Summary
H. Michael Richards is an engineering, welding, metallurgy, quality assurance, and inspection professional with more than four decades of experience across refinery, chemical, power-generation, pipeline, LNG, and petroleum facilities. He currently provides engineering consulting services in refinery and chemical resin environments and has served as a lead inspection technical expert for pressure vessels, piping systems, anhydrous ammonia systems, and storage tanks. His scope includes material selection, welding procedure development, supplier surveillance, quality audits, remaining-life assessments, repair planning, and compliance with applicable codes and specifications across fossil, biomass, IGCC, nuclear, and hydroelectric facilities. He led the first non-OEM welded repair of GE G-3 low-pressure steam turbine rotors, generating approximately $16 million in savings, and developed GE 7EA refurbishment work that saved approximately $500,000 per simple-cycle outage. He has also led budgets, bids, resources, and quality compliance programs.
summary may omit high-priority source evidence: Served as Lead Inspector and Technical Expert for API 510 and API 570 anhydrous ammonia systems and API 653 tanks.; Performed remaining-life assessments and repair plans for power-plant components to determine operate, repair, or replace options under API 510, API 570, API 653, and API 579 FFS requirements.
Education
- 2001 – Juris Doctor — Birmingham School of Law – Birmingham, Alabama
- 1998 – Master of Science in Civil Engineering with Specialization in Environmental Engineering — The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- 1974 – Bachelor of Science in General Engineering with Specialization in Metallurgy — The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Qualifications and Training
- Professional Engineer licensed and registered in the States of Alabama #17676, Florida #53417, Georgia #24434 and Mississippi #13637
- American Welding Society, Certified Welding Inspector #90050561
- API 653 Certified Tank Inspector #24573
- API 510 Certified Pressure Vessel Inspector #48791
- API 570 Certified Piping Inspector #57691
- Steel Tank Institute, Certified Tank Inspector #R32409
- National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors: “Inspection of Combined Cycle HRSGs” State Chief’s Meeting; Columbus, OH 10-2015
- The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors — Main Committee Member – 20 years 2001 - Present
- The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors — Committee on Installation, Past Chairman 2006 - Present
- The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors — Appeals Committee, Chairman 2006 - Present
- American Welding Society — Birmingham, AL Chapter; Board of Directors
- National Association of Corrosion Engineers
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
- Main Committee Member – 20 years 2001 - Present
- Committee on Installation, Past Chairman 2006 - Present
- Appeals Committee, Chairman 2006 - Present
- American Welding Society
- Birmingham, AL Chapter; Board of Directors
Previous Fulkrum Work Experience
| Year | Scope Vendor | Scope Type | Material Description |
|---|
| 2026 | Dixie Mechanical | Inspection | Underground Steel Pipe |
| 2026 | CIVES Steel | Inspection | Structural Steel |
| 2026 | Structural Steel Services | Inspection | Structural Steel |
| 2026 | Alabama Specialty Products Inc - Metal Samples Company- (USA) | Inspection | CORROSION PROBES AND TRANSMITTERS |
| 2026 | Alabama Specialty Products Inc - Metal Samples Company- (USA) | Inspection | CORROSION PROBES AND TRANSMITTERS |
| 2026 | Dixie Mechanical | Inspection | UG Steel Pipe |
| 2026 | Metal Plate Galvanizer Plant 2 | Inspection | Structural Steel Supply |
| 2025 | METAL SAMPLES (Munford, AL) | Inspection | ACCESS FITTINGS |
| 2025 | METAL SAMPLES (Munford, AL) | Inspection | ACCESS FITTINGS |
| 2025 | Dixie Mechanical | Inspection | piping spools |
| 2025 | J&L Fabricators, Inc | Inspection | Final Inspection |
| 2025 | Structural Steel Services | Inspection | structural steel |
| 2025 | Advanced Tanks | Inspection | Caustic Tanks x2 |
| 2024 | Avail Enclosure Systems | Inspection | Electrical Enclosure Weld |
| 2024 | Alabama Specialty Products Inc - Metal Samples Company- (USA) | Inspection | Access Fittings |
| 2024 | Qualico Steel | Inspection | Steel |
| 2024 | Dixie Mechanical | Inspection | Steel Pipe |
| 2024 | Metalplate Galvanizing | Inspection | Expediting |
| 2024 | Elevated Steel | Inspection | Columns, Beams, Braces and ect. |
| 2023 | Southern Spear Ironworks | Inspection | Structural Steel |
| 2023 | Metalplate Galvanizing | Inspection | Structural Steel |
| 2024 | Burkes Mechanical Inc. | Inspection | Train size 8 Set #1 and Train size 10 Set #1 |
| 2023 | ITT Goulds | Inspection | Stripper Effluent Collection Pump (Qty: 3), each 7.5 HP |
| 2023 | METAL SAMPLES (Munford, AL) | Inspection | Corrosion Coupon & Probe Assembly |
| 2023 | U.S. Pipe | Inspection | Ductile Iron Pipe / Reclaim Water Pipe |
| 2023 | METAL SAMPLES (Munford, AL) | Inspection | Continuous Corrosion Monitoring System |
| 2023 | Structural Steel Services | Inspection | Structural Steel |
| 2023 | U.S Steel Seamless Tubular Operations | Inspection | Mill run of pipe |
| 2022 | Structural Steel Services | Inspection | structural steel |
| 2022 | Brilliant Fabrication | Inspection | Clarifiers |
| 2022 | Burkes Mechanical Inc. | Inspection | MBBR EFFLUENT SCREEN -CONNECTION SPOOL: 1pc |
| 2022 | C&B Piping | Inspection | FLANGED PIPE PIECE |
| 2022 | Metalplate Galvanizing | Inspection | Structural Steel coatings preshipment inspection |
| 2021 | Hyundai Power Transformers USA, Inc. | Inspection | Core, Coil, and Tank fabrication |
| 2022 | United Steel Fab LLC | Inspection | HRSG – CO Catalyst Frame (27-VEAC94830) |
| 2021 | C&B Piping | Inspection | Ductile Iron |
| 2021 | Norflex Bessemer | Inspection | Heaters |
Work Experience
Apr 2016 – Present
TPI AGENCY
Inspector
- Provided engineering consulting services in refinery environments and chemical resin facilities, along with activities outlined from previous experience.
⚠ Review: employer replaced on AI judgment alone — verify agency status
Sep 2005 – Apr 2016
Southern Company Services, Inc.
Senior Engineer
- Served with SCS Generation, responsible for material selections, welding process and procedure development, bid evaluations, design and operation, and fabrication of projects including biomass conversions, HRSGs, scrubbers, FRP fabrications, and SCRs.
- Performed quality assurance audits and shop surveillance of Code and non-Code suppliers.
- Served as Lead Inspector and Technical Expert for API 510 and API 570 anhydrous ammonia systems and API 653 tanks.
- Performed remaining-life assessments and developed repair plans for power-plant components to determine operate/run, repair, or replace options for continued unit operation under API 510, API 570, API 653, and API 579 FFS requirements.
- Evaluated new and existing materials and generation technologies associated with fossil, biomass, IGCC, nuclear, and hydroelectric plants to assure compliance with applicable Code and governing specifications.
- Performed on-site API and DOT witnessing of welder certifications for buried natural-gas pipelines.
- Served as the corporate-designated OSHA Competent Person trainer for natural-gas conversions.
Mar 2001 – Sep 2005
Southern Company Services, Inc.
Team Leader
- Negotiated prices for supplier services, scheduled and allocated existing resources, and managed overall budgets.
- Led development of specifications, bid evaluations, and costing for non-OEM welding and refurbishment of GE 7EA combustion-turbine components, resulting in approximately $500,000 in savings per simple-cycle combustion-turbine outage.
- Developed project, work, and scope definitions along with budget, cost, and scheduling activities for boilers, combustion turbines, steam turbines, and balance-of-plant equipment in new construction and existing facilities.
- Maintained the NBIC R Stamp program for Southern Company.
Feb 1986 – Mar 2001
Southern Company Services, Inc.
Principal Engineer
- Directed metallurgical activities, including material evaluations and refurbishment recommendations for planned and existing generating facilities.
- Worked with SCS groups, PSDF, Southern Power, and Research & Environmental Affairs to assure that materials proposed for fossil, nuclear, and hydroelectric plants met applicable Code and governing specifications.
- Led SCS Engineering and operating companies’ efforts in performing the first non-OEM welded repair of GE G-3 low-pressure steam-turbine rotors, producing approximately $16,000,000 in total company savings.
- Developed, wrote, and implemented special welding-based repair plans and procedures for power-generation components.
Feb 1984 – Feb 1986
Southern Company Services, Inc.
Quality Assurance Engineer
- Was responsible for quality-assurance compliance for components used in nuclear applications.
- Led development of an ASME N Stamp quality-compliance program for Southern Company Services.
- Developed specific quality-compliance specifications for unique components.
Nov 1974 – Feb 1984
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company
Assistant Welding & QA Manager
- Managed welding and quality-assurance activities for field-erected and shop-fabricated components used in liquefied natural-gas piping, tanks and vaporizers, chemical plants, power-generation facilities, and petroleum-production facilities.
Skills
- Engineering Consulting
- Inspection
- Welding Engineering
- Metallurgy
- Quality Assurance
- Supplier Surveillance
- Material Selection
- Welding Procedure Development
- Remaining-Life Assessment
- Repair Planning
- Project Engineering
- Bid Evaluation
- Budget Management
- Quality Compliance
Commodities
- HRSGs
- Scrubbers
- FRP Fabrications
- SCRs
- Anhydrous Ammonia Systems
- Storage Tanks
- Pipelines
- Boilers
- Combustion Turbines
- Steam Turbines
- Balance-of-Plant Equipment
- Low-Pressure Steam Turbine Rotors
- LNG Piping
- Vaporizers
- Power-Plant Components