FELLOWS, AWARDEES AND ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS
Major industrial sectors like petrochemicals and chemicals, iron and steel, and cement are hard to decarbonise.
This technical briefing will explore how a revolutionary rotating technology developed by Coolbrook combines space science, turbomachinery, and chemical engineering to replace burning of fossil fuels across all major industrial sectors.
The technology has two main applications: RotoDynamic Reactor (RDR) to reach 100% CO2 free olefin production, and RotoDynamic Heater (RDH) to provide carbon-free process heating to iron and steel, cement and chemicals production.
If deployed at scale, this technology has the potential to cut global industrial CO2 emissions by up to 2.4 Gt or 30%, accounting for 7% of annual global CO2 emissions.
Programme*
| 11.50am | Zoom webinar opens |
| 12.00pm |
Welcome and introduction by the Chair Professor Julian Allwood FREng, Professor of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Cambridge |
| 12.05pm |
Bringing the world together to kickstart a Clean New Industrial Era Robert Savidge FREng, Director of Engineering, Coolbrook Oy |
| 12.30pm | Q&A session |
| 12.55pm |
Closing remarks by the Chair Professor Julian Allwood FREng |
| 1.00pm | Close |
*programme subject to change
Recording notice
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Robert Savidge FREng
Robert Savidge is an outstanding engineer and leader. His distinguished career with Rolls-Royce includes securing a major global aero-engine market share via his leadership of engine and technology programmes. He has successfully exploited advanced technology for new products and has created and driven a range of innovative test facilities across Europe. As Director of Technical Assurance for Rolls-Royce plc, Robert frequently had ultimate responsibility for decisions on safety-critical aspects of multi-million-pound programmes. His ability for balanced and objective thinking during gas turbine development and use in service is exceptional. In 2023, Robert joined Coolbrook Oy as Director of Engineering. Coolbrook is a technology company developing capability to decarbonise heavy industry. His significant personal achievements are widely recognised, including as a MacRobert Award finalist in 2009 for the Trent 900 aero engine, 2006 ICAS Von Karman Award for contribution to the A380 Programme and Royal Aeronautical Society – Team Gold Medal (Team Leader) for Trent 900 engine.
Professor Julian Allwood FREng
Julian Allwood is Professor of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Cambridge and directs the Use Less Group. Uniquely, his research aims to articulate a pathway to zero emissions based on technologies that already exist at scale. This directs attention to eliminating process emissions and efficient electrification. A particular focus of his research is to identify opportunities for business growth compatible with real zero emissions. In 2022 this has led to founding three spin-out companies, including the worlds’ first zero-emissions process for producing Portland cement, with a pipeline of other opportunities in development. From 2019-24 he is director of UK FIRES – a £5m industry and multi-university programme aiming to explore all aspects of Industrial Strategy compatible with delivering zero emissions by 2050. ‘Absolute Zero’, the first publication of UK FIRES continues to attract widespread attention including a full debate in the House of Lords in Feb 2020, and has led to a string of other reports, research and impact. Julian was a Lead Author of the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with a focus on mitigating industrial emissions. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a Fellow of the International Academy of Production Engineering (CIRP) and served as chairman of its metal forming section. He is a member of the UK’s Energy Research Partnership and for ten years was joint editor-in-chief of the Journal of Materials Processing Technology. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2017 and in 2021 was awarded the triennial Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity International Prize for Research and Development in Precision Forging the highest honour for research in metal forming. Julian’s career began with 10 years work for Alcoa on flat rolling, before academic positions at Imperial College and Cambridge. From 2009-13 he held an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship, to explore Material Efficiency as a climate mitigation strategy – delivering material services with less new material. This led to publication in 2012 of the book “Sustainable Materials: with both eyes open” which can be read online at www.withbotheyesopen.com and was listed by Bill Gates as “one of the best six books I read in 2015.”