Xiaolei (Sally) Sun

Education & Training

Training: Graduate
Institution: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Major/Area: Chemical Engineering
Degree: Doctorate
Year Completed: 2001

Training: Graduate
Institution: Beijing University of Chemical Technology, P.R. China
Major/Area: Chemical Engineering
Degree: Master of Science
Year Completed: 1997

Training: Undergraduate
Institution: Beijing University of Chemical Technology, P.R. China
Major/Area: Chemical Engineering
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Year Completed: 1994

  • Directs and manages company battery laboratory
  • Directs and manages technology development of the company
  • Response requests for proposals and other business opportunities
  • Develops strategies and tactics for development of business for the Energy Storage practice
  • Manages response to requests for proposals and other business opportunities for the Energy Storage practice
  • Manages operations and directs testing conducted by the Energy Storage laboratory
  • Developed Energy Storage and distribution strategies by implementing and conducting hydrogasification that converts hydrogen into methane using coal
  • Developed biofuel synthesis process — biodiesel and military fuels — using algae oil
  • Evaluated CO2 capture using Algae as means for power plant emissions reduction
  • Assistant Principal Investigator and Principal Investigator of the following projects:
  • $88M U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Project: Integrate Energy Strategy (2009)
  • $10M DOE/NETL Project: Hydrogasification Process for Co-Production of Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) and Electric with Zero-CO2 emission; Power Plant Emission to BioFuel through Algae
  • Hydrogen production and storage R&D using chemical hydrides for fuel cell application
  • Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation-Small Business Innovation Research (NSF-SBIR) awarded fund
  • Initiated and lead thermal initiated hydrogen production project for portable and electronic size hydrogen battery development
  • Designed and set up experiments study chemical hydrides, especially boron, chemistry.
  • Standardized high throughput and combinatorial bimetallic (supported) heterogeneous catalyst synthesis protocol
  • Developed new catalyst formulation for hyper branch fatty-amine synthesis; Developed reaction mechanisms for branch fatty-amine synthesis
  • Preferential oxidation of CO in H2–containing gases for fuel cell application (PROX)
  • Evaluated metal foam performance as catalyst support, developed new catalyst formulation
  • Studied reaction mechanisms and reaction kinetics
  • Initiated the project from designing experiments and developing process
  • Higher alcohol synthesis from syngas (CO + H2)
  • Evaluated catalyst performance for higher alcohol synthesis in a high T and high P slurry liquid system; developed kinetics for higher alcohol synthesis; Modified catalyst for better performance
  • Developed and standardized liquid mix separation, purification and identification protocols
  • Performed catalyst preparation and characterizations by various methodologies

Research & Professional Experience

Publications

Hobbs, R., Sun, X, “Integrated Wind, Sun, Fossil, Biomass and Nuclear for Energy Sustainability”, Proceedings of the 3rd Advanced Energy Systems Division (ASME) International Conference on Energy Sustainability, July 19th – 23rd, 2009, San Francisco, CA
Sun, X., Hobbs, R., Berzin, I., ‘Power Plant Flue Gas Emissions to Bio Fuel’, Conference Proceedings of 1st ASME International Conference on Energy Sustainability, June, (2007), Long Beach, CA
Zhang, Q., Wu, Y., Sun, X., and Ortega, J., ‘Kinetics of Catalytic Hydrolysis of Stabilized Sodium Solutions’, I&E Chemistry Research, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 46, (2007), 1120-1124.
Chin, P., Sun, X., Roberts, G.W., and Spivey, J.J., ‘Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide with Iron-promoted Platinum Catalysts Supported on Metal Foams’, Applied Catalysis A: General, published, 302 (1), (2006), 22-31
Zhang, Z., Sun, X., ‘Process for Forming Branched Composition Catalytically by Carbon-Hydrogen Bond Activation in a Saturated Moiety’, patent filed by Akzo Nobel Inc. WO 2005 / 121063 (2005)
Roberts, G.W., Chin, P., Sun, X., and Spivey, J.J., ‘Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide with Pt/Fe Monolithic Catalysts: Interactions between External Transport and the Reverse Water-Gas-Shift Reaction’, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 46 (3) (2003) 601-611
Sun, X., Roberts, G.W., ‘Synthesis of Higher Alcohols in a Slurry Reactor with Cesium Promoted Zinc Chromite Catalyst in Decahydronaphthalene’, Applied Catalysis A: General 247 (2003) 133-142

Hobbs, R., Karner, D., Sun, X., J. Boyle, F. Noguchi, “Hydrogasification reactor and method of operating same”, US8529645 B2, US20090090054, WO2009046252A2, WO2009046252A3.

Zhang Z, Sun X., “Process for forming branched composition catalytically by carbon-hydrogen bond activation in a saturated moiety”, US7227040 B2, WO 2005 121063, CN1964937A, DE602005025474D1, EP1753710B1, US20050272941.

Kelly; M. T.; McNamara; K. W; Sun X.; MacLachan; A., “Compositions and methods for hydrogen generation”, US 20080172932 A1.

Kelly, M., Mcnamara, K. and Sun, X., ‘Compositions and Methods Systems for Hydrogen Generation”, US 20070068071 A1, WO2007035845A2, WO2007035845A3.

Patents