PLENARY SESSION

The Plenary Session welcomes all EXPO, Exhibitor and Conference Attendees! Tuesday, October 30, 2024, 10:15 am – 12:00 pm. Attendees will earn 2 PDH credits.

Specifying CTI Certified Cooling Towers for Performance & Reliability

Lee Seela
Mechanical Engineer – Energy Division
Black & Veatch

Lee Seela will share news and updates on behalf of the Cooling Technology Institute (CTI), and share his experiences in specifying CTI-certified heat rejection equipment for industrial plants. Lee is the new Chairperson for the CTI Owner-Operator Committee, and will be discussing this group specifically for end-users/owners.

Lee Seela is a specialist in the Mechanical Engineering group at Black & Veatch. He specializes in cooling towers, air-cooled condensers, fluid coolers, fin-fan coolers, instrument air packages, and more. His career experiences range from being a Nuclear Machinist’s Mate in the US Navy, manufacturing and facilities maintenance, and cooling tower research and development prior to obtaining his Mechanical Engineering degree. At Black & Veatch, Lee handles all aspects of cooling towers for his clients. From new tower designs including the pump intake basin to analyzing vendor proposals for tower refurbishments.

Reducing GHG Emissions With Integrated Heating, Cooling, And Compressed Air Design

Philip Johnston, PE, CEM
Technical Manager
Woodard & Curran

Phil Johnston is a mechanical engineer with more than a decade of experience helping firms reach their energy and sustainability goals. He guides clients through creating and executing energy and carbon strategies for facilities and products. His project history includes energy and carbon strategy, energy assessments, project design and implementation.

Gates Performance System (GPS) Standards: Chiller, Cooling Towers and Compressed Air

Alan Edington
Global Energy Director
Gates

Compressed air and cooling systems are engineered for performance and energy efficiency to meet production and sustainability requirements for Gates. Specifications and standards ensure standardization of equipment and design. Gates has KPIs for energy system performance that each site uses to maintain proper system operation.

For almost 10 years, Alan has worked for Gates Industrial Corporation as the Global Energy Director developing programs for energy systems that improve efficiency in energy systems and improving maintenance systems to support operational excellence. In addition to Gates, Alan has assisted in developing programs and leading energy conferences for various companies, including prominent Private Equity holding companies. Alan has worked in manufacturing for over 30 years in various roles including operations, project engineering, and maintenance. Alan grew up on a family grain and livestock farm where he farmed with his father for many years.

Compressed Air Systems in the Amusement Park Industry – The Importance of Air Quality

Sean Ferris
Senior Manager Ride/Show – Facility Interface
Universal Creative

Compressed air is used in a lot of different ways across the world. At Universal Creative we use air in a lot of different ways to meet our performance standards and reliability requirements. We will go over how we use air at Universal Creative and how we go about ensuring air quality protects our assets.

Sean Ferris has a Power Engineering Technology Degree from Maine Maritime Academy and an MBA from Hult International Business School in London. In his 12 years of industry experience, he has a wide range of experience from being a Sales Engineer at Bell & Gossett/Xylem to helping start-up/commission Combined Cycle and Coal Power Plants in multiple projects across the United States. He evaluated power plants with Black & Veatch and completed various nuclear projects at Y-12. Now he is helping with the execution of Universal Creative’s latest project Epic Universe in Orlando, FL.