Brian L Dillinger

Bio

Brian is a diligent and focused mechanical engineer with nearly two decades of diverse experience in machine design, analysis, and project management. His experience spans several areas: software development, electric motor design, flexible pipe installation equipment design, large power transformer design, ocean simulation analysis and testing, and mechanical design for unconventional backup power systems for data centers. Brian is originally from South Carolina and has spent his professional career in the Southeast and Texas. Brian comes to ORNL from San Antonio, TX with his wife and two kids.

Professional Experience

Lead Mechanical Engineer / Critical Project Services/Caeli, LLC , Dallas, TX

• Responsible for several areas of mechanical design for groundbreaking energy storage technology; developed from the ground up as a proof-of-concept backup power solution. 

• Heater tube design per API 530 (850 psig/1400°F)

• Experience with API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 as complementary design life calculations to API 530.

• Piping design experience per ASME B31.3.

Sr. Research Engineer / Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX

• Client-facing project manager/technical lead on diverse projects for commercial and government clients (foreign & domestic). Client communication daily for project cost estimates, status updates, and technical discussions. 

• Performed stress analysis for SwRI’s 13-inch ID, 30,000 psig/650°F rated pressure vessels (PVs) in ANSYS. Completed 2D analysis for full PV assembly including end closure threads (axisymmetric). Used 2D results as inputs into 3D submodels to determine all fatigue critical locations. 

• Created a generic PV fatigue analysis tool in Mathcad per ASME BPVC.VIII.2-2019 for elastic-plastic stress analysis. Tool used to determine costs based on vessel fatigue damage accumulated during cyclic testing. 

• Created a Mathcad tool for generating true stress-true strain curves per ASME BPVC.VIII.3-2019. Tool can be used to create curves for all allowable temperatures; curves can then be imported directly into ANSYS.

• Created a generic bolt pattern analysis tool in Mathcad per 2019 ASME BPVC Section VIII Div. 2 Part 5.7.2, Div. 3 Article KD-623, and ASME BTH-1-2017 Section 3-3.2 (lifting devices).

• Recruited to design team for a submarine rescue system for the Commonwealth of Australia; led personnel transfer skirt latch design for mating rescue vehicle to distressed submarine in shallow water.

• Designed custom load cells/data acquisition for harsh environments to measure loads in supports for a Naval ship launch, for subsea battery weight variation tests, and for other critical priority testing. Presented work at 2021 Western Regional Strain Gage Committee conference.

Sr. Mechanical Engineer / Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc., Memphis, TN

• Performed mechanical design/analysis of large power transformers (≤ 765 kV) in multi-disciplined team of engineers, designers, and drafters. Awarded mechanical lead position responsible for overall mechanical design.

• Acted as mechanical representative in customer design reviews. Communicated with project management, customers, the design team, and shop personnel daily regarding design requirements and technical issues.

• Realized $30,000 of savings for each design requiring seismic analysis. Created Mathcad modules from scratch to perform analysis in-house and eliminate expensive third-party consultants. Authored first customer seismic report complete with ANSYS FEA, bolt pattern, weld joint, and column analyses.

• Reduced BOM check times by 75% by developing an Excel tool to instantly compare Solidworks and Syteline ERP BOMs.

• Decreased design time for 35% of solid models by convincing reluctant design team to implement Solidworks weldment tools.

Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer / FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies, Inc., Houston, TX

• Transformed pipe coiling from idea to reality by driving FlexSteel’s coiling initiative. Awarded US Patent 
  8,985,496 B2 for groundbreaking hydraulic coil deployment drum design used in the first ever coiled pipe installation. Designed 80% of the equipment required to drive the coiling initiative to completion.

• Slashed costs for midline pipe fittings through critical tolerance analysis and collaboration with manufacturing. Co-authored patent application for the innovative fitting design; US patent 10,962,154 B2 awarded in March 2021.

• Initiated the practice of detailed analysis reporting. Put a formal system in place for all technical analyses.

Mechanical Design Engineer / National Oilwell Varco, Sugar Land, TX

• Project lead for mechanical design and testing of large vertical motors, drill motors, and motors used in special applications.

• Engineered a design solution for failures on approximately 200 drill motors in Ulsan, South Korea. Supervised initial retrofits in Ulsan; coordinated efforts for remaining motors from the US.

• Reinvented NOV’s sound test post processing by writing new VBA sound analysis code with user-friendly front end.

• Researched and selected vibration software and instrumentation to bring vibration testing in-house. Performed testing using new equipment.

Advanced Development Engineer / Baldor Electric Company, Athens, GA

• Disproved shaft failure claims with a custom Excel/VBA fatigue analysis tool to prevent a client from taking legal action against Baldor.

• Orchestrated internal and certifying witness tests for multiple projects to obtain industry certifications for AC motors (Underwriters Laboratories, Canadian Standards Association, etc.).

Staff Scientist / Applied Research Associates, Inc., Raleigh, NC

• Developed the skill of writing Excel/VBA code to compare Integrated Munitions Effects Assessment (IMEA) software results to validated models and experimental data for validation and verification purposes.

• Tested robustness of IMEA software code for quality assurance.

Software Skills

• Solidworks/PDM

• Solidworks Simulation (FEA)

• ANSYS Workbench/Mechanical

• PTC Mathcad

• MATLAB/Simulink

• Maple

• Microsoft Office

Education

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering / Clemson University, Clemson, SC

• Derived equations of motion using Lagrange’s equations for a state-of-the-art, non-uniform tire model capable of producing realistic wheel forces for use in related submodels, e.g., steering and suspension models.

• Coupled genetic algorithm optimization with tire model to identify system parameters and simulate laboratory wheel force measurements with a maximum error of only 3.6 lb_f.

• Published research work in the International Journal of Vehicle Design: Brian L. Dillinger, Nader Jalili, and Imtiaz Ul Haque, Analytical Modelling and Experimental Verification of Tyre Non-uniformity.

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering / Clemson University, Clemson, SC

Minor in Mathematical Sciences

International Automotive Engineering Program / Fachhochschule Esslingen, Esslingen, Germany

• Automotive engineering program for international students in Esslingen, Germany.

• Completed program successfully; credits transferred for BS at Clemson University.

Professional Affiliations

• Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• Briefly served on ISO 12736 Committee (2021 - 2022)

Trademarks and Patents

• US Patent 8,985,496 B2 – “Expandable drum assembly for deploying coiled pipe”
• US Patent 10,962,154 B2 – “Connector for pipes”

Other Publications