Keynote Speaker 2

Started an engineering career in the oil and gas industry in 1993, had a brief overseas working experience before joining academia in 1999. Specialized in the development of thermal system designs and related technology with a strong working knowledge of the design and commissioning of heat exchangers and combustion systems. Involved at various levels in project management ie. construction, hook-up and commissioning and optimisation of systems and processes. In reliability and asset management, various projects involving failure prediction and efficiency improvements were completed with the extensive use of measurement tools such as infrared thermography and simulation software such as Ansys-Fluent (CFD), Aspen Hysis (process integration) and IPSEPro (process integration-power plants). In the past 5 years, my career focus was primarily on R&D projects for technology deployment in the oil and gas and power industries. For these projects, R&D programmes were designed and executed to enable technology at a readiness level (TRL) 3 and below to achieve TRL 4 and 5 prior to full scale deployment. Combustible and noncombustible power systems, separation, gas floatation and wastewater management were among the areas of concern and for which technology were qualified to unlock the potential for efficiency and performance improvements.

His experiences, knowledge and certification/training has prepared him to function in multiple roles and scopes within the oil and gas and power industries. His skills have also been tested through the various projects which were completed and accepted for adaptation and deployment. He has authored numerous technical articles which are published in both internal and external domains. His managerial roles and responsibilities spans across development of talents within the organization to strategic business positioning for market capitalization and value realization within the organization’s core business model. He was given the opportunity to undergo a McKinsey leadership programme whereby the various tools and skills towards organization transformation were explored and enhanced. Then, he re-joined the oil and gas industry in 2013, with a focus on tasks overseeing the development of Enhance Oil Recovery research projects up until full scale deployment.  Afterwards, he moved to TNBR in 2016 and currently heading the fuels and combustion section. Roles and responsibilities at TNBR include qualifying technology, carrying out R&D and deployment of products/capabilities/solutions within the power utilities industry.

Summary of professional carrier of Keynote speaker

       Started an engineering career in the oil and gas industry in 1993, had a brief overseas working experience before joining academia in 1999.

• Re-joined the oil and gas industry in 2013, with a focus on tasks overseeing the development of Enhance Oil Recovery research projects up until full scale deployment.
• Moved to TNBR in 2016 and currently heading the fuels and combustion section. Roles and responsibilities at TNBR include qualifying technology, carrying out R&D and deployment of products/capabilities/solutions within the power utilities industry.

Keynote speech title

The Preparedness of Power Generation Operators to Embrace the Changing Landscape of Environmental Awareness, Decarbonisation and Commitments to a Renewable Energy Economy

Synopsis

Conventional thermal energy conversion systems have been the backbone of electrical power supply ever since the industrial revolution. The competitive cost of power generation have given “conventionals” ie. coal and gas an unfair advantage and, without subsidies, interventions and commitments to global calls for alternative methods of power generation, they will continue to be the most economical choice amongst available methods. The trend towards a higher renewable energy share in the generation mix is just starting to take shape globally and with the re-emergence of hydrogen and positive developments in battery storage technology, low or zero carbon large scale power generation applications seem to be possible in the near future.

As the push for emerging trends in alternative fuels and energy sources to replace coal and gas gain momentum, the timescale for adoption of these “new energies” will need to be seriously considered. There is still significant amounts of work to be done towards the preparedness of existing infrastructure, commitments, investments, technology readiness and the human capital to warrant a smooth and gradual transition and to avoid shocks that can paralyze the energy industry.

One solution to aid the gradual transition is by implementing co-firing of alternative fuels in the existing conventional power plant infrastructure. Apart from embarking on scaled testing, a similar approach to liquid fuel blending in full scale internal combustion engines could be adopted. Hydrogen or other alternatives could be introduced in small quantities via blending with conventional fuels to understand limitations and risks to the current assets. A realistic roadmap for the replacement of coal and gas would need to be  drawn-up and adopted with practical solutions to assist existing power plant operators to prepare for the transition and subsequent full adoption.