Pump and Piping Network: Energy Efficient Design, Audit and Analysis

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.

Professor Lock has a unique blend of practicing and academic experience acquired through a career which is equally split between the industry and the academia. He received his B.Sc. (1st Class Honours) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 1975 from the University of Strathclyde, UK. He completed his Ph.D. degree at the same university in 1979 researching on the design optimization of electrical machines. He joined the National University of Singapore as a lecturer in 1980 and was the Head of its Power and Machines Division, Department of Electrical Engineering, when he left in 1997 to set up his consulting practice. He returned to the academia in 2016 as a Professor at Singapore Institute of Technology.

He is an Emeritus President and Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore. He has served as a Board Member of the Professional Engineers Board, Singapore for 14 years. He is well-versed with standards and codes of practice and was the Chairman of Singapore Standards Council for 6 years, actively contributing to the promotion and establishment of Standards and Codes of Practice in Singapore. He plays an active role in energy efficiency, being the Chairman of Accreditation Committee for Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and the Co-Chair of Steering Committee of Singapore Certified Energy Managers (SCEM) Scheme. He received the Public Service Medal (2015) and the Public Service Star (2020). He was conferred the Outstanding Power Engineer Award by the IEEE Power Engineering Chapter in 1998. He is a Fellow of Academy of Engineering, Singapore, Senior Fellow of ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology and Honorary Fellow of ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations. He is the co-author of a book “Grounds for Grounding: a Circuit-to-System Handbook”. The 2^nd edition was published by IEEE/John Wiley in 2023.

Joshua Chan started his career in the semiconductor industry in the areas of industrial engineering. His achievement was the setup of Singapore’s first CCD manufacturing line and clean room capability for CCD manufacturing. His training and expertise is in integrating various business process reengineering solutions and using statistical tool for process improvement in the manufacturing sector. He received both Lean and Six Sigma training which he holds a Black Belt in Six Sigma initiatives. He has also worked in other industries varying from healthcare, plastic and applied chemical industry. His experience include designing, drafting and process optimization of plastic pneumatic conveying systems. He also involved in various auditing exercises and is certified to perform audits for ISO 9001, ISO/TS19649 and ISO14001/OHSAS 18001. His working experience is diversified; working in American, British, German, Japanese and French MNCs and local SMEs as well. He joined SIT in SIT as a Senior Professional Officer and is tasked in the lab practical instruction of various thermodynamics and unit operations experiments supporting SIT Pharmaceutical Engineering program and TUM Chemical Engineering program. Besides conducting lab classes, he is involved in various student learning initiatives as well as mentoring students for industrial projects in different areas of chemical and mechanical engineering.

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).