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CURRICULUM VITAE
Nenad Sarunac, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
UNC Charlotte
The William States Lee College of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
O: 704-687-1089, M: 610-653-9119, nsarunac@uncc.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering,LehighUniversity,Bethlehem,Pennsylvania,U.S.A.,1985
M.S. Electrical Engineering,Universityof Zagreb, Republicof Croatia,1978
B.S. Mechanical Engineering,Universityof Zagreb, Republicof Croatia(SummaCumLaude),1976
APPOINTMENTS
2013 – Present PresidentandCEOof PowerSystemsAssociates,Inc.
2011 – Present Associate Professorof Mechanical Engineering,UNCC
2002 – 2011 Associate Director, EnergyResearchCenter(ERC),LehighUniversity
1999 – 2002 Principal ResearchEngineer,ERC,LehighUniversity
1991 – 1999 SeniorResearchEngineer,ERC,LehighUniversity
1985 – 1991 ResearchEngineer,ERC,LehighUniversity
1982 – 1985 TeachingandGraduate Assistant,MEDepartment,LehighUniversity
1977 – 1982 AssistantandAssociate Professorof Mechanical Engineering, EnergyTechnology
Department,Universityof Zagreb,Croatia.
SUMMARYOF EXPERIENCE
Thirty years of academic/industrial experience in the energy technology field. Specialist in the areas of
energy system and component analysis and improvement, advanced energy systems, energy efficiency
improvement, emissions reduction, combustion and performance optimization, diagnostics and system
optimization, and application of artificial intelligence in power industry. Lead scientist, engineer and
principal investigator in many research and problem-solving projects for the power generation industry.
Session chair for the Improvementsfor Existing Power Plants session at the International Clearwater Coal
Utilization Conference, and member of the Technical Committee Board.
MAJOR ACCCOMPLISHMENTS
 Principal inventor of the coal drying technology, commercially known as DryFiningTM
, based on
fluidized bed drying and waste heat utilization. Development of the multi-stage moving bed

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fluidized bed dryer incorporating gravitational segregation for removal of sulfur- and mercury-
bearingfractions.Systemintegration,design,implementation,acceptance andperformancetesting
of a commercial-scale systemata2 x 600 MW powerplant. HeavilyinvolvedinGlobal marketingof
the Technology.
 Proposedpartial CO2 capture concept.AlthoughDr. H. Herzogfrom MIT isusuallycreditedforthat
idea, I have developed the concept at Lehigh University at least a year before the MIT
announcement.
 One of the pioneers of a thermal integration concept for efficiency improvement of power
generation cycles.
 Developmentof hardware forthe EPA Reference Method30A (Instrumental Reference Method), in
cooperation with the EU research organizations and commercial companies. The hardware is
commercially available in European Union.
 Developmentof the Background CorrectionMethod(BCM) for mercury stratificationtesting.BCM
is incorporated into EPA mercury testing procedures.
 Principal inventor and developer of the intelligent sootblowing optimization technology.
 Development of the Flow Reference methods (methods 2F and higher) for the U.S. EPA.
 Development of the combustion-enhancing stoker airfoil technology.
 Developmentof the on- andoff-line performance measurementtechniquesforfossil-fired
powerplants(Output/Loss andBoiler/Turbine CycleEfficiency(BTCE)).
 Developedthe conceptof the fossil-renewable hybridpowerplant.The conceptisdescribedin
the proposal submitted tothe ICCIin2010.
TECHNICAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2013 to Present President andCEO of Power Systems Associates,Inc.,Charlotte,NC
 Technical consultancyforthe powergenerationindustry.
2011 to Present EPIC AssociateProfessorof Mechanical EngineeringandEngineeringScience, MEES
Department,UNCCharlotte,Charlotte,NC
 EstablishedEnergyConcentrationatthe MEES Department.
 Curriculumdevelopment: developedandtaughtundergraduate courses:CleanCoal Technology,
Turbomachinery,andEnergyEngineering,andagraduate course:AdvancedEnergySystems.Also,
taught the undergraduate HeatTransfercourse.
 Appliedresearchinthe areaof Rankine andBraytoncycle performance improvement(Efficiency
improvementof the PCCpowerplants,parallel Rankine/Brayton cycle, ORC, andsupercritical CO2
Braytoncycle).

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 Researchforthe electricutilityindustry
 Coordinatorforthe Energy Concentration
1999 to 2011 AssociateDirector, Energy Research Center(ERC),Lehigh University,Bethlehem,PA
 Co-principal investigator on the NYSERDA 11139 project concerning use of waste and CO2
compressionheattoreduce penaltydue topost-combustionCO2 capture. The secondphase of the
project, funded by the industry, investigated the use CO2 compression heat for the commercially
available equipment (MHI and MAN compressors) and new concepts (RamGen shock wave
compressor).
 Co-principal inventor, co-principal investigator, and one of key technical people on the DOE CCPI
DE-FC26-03NT41729 projectforimprovingefficiencyandreducingemissionsof powerplantsfiring
low-rank high-moisture coals.
 Co-principal investigator on the DOE DE-PS26-02NT41422 project for use of coal drying to reduce
water consumed in pulverized coal power plants.
 Continueddevelopmentandapplicationof alow-temperature coal dryingsystem throughsystem
integration ata coal-to-liquids(CTL) plant,oxy-fuel, andadvancedPCCpowerplants(USCandA-
USC) firinglow-rank,high-moisture fuels.
 Marketingof the coal dryingtechnology,bothdomesticallyandinternationally.
 Development of advanced power systems utilizing heat recovery, heat displacement, and tighter
boiler-turbinecycle integration forimprovedperformance andreducedemissions,especially CO2.
 Principal inventor and developer of the expert system-based intelligent sootblower optimization
technology.
 Development and implementation of the combustion optimization technology for performance
improvement, emissions reduction, and slagging control of coal-fired power plants. Development
and field-implementationof the on-lineexpertsystemandartificial neural network-basedadvisory
systems for maintaining optimal boiler control settings.
 Principal investigator on the Illinois Clean Coal Institute (ICCI) project on improving efficiency and
reducing emissions from existing coal-fired power plants.
 Measurement and reduction of mercury emissions from fossil-fired power plants, including
evaluating effectiveness of the activated carbon injection.
 Long-term cooperation with the U.S. EPA on development of reference methods for mercury
measurementandflowreference methods.Developedaportable Instrumental Reference Method
(IRM) hardware for mercury measurement (in cooperation with the EU Commission).
 Problem solving for the U.S. electrical utility industry.
 Application of artificial intelligence in the power generation industry. Development of the CEM
sensor validation and early warning systems.
 Development of the combustion-enhancing stoker airfoil technology.
 Projectdevelopmentandmanagement,proposal writing andbudgetdevelopment,marketingand
technical presentations, meetings with industrial sponsors.
 Workingon methodsforreducingperformance penaltydue toapplicationof post-combustionand

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pre-combustion (oxy-combustion) carbon capture.
1991 to 1999 Senior Research Engineer, ERC,Lehigh University,Bethlehem,PA
 Development of a low-temperature coal drying/beneficiation technology based on fluidized bed
drying, gravitational segregation, and use of recovered waste heat. Conceptual design of the
commercial system; design of system components.
 Development of the combustion optimization technology for fossil-fired boilers.
 Development,integrationandfieldimplementationof intelligentcombustionoptimizationcode for
reducing emissions and optimizing performance of fossil-fired fired boilers.
 Development of performance monitoring systemsand the on- and off-line computer software for
improving performance of coal-fired power plants.
 Development of the Flow Reference methods (methods 2F and higher) for the U.S. EPA.
 Technical evaluation of new concepts in power generation.
 Engineering analyses and problem solving for industrial clients.
 Project development and management, proposal writing, marketing and technical presentations,
meetings with industrial sponsors.
1987 to 1991 Research Engineer, ERC, Lehigh University,Bethlehem,PA
 Performance modeling of coal-fired power plants.
 Developmentof the boilerperformance modulesforEPRIPMW(The moduleswere lateronported
to B&V’s OPMworkstation).
 Development of a finite-difference model of a rotating regenerative heat exchanger (Ljungstrom
andRothemuhle).Followingfieldverification,thecode hasbeen usedextensivelytosolve problems
relatedtoair preheaterperformanceandfouling,andisstill inuse today.The workwas conducted
under EPRI fireside performance improvement program.
 Engineering design of the ERC hydraulics laboratory and supervision of construction.
1985 to 1987 Research Associate,ERC, Lehigh University,Bethlehem,PA
 Developmentof the on- andoff-line performance measurementtechniques forfossil powerplants
(Output/Loss,and Boiler/Turbine CycleEfficiency(BTCE)),underEPRIfire-side performance
improvementprogram.
 Performance acceptance testing andtuningof a LNCFScombustionsystems.
 Airpreheaterperformance testing.
 Testingandoptimizationof fire-side performanceof coal-firedpowerplants,dataanalysisand
reportwriting.

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1984 to 1985 GraduateAssistant,Energy Research Center,Lehigh University,Bethlehem,PA
 Development of computer software for modeling of radiation heat transfer in cylindrical coal
combustion chambers using the Zone Method.
 Power plant performance testing.
1977 to 1982 AssistantandAssociate Professorof Mechanical Engineering,University of Zagreb,
Republic of Croatia
 Course developmentandlecturingat the College of Mechanical Engineering.Developedand
taught undergraduate course onenergysourcesandresources,andenergytechnology.
 Appliedresearchinthe areaof Rankine andBraytoncycle performance improvement.
 Developmentof the advancedgasturbine coolingdesign,involvingheatpipe (thermosiphon)-
cooledblades.
 Appliedresearchinthe general areaof energytechnology.
 Model-baseddynamicsimulationof large once-through(supercritical) steamboilers.
 Consultingforthe steamturbine andboilermanufacturers.
PUBLICATIONS
Author or co-author of over 110 technical papers presented at the IEA International Conference,
International Clearwater Coal Utilization Conference, Mega Conference, A&WMA Annual Conference,
International CEMConference,CombustionCanadaInternationalConference,EPRIHeatRate Improvement
Conference,POWER-GEN International Conference,InternationalJointPowerGenerationConference,Joint
ASME/IEEE Power Generation Conference, National Heat Transfer Conference, ASME Winter Annual
Meeting,andother technical meetings,andpublishedinPOWER,CORNERSTONE,World Coal,and Journal
of Energy and Power Engineering. Also, authored and co-authored over 100 technical reports.
The ResearchGate statistics(525 readsand 95 citations overlasttwoyears) are testamentof the relevance
of my publications.
PATENTS
 "The Staged Boundary LayerTreatmentMethod and SystemforBiofouling Control", U.S. Patent
No.4,997,574, March 5, 1991.
 “Combustion Enhancing AirFoil”,withMancini,R.,U. S. PatentNo.6,405,661, June 18, 2002.
 “Method of Enhancing theQuality of High-MoistureMaterialsUsing SystemHeatSources”,with
Mark Ness,CharlesBullingeratal,U.S. PatentNo. 8579999, International Classification:C10L5/00
(20060101)
 “Apparatusand Method of Enhancing theQuality of High-MoistureMaterialsand Separatingand
Concentrating Organicand/orNon-OrganicMaterialContained Therein”,withMark Ness,Charles
Bullingeratal, April 12th
2013, U.S. PatentNo. 8372185, International Classification:B01D50/00
(20060101)
 “ApparatusforHeatTreatmentof ParticulateMaterials”, withMark Ness, CharlesBullingeratal,

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U.S. PatentNumber8523963, International Classification:C10L5/00 (20060101)
 “Method of Enhancing theQuality of High-MoistureMaterialsUsing SystemHeatSources”,
Application Number14058778, filed October21st
2013, Pending
 “Conversion of CoalAsh industrialwasteto ceramics forconstruction and refractories”,Provisional
Patentfiled on May 12th
2015, UNCCIR# 2015-039, Application number62/160,301 (with Dr.
Ahmed El-Ghannam)
AWARDS
• The firstplace and award forthe outstandingtechnical paper:“FourYearsof OperatingExperience
withDryFiningTM
Fuel EnhancementProcessatCoal CreekGenerating Station”,31st
PittsburghCoal
Conference,October6-9,2014, Pittsburgh,PA.
• The Lignite Fuel Enhancementprojectwonthe awardforthe BestCoal-FiredProjectof the Year
for 2010 inthe international competitionorganizedbyPOWER-GEN International.
• The Gold Medal for AcademicAchievement(firstinclass),Mechanical EngineeringDepartment,
Universityof Zagreb,1976
LANGUAGES
FluentinEnglishandCroatian,some RussianandGerman
CITIZENSHIP
U.S. Citizen