NWC Mathematics

Ronn Smith

Adjunct Instructor of Mathematics

Email: ronn.smith@nwc.edu
Phone: 307.754.6092
Office: SM126

Ronn G. Smith, Air Quality and Process Engineer
1098 Morning Glory Ln., Powell, WY 82435

(307) 461-3574, rsmith@imlinc.com

Education: BSc Engineering Physics from Colorado School of Mines, MBA from the University of Wyoming

Registration: Licensed for 35 years in Wyoming as a Mechanical Engineer

Experience: 15 years teaching college physics, engineering and mathematics (Sheridan College and Northwest College); 23 years as an environmental and process engineering consultant to the energy and mining industries, contracting with IML Air Science for the past 16 years. Obtained air quality permits and supported compliance programs for mining, milling, bentonite and power generation facilities. Developed associated emission inventories and evaluated best available control technologies (BACT). Modeled air quality impacts in support of permit applications, NEPA studies, and compliance determination. Provided statistical analyses for agency and industrial customers to support regulatory initiatives and monitoring data validation. Developed process simulation and operations management software for mining, coal liquefaction and wind energy applications. Authored custom database software to acquire, validate, manage and interpret water quality, air quality and meteorological data.

Major Projects:

• AIR QUALITY MONITORING – Served as technical advisor for particulate, gaseous and meteorological monitoring design at dozens of coal, gold and uranium air monitoring sites.
• AIR QUALITY PERMITTING – Managed the preparation and submittal of approximately 30 air quality permit applications representing surface and underground coal mines, coal processing facilities, uranium mining and milling facilities, power plants, phosphate mines and a bentonite plant. Worked with EPA, NRC, BLM, USFS and five state regulatory agencies.
• ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION MODELING – Developed modeling protocol and implemented AERMOD, CALPUFF, and companion software tools to evaluate potential impacts from industrial emissions on air quality, visibility, and acid deposition.
• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS – Performed modeling analyses and wrote air quality and meteorology sections for EIS and EA documents in support of federal leasing proposals.
• BACT ANALYSES – Performed Best Available Control Technology analyses for uranium milling operations, coal mines, rotary hearth furnaces, kiln dryers and coal-fired boilers. Pollutants analyzed include criteria pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOC), radionuclides and hazardous air pollutants (HAP).
• PROCESS ENGINEERING – Performed basic design, analysis, and permitting of coal gasification and enhancement processes in the Powder River Basin. Developed and supported proprietary software to simulate convective drying and devolatilization of coal in a rotary hearth furnace, also modeling heat and mass transfer to recover coal liquids in a packed column. Supported efforts to commercialize coal-to-liquids technology in China.
• WIND ENERGY SIMULATION – Developed a wind power software model to simulate commercially available wind turbines and optimize power generation based on hourly atmospheric conditions.
• MASS DIFFUSION SIMULATION – Developed software and statistical analysis tools for accelerated radionuclide leach testing, consistent with ASTM Method C1308.

Related Public Service Activities:

• Appointed by the Governor to the Wyoming Air Quality Advisory Board (1998 to 2010)
• Appointed by the Western Governors’ Association to the Wind Energy Task Force (2006-2008)