Jeff Weinfeld, Ph.D.

Senior Process Engineer

Experience

  • Senior Process Engineer, Trimeric Corporation, August 2025 – Present
  • Development Engineer, Optimized Gas Treating, Inc. (OGT), March 2021 – July 2025
  • Graduate Student Intern, Eastman Chemical Company, May 2017 – August 2017
  • Research Assistant, UT Austin Separations Research Program, June 2016 – August 2016

Fields of Experience

Dr. Weinfeld is a chemical engineer with extensive experience in process research, development, and engineering across the oil & gas and chemical industries. Through his graduate research and industry roles, Dr. Weinfeld has led plant simulation, experimental studies, and model development for a range of technically challenging applications.

Specific areas of experience include:

  • Rate-based simulation of gas absorption processes, including CO₂ capture, natural gas treating, and glycol dehydration
  • Research and development of advanced distillation technologies, such as reactive distillation columns and dividing wall columns
  • Creation of fundamental process models and application of numerical models to physical systems
  • Detailed modeling of separations columns and solvent absorption processes
  • Lab-scale design, operation, and evaluation of reaction and separations technology
  • Thermodynamic and kinetic modeling and experimentation, including vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE), liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE), and liquid-phase reaction kinetics
  • Standard and reactive distillation process simulation

Education & Training

  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, 3.80/4.00 GPA, The University of Texas at Austin, 2020
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, Magna Cum Laude, 3.89/4.00 GPA, University of Rochester, 2016

Honors & Awards

  • The University of Texas at Austin, Thrust 2000 Fellowship, 2016–2020
  • Phi Beta Kappa, 2016
  • Tau Beta Pi, 2015
  • NCAA Academic All-America Football Team, University of Rochester, 2015

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Weinfeld, J.A., Pinto, D.D.D., Moser, P., Wiechers, G. “Development and plant validation of a CESAR1 solvent model with an emphasis on water wash conditions.” International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 146:104454.
  • Weinfeld, J.A., Eldridge, R.B., Owens, S. 2023. “Development of an industrial reactive dividing wall column process through laboratory-scale experimentation and modeling.” Chemical Engineering and Processing – Process Intensification. 189:109380.
  • Pinto, D.D.D., Weinfeld, J.A. 2023. “Thermodynamic validation of CESAR1 model and effect of water wash configurations.” Chemical Engineering Transactions. 100:265–270.
  • Weinfeld, J.A., Eldridge, R.B., Owens, S. 2022. “Evaluation of the aldol condensation of propionaldehyde as a reactive dividing wall column test system.” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 61(23):8220–8232.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2020. “Reactive distillation in a dividing wall column” [dissertation]. Austin (TX): University of Texas at Austin.
  • Weinfeld, J.A., Owens, S.A., Eldridge, R.B. 2018. “Reactive dividing wall columns: A comprehensive review.” Chemical Engineering and Processing – Process Intensification. 123:20–33.
  • Anthamatten, M., Chen, S., Ou, J., Weinfeld, J.A. 2016. “Enthalpy versus entropy: What drives hard-particle ordering in condensed phases?” Chemical Physics Letters. 660:18–21.

Trade Journal Publications

  • Weinfeld, J.A., Weiland, S.A., Weiland, R.H. 2023. “Process simulation: past and future.” Hydrocarbon Engineering. 28(10):55–61. October 2023.
  • Chandran, P., Kaur, H., Weinfeld, J.A., Weiland, R.H. 2023. “COS and mercaptans removal from gases.” Digital Refining. April 2023.
  • Weiland, S.A., Hatcher, N.A., Chandran, P., Jensen, D.R., Weiland, R.H., Weinfeld, J.A. 2023. “Sneaky SO₂ breakthroughs.” Sulphur. 405:31–36. March–April 2023.
  • Chandran, P., Kaur, H., Hatcher, N.A., Weinfeld, J.A., Weiland, R.H. 2022. “Simulating mercaptans and COS removal.” Hydrocarbon Engineering. 27(8): August 2022.
  • Chandran, P., Hatcher, N.A., Kaur, H., Weinfeld, J.A., Weiland, R.H. 2022. “A hybrid approach.” Hydrocarbon Engineering. 27(5): May 2022.
  • Weinfeld, J.A., Hatcher, N.A., Jensen, D.R., Weiland, R.H., Villegas, C. 2022. “Stahl columns – an alternative to molecular sieves?” Petroleum Technology Quarterly (PTQ) Gas. June 2022.

Conference Presentations

  • Sachde, D.J., C.A.M. Beitler, J.A. Weinfeld, K.E. McIntush, “Molten sulphur storage design practices to manage and mitigate environmental, health, and safety risks of sulphur storage and system vapours”, Presented at Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid Expoconference, The Woodlands, TX, USA, November 2025.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2025. “COS and mercaptans removal from gases.” Presented at SulGas Conference 2025; Mumbai, India; February 2025.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2024. “Development and plant validation of a CESAR1 solvent model with an emphasis on water wash conditions.” Presented at IEAGHG GHGT-17; Calgary, Canada; October 2024.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2023. “Validation of a CESAR1 solvent model with a focus on water wash conditions.” Presented at IEAGHG PCCC-7; Pittsburgh, PA, United States; September 2023.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2023. “Process simulation: A historical perspective with emphasis on the future.” Presented at Fractionation Research Inc. Annual Meeting; Tulsa, OK, United States; May 2023.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2022. “Sneaky SO₂ breakthroughs.” Presented at CRU Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid 2022; The Hague, The Netherlands; October 2022.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2022. “Reactive distillation in a dividing wall column.” Presented at 2022 AIChE Spring Meeting; Houston, TX, United States; April 2022.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2022. “Stahl column – an alternative to molecular sieves?” Presented at SulGas Conference 2022; Virtual; February 2022.
  • Weinfeld, J.A. 2020. “Lab-scale experimentation and simulation of a reactive dividing wall column.” Presented at 2020 AIChE Spring Meeting; Virtual; August 2020.