Membrane Technology and Research Internship
Overview
I worked as an Intern for Membrane Technology and Research for around a year and a half. MTR mainly makes membrane-based gas seperation products and I worked partially on the Piping and Instrumentation Drawings as part of the Petro-Chem team and worked on a line-laser device for the Manufacturing team.
Categories
Oil & Gas
Manufacturing
Date
Jun 2022
-
Sep 2023
What I did at MTR
At Membrane Technology my internship project was to design a system to accurately position a line laser that guided operators in applying glue to carbon capture membranes before stacking.
Images above shared with consent of MTR
By leveraging additive manufacturing and commercial off-the-shelf components, I developed a cost-effective rail architecture that mounts to the ceiling in the inspection room. I was able to create a design that was under 1000$ for 4 modules (5000$ allocated) while still meeting project targets.
I designed the system in Solidworks, integrating a stepper motor, lead screw, and linear guide rails to ensure precise and repeatable motion. Additionally, I incorporated a cable management system and 3D-printed brackets to streamline assembly. Furthermore the entire system was built around T-slot so the engineers could easily adjust the system if required.
Image above is not a real MTR P&ID but resembles what the P&IDs look like.
Updating Schematics and Documentation: Beyond mechanical design, I contributed to the Petroleum-Chemical team by creating and revising essential engineering schematics, including Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) and Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs). I also compiled critical engineering documentation such as Line Lists, Valve Lists, and Instrumentation Diagrams using schematics, and refiined them based on senior engineer and customer feedback.
Easy Excel Tool: During my second summer at Membrane Technology and Research, I noticed that engineers and technicians were getting bogged down with Excel spreadsheets—particularly when trying to consolidate duplicates, track valve lists, and update instrument schedules. It was time-consuming and prone to mistakes, so I decided to create the Easy Excel Tool. Version 1 was a simple Python-based application, while Version 2 evolved into a slick Excel Add-In built with Office.js. The idea is straightforward: users pick which columns to check for duplicates, and the tool automatically flags them and merges any new data into a final “Output Sheet.” This simple automation cut down on hours of manual work and helped teams stay organized without worrying about accidental deletions or overlooked errors.
Revision Checking Tool: Around the same time, I saw another challenge: comparing different versions of engineering drawings. Flipping through PDFs by hand made it easy to miss minor changes—like shifted dimensions or small annotation edits. To tackle this, I wrote a Python script using OpenCV that overlays two images by inverting their colors and mapping them to red and blue channels. Wherever the drawings match, you get purple lines; where they don’t, the lines stay in either red or blue. This quick visual check immediately highlights changes and saves engineers from wading through pages of near-identical drawings. Both of these tools—one for Excel automation and one for revision checking—ended up saving our team a ton of time and hassle, proving how even small software projects can make a big impact on everyday engineering tasks.
Membrane Technology and Research Internship
Overview
I worked as an Intern for Membrane Technology and Research for around a year and a half. MTR mainly makes membrane-based gas seperation products and I worked partially on the Piping and Instrumentation Drawings as part of the Petro-Chem team and worked on a line-laser device for the Manufacturing team.
Categories
Oil & Gas
Manufacturing
Date
Jun 2022
-
Sep 2023
What I did at MTR
At Membrane Technology my internship project was to design a system to accurately position a line laser that guided operators in applying glue to carbon capture membranes before stacking.
Images above shared with consent of MTR
By leveraging additive manufacturing and commercial off-the-shelf components, I developed a cost-effective rail architecture that mounts to the ceiling in the inspection room. I was able to create a design that was under 1000$ for 4 modules (5000$ allocated) while still meeting project targets.
I designed the system in Solidworks, integrating a stepper motor, lead screw, and linear guide rails to ensure precise and repeatable motion. Additionally, I incorporated a cable management system and 3D-printed brackets to streamline assembly. Furthermore the entire system was built around T-slot so the engineers could easily adjust the system if required.
Image above is not a real MTR P&ID but resembles what the P&IDs look like.
Updating Schematics and Documentation: Beyond mechanical design, I contributed to the Petroleum-Chemical team by creating and revising essential engineering schematics, including Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) and Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs). I also compiled critical engineering documentation such as Line Lists, Valve Lists, and Instrumentation Diagrams using schematics, and refiined them based on senior engineer and customer feedback.
Easy Excel Tool: During my second summer at Membrane Technology and Research, I noticed that engineers and technicians were getting bogged down with Excel spreadsheets—particularly when trying to consolidate duplicates, track valve lists, and update instrument schedules. It was time-consuming and prone to mistakes, so I decided to create the Easy Excel Tool. Version 1 was a simple Python-based application, while Version 2 evolved into a slick Excel Add-In built with Office.js. The idea is straightforward: users pick which columns to check for duplicates, and the tool automatically flags them and merges any new data into a final “Output Sheet.” This simple automation cut down on hours of manual work and helped teams stay organized without worrying about accidental deletions or overlooked errors.
Revision Checking Tool: Around the same time, I saw another challenge: comparing different versions of engineering drawings. Flipping through PDFs by hand made it easy to miss minor changes—like shifted dimensions or small annotation edits. To tackle this, I wrote a Python script using OpenCV that overlays two images by inverting their colors and mapping them to red and blue channels. Wherever the drawings match, you get purple lines; where they don’t, the lines stay in either red or blue. This quick visual check immediately highlights changes and saves engineers from wading through pages of near-identical drawings. Both of these tools—one for Excel automation and one for revision checking—ended up saving our team a ton of time and hassle, proving how even small software projects can make a big impact on everyday engineering tasks.
Membrane Technology and Research Internship
Overview
I worked as an Intern for Membrane Technology and Research for around a year and a half. MTR mainly makes membrane-based gas seperation products and I worked partially on the Piping and Instrumentation Drawings as part of the Petro-Chem team and worked on a line-laser device for the Manufacturing team.
Categories
Oil & Gas
Manufacturing
Date
Jun 2022
-
Sep 2023
What I did at MTR
At Membrane Technology my internship project was to design a system to accurately position a line laser that guided operators in applying glue to carbon capture membranes before stacking.
Images above shared with consent of MTR
By leveraging additive manufacturing and commercial off-the-shelf components, I developed a cost-effective rail architecture that mounts to the ceiling in the inspection room. I was able to create a design that was under 1000$ for 4 modules (5000$ allocated) while still meeting project targets.
I designed the system in Solidworks, integrating a stepper motor, lead screw, and linear guide rails to ensure precise and repeatable motion. Additionally, I incorporated a cable management system and 3D-printed brackets to streamline assembly. Furthermore the entire system was built around T-slot so the engineers could easily adjust the system if required.
Image above is not a real MTR P&ID but resembles what the P&IDs look like.
Updating Schematics and Documentation: Beyond mechanical design, I contributed to the Petroleum-Chemical team by creating and revising essential engineering schematics, including Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) and Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs). I also compiled critical engineering documentation such as Line Lists, Valve Lists, and Instrumentation Diagrams using schematics, and refiined them based on senior engineer and customer feedback.
Easy Excel Tool: During my second summer at Membrane Technology and Research, I noticed that engineers and technicians were getting bogged down with Excel spreadsheets—particularly when trying to consolidate duplicates, track valve lists, and update instrument schedules. It was time-consuming and prone to mistakes, so I decided to create the Easy Excel Tool. Version 1 was a simple Python-based application, while Version 2 evolved into a slick Excel Add-In built with Office.js. The idea is straightforward: users pick which columns to check for duplicates, and the tool automatically flags them and merges any new data into a final “Output Sheet.” This simple automation cut down on hours of manual work and helped teams stay organized without worrying about accidental deletions or overlooked errors.
Revision Checking Tool: Around the same time, I saw another challenge: comparing different versions of engineering drawings. Flipping through PDFs by hand made it easy to miss minor changes—like shifted dimensions or small annotation edits. To tackle this, I wrote a Python script using OpenCV that overlays two images by inverting their colors and mapping them to red and blue channels. Wherever the drawings match, you get purple lines; where they don’t, the lines stay in either red or blue. This quick visual check immediately highlights changes and saves engineers from wading through pages of near-identical drawings. Both of these tools—one for Excel automation and one for revision checking—ended up saving our team a ton of time and hassle, proving how even small software projects can make a big impact on everyday engineering tasks.
