Joseph R. Reynolds, PE, MEWI, MAE is internationally recognized as a forensic electrical engineer and an authority regarding the investigation and evaluation of utility system incidents and equipment failures including electrical contact accidents, fires and explosions. He has served as the team leader and technical director, as well as principal testifier, in large complex investigations and research. Services to the industry have included: conducting forensic root cause analyses of major power generation, transmission, distribution, and telecommunications incidents, system failures, accidents, fires, and equipment condition and performance audit issues; providing recommendations for improved equipment reliability; assessing the expected life and condition of aging equipment for repair/replace options; and addressing prudence issues related to rate base and regulatory hearings.
Mr. Reynolds is the founder and president of RTI Group, LLC based in the US, as well as the founder and chairman of the London based UK firm Reynolds Technological Inquiries Limited, and RTI Ltd, with offices in South America and the Middle East. The RTI companies are an international consultancy of experienced expert witnesses with a new research centre to determine the cause of electrical, material, and mechanical failures. An advance multimedia studio provides the visuals to effectively present our findings. A highly diversified firm, RTI specialized in accident and failure analysis of various size matters involving aviation, marine, rail, telecommunications, power utilities, and high risk industries.
RTI also provides proactive consulting services from Safety Management and Security Risk Assessment to implementation of controls.
Mr. Reynolds has represented public and government utilities, state regulatory commissions, and insurers in numerous electric power matters, including the following examples:
• Appointed by a utility regulator to serve as lead investigator and team manager for the state’s analysis of a high profile and lengthy outage resulting in recommendations to improve system reliability, which were adopted through the legislative rule-making process.
• Provided testimony at a rate base hearing before a state public service commission involving the utility’s handling of unpredictable and highly unusual nuclear reactor component failure, and evaluation of the resulting repair costs.
• Authored several publications on behalf of the Electric Power Research Institute, EPRI, including a guideline to assist utilities in improving the reliability of power plant electrical equipment as an alternative to the cost of constructing new plants.
• Evaluated the options to restore the performance of a damaged hydroelectric generator station when compared with the availability of replacement power.
Mr. Reynolds has given expert testimony in arbitration hearings and courts of law, and has appeared before state and federal boards, commissions, counsels, press conferences, and international professional forums.
Academic Background
• Postgraduate Studies, Engineering and Mathematics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
• B.E.S., Electrical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
• A.A.S., Electrical Technology, The Capitol Institute of Technology, Washington, D.C.
• University of Leeds, Fire/Explosion Dynamics, United Kingdom.
• University of Liverpool, Basic British Law, United Kingdom.
• The Royal Society of Medicine, British Court Procedures, United Kingdom.
Registration
• Registered Professional Engineer, Electrical: Maryland
Professional Experience
• Founder and President of RTI Group, LLC (RTI), Annapolis, MD, February 2006 to present.
• Founder and CEO of Reynolds Technological Inquiries Limited, RTI Ltd (RTI), London, UK, July 2005 to present.
• Founder and President of Reynolds Technologies International, LLC (RTI), wholly owned subsidiary of FTI Consulting, Inc., Annapolis, MD, 2003 – 2004.
• CEO and Executive Director, Anamet, Inc., Hayward, California, 2003 – 2016. Re-established materials engineering and testing laboratory originally founded in 1958.
• Co-founder, FTI Consulting, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland, 1982 - 2003. Served as Senior Vice President, Chief Scientist, President, Vice Chairman and Chairman. Team leader and principal investigator on numerous major loss investigations, product and systems reliability research and safety analysis reviews, while serving as the head of all Engineering and Scientific Services that became the Applied Sciences Consulting Division.
• Director, Forensic Engineering Directorate, ManTech International Corporation, CADCOM Division, 1975-1982. Established and developed forensic engineering analysis services while directing and conducting investigations and research involving aging power generation equipment, electrical accidents and equipment failures.
• Director and Principal Research Engineer, Trident Engineering, Annapolis, Maryland, 1969-1975. Managed environmental and life sciences instrumentation products research and beta testing. Participated in writing System Safety Manuals for NASA flight systems. Established Safety Engineering Department; directed and conducted root cause failure investigations primarily in the areas of aircraft accidents, fires, explosions, and electric utility generation, transmission and distribution equipment failures and repair/replacement options.
• Research Assistant, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 1965-1969. Assigned to the Mossbauer Effects Studies Group utilizing a 50 Mev Van de Graaff generator laboratory. Responsibilities included designing electronic instrumentation systems for use in this sub-atomic particle research under the direction of the Physics Department. Assigned to the Carlyle Barton Laboratory where research involved aircraft electronics and radar systems. Additional experience with military aircraft strategic systems applications and research.
Professional Associations and Activities
• Academy of Experts of London, Vetted Member
• Advisory Committee, Mathematical Sciences Department, G.W.C. WSE, JHU
• American Society of Safety Engineers, Professional Member
• Avionics and Aircraft Electrical Systems Failure Analysis
• Cockpit Accident Sequence Reconstruction
• Expert Witness Institute of London, Full Member
• Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, Fellow Member
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Life Senior Member: Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society - Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society - Power Engineering Society
• International Association of Arson Investigators, Member
• International Society of Air Safety Investigators, Member No. MO3982
• The Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees, Member
• The Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering, National Advisory Council Chairman
• National Fire Protection Association, Life Member
• National Society of Professional Engineers, Member
• Nautical Institute, Member
• Royal Aeronautical Society, Corporate Member
• Tau Beta Pi, National Engineering Honorary Society
• UK Flight Safety Committee, Corporate Member
Research Activities
• Electric Generator Core Iron Condition Evaluation
• Electric Power Generation Plant Life Extension versus Replacement Assessment Strategies
• Electric Power and Telecommunications Systems Fault Analysis
• Electrical Fire Ignition Research
• Electrical Insulation Failure Analyses
• Flight Path Reconstruction and Visualization
• Forensic Investigation of Electrical Distribution System Incidents
• Computer Modelling and Animation Applications
• High-Energy Physics Research
• Reconstructive Fire Science and Full-Scale Burn Testing
• Lithium Battery Safety
• Partial Discharge in Cable Terminations
Lectures and Presentations
Frequent speaker and seminar presenter and guest lecturer for a variety of groups and organizations including:
• The Federal Judicial Centre Research Division
• Natural Gas Claims and Litigation Association
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• William and Mary School of Law, Courtroom 21 Project
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
• International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI)
• Insurance Risk Management Organizations
• The Telecommunications Industry
• The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering
• University of Maryland, School of Engineering
• Morgan State University School of Engineering
• National Institute of Standards and Technology, Centre for Fire Research
• Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE)
• International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI)
• Georgetown University Law School, Aviation Law Lecturer
• Baltimore City Fire Department (Advanced Arson Investigation Training Seminar)
• Inns of Court School of Law, Lloyds
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Consumer Product Safety Commission Training Seminar
• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Inc.
• Expert Witness Institute
• AON Limited
• AViCON
• Lawline