Energy Efficiency and Process Optimisation for Process Industries

James has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New South Wales and has 26 years’ experience as a professional engineer with expertise in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, industrial energy efficiency, industrial greenhouse gas emissions reduction, acoustics, and engineering economics in both experimental and numerical modelling applications. He has a wealth of experience in working both in industry and working alongside industrial project partners to deliver successful outcomes that deliver on improved energy efficiency, increased process yields, and enhanced plant and process reliability; with a strong emphasis on realising meaningful gains in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). His work has included the establishment and delivery of energy auditor training and accreditation programmes for the New Zealand Industry at a national level for fan, pump, steam, compressed air, and process cooling systems.

After a 16-year stint at the University of Waikato, including the establishment and leadership of the Engineering Energy Research Centre, James is now busy working full-time in the private sector to implement change with a wide range of industry clients and partners. James and his team, work with a strong emphasis on a “total integrated systems engineering approach” to plant and process improvement that incorporates principles of energy efficiency, equipment and process reliability, and process optimisation. James has volunteered extensively both domestically and internationally to better the engineering profession, including over 16 years’ voluntary service on various committees and boards for the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP), Vibration Association of New Zealand (VANZ) and the Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand (MESNZ). James is the current Chair of the Maintenance Engineering Society of NZ (MESNZ).

Dr. Li Chuanzhao received his BEng and MEng from Tianjin University (China), and PhD degree from National University of Singapore (NUS), all in Chemical Engineering. He has worked extensively in industry, R&D and academia. He has 7 years of industry experience as process engineer and project manager in the process development, design, construction and operation of several chemical processes and plants. He has also previously worked in NUS, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and Newcastle University. His research interests lie in process development, simulation and optimization, process engineering and process analytical technology (PAT). He has authored/co-authored more than 50 peer reviewed journal articles and 5 granted/commercialized patents.

Dr. Ir. Dominic Foo is a Professor of Process Design and Integration at the University of Nottingham Malaysia and is the Founding Director of the Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), a fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), a fellow of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Engineering Council UK, Professional Engineer (PEng) with the Board of Engineer Malaysia (BEM), ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineers (ACPE), as well as the President for the Asia Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering (APCChE). He is in the top 1% of world-renowned scientist according to Stanford List, working in process integration for resource conservation and CO2 reduction. He collaborates with more than 50 research scholars and industrial practitioners over Asia, Europe, North America and Africa. Professor Foo is an active author, with eight books, and more than 190 journal papers and made more than 240 conference presentations, with more than 30 keynote/plenary speeches. He served on International Scientific Committees for many important international conferences (CHISA/PRES, FOCAPD, ESCAPE, PSE, SDEWES, etc.).

Professor Foo is the editor-in-chief for Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability (Springer Nature), subject editor for Process Safety & Environmental Protection (Elsevier), and editorial board member for several other renowned journals. He is the winner of the Innovator of the Year Award 2009 of IChemE, Young Engineer Award 2010 of IEM, the Outstanding Young Malaysian Award 2012 of Junior Chamber International (JCI), Outstanding Asian Researcher and Engineer 2013 (Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan), Vice-Chancellor’s Achievement Award 2014 (University of Nottingham) and Top Research Scientist Malaysia 2016 (ASM). He has conducted more than 100 professional workshops for academics and industrial practitioners worldwide.