
Head of Electrical & Power Process Engineering Dep
MAPNA Group
09.2017 - 06.2021
- Planned and implemented fundraising events.
- Member of elite expert working group as a mentor in engineering design standardization & guidelines for projects to be followed by subsidiary companies and OEMs. (Achievement: Project cost reduction, safety increase, harmonizing the projects, and documenting the knowledge.)
- Coordinated and resolved the technical requirements among the portfolio’s power plants, OEMs, and grid operators (TSOs and DSOs; Served mainly as a Process Engineer.)
- Volunteered to take the management of the dynamic identification working group: identify the precise dynamic model of power generation governors, VFDs, Excitation systems, and PSS in cooperation with OEMs.
- Issued the instructions on setting the governor’s parameters of our OEMs to achieve the desired primary frequency control of the main grid.
- Detailed analysis of ramp rate & fast active power injection of PG units in conventional and modern inverter-interfaced generation units to contribute to grid frequency regulation.
- Achieved design verification, PMS, Load shedding, stability analysis, and frequency control of three large load-generation plants.
- Launched a software test bench environment for the OEMs to implement a detailed model of multi-Electric Vehicles/generation units in islanded & grid-connected conditions.
- Campaigned an active learning plan toward AI, Digitalization, and Automation during the Covid pandemic.
- Supported junior team members and mentored technical groups to learn how to face and challenge new projects without similar experience.
- Sample of a new project mentorship:
- the complete detailed, and basic design of a 10 MW- PV power plant, including Overall SLD, Inverter configuration, detailed cable routing layout, transformer sizing, transformer sizing, substation drawing SLD, Logic, schematic and monitoring system.
- Project design and mentoring for Iran’s most significant recycling water: main electrical document consists of overall SLD, protection, Outdoor cable route, main panels SLD, logic, and system control interface.
Senior Electrical & Power Process Engineer
MAPNA
01.2013 - 06.2017
- Generated technical documentation, forecasted product installation and cultivated organizational change.
- Generated technical documentation, forecasted product installation, and cultivated organizational change.
- Designed A 120 MVAR reactive power compensation for an Aluminum smelting plant with harmonic filters.
- Designed and supervised many electrical engineering documents, cable sizing, cable routing, HV/MV/LV/DC/UPS SLD, Schematic, Transformer sizing & selection, and plot plan layout, …
- Supervised FAT/SAT of electrical equipment, transformers, batteries, panels & switchgear, generators, … in several industries and projects.
- MV/LV VFD selection and electrical motor-fed by converters spec.
- Issued design guidelines for sizing and selection of batteries, emergency supplies, and transformers.
- Designed and prepared almost all electrical equipment specifications, datasheets, tendering documentation, RFQ, RFI, and purchase order documents.
- Root cause analysis (RCA) of several unusual trips, and mal-operation in plants to fix defects (summarized):
- o IGBTs’ failure of the converter part of DFIG wind turbines.
- o Transient overvoltage and Fault Ride-Through (FRT) of a DFIG wind farm.
- o Voltage transformer failure due to Ferro-resonance in RE integration into distribution systems.
- o RCA of Several unusual & unsafe trips, and malfunctions.
Electrical Engineer Designer & Analyst
Monenco Consulting Engineers
Tehran
01.2010 - 10.2012
- Proposed electrical product and system modifications to improve quality and efficiency.
- Provided on-site engineering and technical services during installation and fielding processes.
- Conducted network studies of many power system projects including load flow, short circuits, dynamic analyses, harmonic studies, protection studies & coordination in various software environments.
- Conducted basic and detail design of industrial plants for many projects.
- Electrical/Hydraulic VFD study and sizing for captive transformer in gas boosting dynamometer sys.
- Transformer-rectifier sizing for chlorination plant electrolysis.
- Prepared basic/detailed overall SLD/protection/measurement and detailed design of LV/MV panels.
- Issued sizing calculation of all battery types, and DC/AC UPS configuration.
- Issued sizing calculation of all types of emergency power supplies.
- Conducted cable sizing, cable selection, yard area/outdoor cable route, general arrangement/layout.
Education
Ph.D. - Electrical And Control Power Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
Tehran, Iran. 01.2013 - 08.2019
Master of Science - Electrical Power And Control Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
Tehran, Iran. 09.2007 - 10.2009
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Power Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
Tehran, Iran 09.2003 - 09.2007
Skills
FEED, basic & detailed design of complex industrial and generation plants: Overall configuration, Overall SLD, detailed MV/LV/DC/UPS SLD, Logic and Schematic, cable sizing/routing, Emergency diesel sizing, Transformer Selection & Sizing calculation (Dynamic), Plant layout/arrangement
Computer skills and using professional and general software (MATLAB, DigSilent, PSCAD)
Islanded (off-grid) electrical systems
Dynamic analysis and design of networks with a high share of PE interfaces
Power electronic (PE) converters (grid forming/following)
Grid codes for PEs, to secure ancillary services like V2G for EVs, inertia emulation, or FFR of generation units during an emergency
Electrical machines: generators, Electrical motors, and transformers
E-drive powertrain systems, configuration, and architecture
Batteries, battery sizing/selection/ configuration
Thermodynamics and electrochemistry calculations
Electrification components like electrolyzers, fuel cells, and e-drive
Advanced control methods in multi-physic systems
Advanced control methods in multi-physic systems
Project Management (PMBOK: 7th Edition)
Advanced estimation and identification, Signal Processing
Technical process improvement
Technical innovation expertise
Problem-Solving
Employee recruitment
Company process evaluation
Accomplishments
- Top 10 students in national Ph.D. power system entrance exam (2013).
- Exceptional talents exam-free admission for master’s Program (2007).
- Introduced as a Distinguished Student by the National Organization for Educational Testing (2003).
Additional Information
PUBLICATIONS
For more detailed information please see “Google Scholar”
Summarized:
1- “Direct abc-Frame Active and Reactive Control of Voltage Source Converters under Unbalanced Grid Voltage Conditions with Inertia Emulation Ability in Time-Varying Frequency Environments” Being Prepared to be submitted.
2- “New Transient Stability and LVRT Improvement of Multi-VSG Grids Using the Frequency of the Center of Inertia, IEEE Transaction on the power system,”
3- “A novel comprehensive method to enhance the stability of multi-VSG Grids,” International Journal of Electrical and Power Energy Systems (Elsevier),
4- “Payment cost minimization auction for deregulated electricity market using mixed-integer linear programming approach,” IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution.
5- “Effect of Antenna Position on Online Monitoring of Transformer Winding Axial Displacement Using Electromagnetic Waves, Power, and Energy Conference,” 2008. Pecan 2008. IEEE 2nd International,
6- “Power Exchanging Control of Inverter Units on Faulty Grid and Time-Varying Frequency Environments,” 2009 IEEE
Teaching and Lecturer Experience
1- Shahab Danesh University, September 2009 – January 2010,
- Substation Design and Equipment
- Electrical Drawing
2- Amirkabir University of Technology, September 2013, January 2014
· Electrical power system protection (Part-time, Industry Invitee)
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
Head of Technical Affair Department of Engineering
MAPNA Group
06.2021 - 08.2023
Head of Electrical & Power Process Engineering Dep
MAPNA Group
09.2017 - 06.2021
Senior Electrical & Power Process Engineer
MAPNA
01.2013 - 06.2017
Ph.D. - Electrical And Control Power Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
01.2013 - 08.2019
Electrical Engineer Designer & Analyst
Monenco Consulting Engineers
01.2010 - 10.2012
Master of Science - Electrical Power And Control Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
09.2007 - 10.2009
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Power Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
09.2003 - 09.2007