Profile: Dr. Harald Thimm

Harald F. Thimm
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: (403)265-0792; Fax:(403)265-0793
Birth date: October 12, 1946
Citizenship: Canadian

Career Brief

More than 25 years experience as a commercial consultant and in government, in environmental chemistry and engineering, and in petroleum engineering. He has published 36 papers, with more in peer review. In recognition of his contributions to environmental science and technology in the environmental field, he was named a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 1992, and of the American Institute of Chemistry in 1993. He is known internationally as a water management consultant for the petroleum industry and other industries, and in 1996 chaired an international conference in this field in Singapore. In the past four years, he has been engaged in various institutional strengthening projects for CIDA and the World Bank in South America, North Africa and the Caribbean, and has undertaken strategic planning of the development of a national environmental laboratory sector for the Government of Bolivia.

Professional Expertise

Career History

Background in Management and Planning

1998 - 2000		GOVERNMENT OF EGYPT/CIDA, CAIRO: Monitoring and management advisory work in three Canadian aid projects in the environmental area, involving monitoring water quality and availability in the Nile River basin abd the Nile delta. Further projects are related to the on-farm water and soil management and irrigation, and to the development of an environmental business sector in Egypt.
1999		GULF CANADA RESOURCES INC. Assistance as a technical witness at a public hearing on the gas-bitumen resource conflict in Athabasca.
1998		HIGH COMMISSION, KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Review of waste management and potential for introduction of clean technology and recycling in the printing and packaging sector in Jamaica. CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE: The review of a project to assist in monitoring residual radiation in the Chernobyl, Ukraine, area after the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, CAIRO, EGYPT: Monitoring, project management advisory and technical review of a water quality, water availability, water use and soils reclamation project in Egypt.
1997		CANADIAN ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE/MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, COLOMBIA: Manager, institutional strengthening project, leading a team of four professionals on development of Environmental Licenses for the mining and hydrocarbon sectors. Provided managerial and technical services in: i) the design and delivery of workshops on the environmental approval process; and, ii) the reevaluation and redesign of the approvals process in Colombia, having regard for legislative constraints in that country. Aspects of the assignment included the review of relevant legislation and presidential decrees, EIA and environmental approval processes, the relation of environmental impact studies and environmental management plans with respect to mitigation and monitoring procedures, description of sectoral environmental assessment procedures and introduction to cumulative effects assessment techniques, the relationship between regulatory approval and subsequent regulation, and a review of environmental guidelines for the mining and hydrocarbons sectors and how they can be used in environmental approvals. MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT, Bolivia: The previous work on the environmental laboratory sector was used to identify technical and market constraints to the development of environmental testing services in Bolivia. Matters of concern addressed were the availability of a reference laboratory and the infrastructure and economics of support for such an entity, regional disparities, and other matters. Accreditation systems were discussed and studied with the assistance of the Bolivian National Standards Institute. A strategic plan for development of an environmental laboratory services industry was developed and presented in La Paz, July 1997, and accepted by the ministry. GULF CANADA RESOURCES INC. Assistance as a technical witness at public inquiry into bitumen recovery and gas production, water management and produced water issues in a thermal recovery scheme at Surmont, Athabasca area.
1996 - 1997		MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT, Bolivia: The project extended the study of laboratory capability and market demand referred to above to the less industrialized departments of Bolivia (Tarija, Chuquisaca, Potosí, Beni and Pando). In this way, a total inventory of environmental laboratory capability was achieved, with industries requiring monitoring services identified and the annual volume of services estimated for each type of analysis and testing. The value of the total services was determined and the information used in subsequent work.
1995 - 1997		THE WORLD BANK: A project to inventory and assess the Bolivian laboratory sector for environmental analytical capability, in view of recently promulgated environmental legislation and regulations. This was compared to the legislated needs, and infrastructure gaps identified. A market demand study was prepared to estimate the need for analytical services by region, and the regional infrastructure needs for provision of analytical and sampling services. A major portion of the study involved identification of needed institutional strengthening programs, and collaboration with the Bolivian Standards Institute. The study was initially confined to the four most industrialized departments (provinces) of Bolivia, La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Oruro.
1986		H.F. THIMM & ASSOCIATES Management of interdisciplinary teams in a private company and in association with other firms, in the petroleum, metals and agricultural processing industry.
1978 - 1989		ENERGY RESOURCES CONSERVATION BOARD (now Energy and Utilities Board): For a period of 12 years, served as a senior environmental advisor in matters of environmental science, public issues, and in engineering. Advised the then Chairman of the Board (Mr. Vernon Millard) on numerous technical issues and policy matters, especially issues concerning hydrogen sulphide and other emissions from the petroleum industry. Policy development. Assistance with public hearings and stakeholder communications, especially in the Pincher Creek sour gas area in the 1981-85 period. In charge of stack and ambient air monitoring regulatory and investigation systems, 1978-85.

Technical and Scientific Background

Chronological Employment History

Education

Other Courses in Remote Sensing (University of Alberta), Stationary Source Testing (University of Windsor), Marketing (University of Calgary), Well Logging, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Miscible Flooding. Post-Doctoral Fellow, 1974, University of Calgary.

Languages

Professional Distinctions

Named Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, 1992, in recognition of contributions to environmental science, chemistry and technology.

Named to the publications committee of “The Chemist,” a journal of the American Institute of Chemists (1995-96).

Chairman, International Conference on Water Management in the Petroleum Industry, Singapore, 1996

Elected to Board of Directors, American Institute of Chemists, for 2000-2003 term

Publications

Authored and co-authored many scientific and technical papers, see the online Library for listings and publications.

Memberships

Chemical Institute of Canada (Past Chairman, Calgary Section). Named Fellow in 1992.

American Institute of Chemists. Named Fellow in 1993. Elected Director for 2000-2003 term in 1999

Canadian Heavy Oil Association (Member of reservoir committee 1987-89, member of environmental committee 1990-1995)

Environmental Engineering	Environmental Management
Environmental Science	Planning
Petroleum Engineering	Policy Development
Environmental Audit	Reclamation

1989 - Present		Numerous private sector audits, engineering and consulting projects in Canada and overseas (Bolivia, Jamaica, Egypt, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, with support for work in Ukraine (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station), and Taiwan.
1997 - 1998		GULF CANADA RESOURCES, SUNCOR ENERGY INC. Several produced water, boiler blowdown and regeneration water handling projects. Neutralization with strong acids and carbon dioxide, blowdown water recycle designs, formation damage chemistry and skin damage prevention. Further work in venting studies of hot water at high pressures, manipulation of temperatures and pressures to obtain Henry’s law constants such as would prevent hydrogen sulphide emissions during the venting.
1995		THE WORLD BANK / YPFB, Bolivia: Project involved comprehensive Phase I field audit of all production, transportation, processing and storage petroleum facilities in Southern Bolivia. The audit encompassed best management practices, sampling for field testing and chemical analysis, social impact assessment on communities and indigenous peoples, and a strategic plan for corporate priorization of remediation and investment.
1990		ALBERTA-PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC REVIEW PANEL. Retained as a consultant and hearing participant/examiner into the scientific aspects of the formation and the potential discharge of chlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and -furans into the Athabasca Rivers system. Examined the proposed pulping and bleaching process chemistry in order to arrive at estimates of organochlorine discharges to be expected from the new process using chlorine dioxide.
1978		ALBERTA MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT. Study and modeling of water quality in the Oldman River Basin of Southern Alberta, to identify impacts of on-stream and off-stream water storage options.

1986 - Present		H.F. THIMM & ASSOCIATES LTD., Calgary : Consulting firm specializing in the areas of environmental science, engineering and applied chemistry. Major projects have included the decommissioning of industrial sites, land reclamation, industrial water management, waste water treatment, chemical spill assessments, technical training, environmental management, environmental audits, bitumen recovery and pulp and paper.
1989 - 1990		ALBERTA OIL SANDS TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH AUTHORITY, Calgary: Engineering Specialist, On Secondment. Collaborated in a feasibility study, preliminary design and economics of a commercial oil sands pressure cycle steam drive production scheme on AOSTRA lands. The provincial in-situ oil recovery data base was assessed for marketable technology potential.
1986 - 1989		ENERGY RESOURCES CONSERVATION BOARD (ERCB), Calgary : Senior Engineer, Oil Sands Department. Developed mathematical models of fluid flow in porous media. Conducted reservoir studies and economic evaluations of thermal experimental schemes (steamfloods, cyclic steam stimulation). Technical policy development, and review of specific industry experimental thermal recovery schemes. Advise on air pollution issues.
1981 - 1986		ERCB, Environmental Protection Division: Senior Technical Advisor. Scientific and environmental advisor to the Chairman of the Board, other Board members, and senior management. Acted as technical director of multi-disciplinary contract research and in-house research in the environmental field. Collaborated in policy and regulatory development, and provided advice or research back-up in operations. Supported the Board's legal staff in major public hearings regarding environmental and engineering matters. Involved in public participation and conflict resolution activities, and in preparing inquiry reports. Air pollution work related to the sour gas industry. Laboratory planning and management support.
1978- 1981		ERCB, Environmental Protection Division: Senior Environmental Coordinator. Responsible for air, soil, and water pollution control and monitoring programs, and waste management procedures for the petroleum industry of Alberta. Source monitoring, investigative and regulatory matters. In-house intensive staff training, and maintenance of quality control in the provincial environmental databases. Assisted in regulatory and policy development.
1975 - 1978		CHEMEX LABS ALBERTA INC., Calgary : Environmental Consultant. Group leader in land reclamation, waste water treatment and environmental assessments. River basin water quality studies.
1969 - 1970		STATE LABORATORIES, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Melbourne, Australia. Scientific Officer, Pesticide Science . Conducted research into analytical methods for pesticides. Pesticide science, soil and vegetation trials and analysis. Collaborated with staff investigating misuse of and pollution by organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides, and collaborated in toxicological analyses and investigations.

1969	B. Sc. (Hons), Chemistry, Monash University, Australia
1974	Ph.D, Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
1985	Registered as Professional Engineer, Chemical Engineering (Alberta provincial examinations)
1987	Master of Engineering, (M.Eng.), University of Calgary, Canada. Petroleum Engineering.

	*Speak*	*Read*	*Write*
German	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
English	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Spanish	Fair	Good	Good

Curriculum Vitae