CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Faculty

Dr. Ali S. Almansoori Assistant Professor Bu Hasa Building, Room 2212 Sas Al Nakhl Campus Office: +971 2 607 5583 Fax: +971 2 607 5200 Email: aalmansoori@pi.ac.ae

EDUCATION

Ph.D.	Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, London, UK (2002–2006)
B.S.	Chemical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, US (1998–2002)

APPOINTMENT

2006–present

Assistant Professor

Chemical Engineering Program, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE

BIOGRAPHY

Once Dr. Almansoori finished high school, he was granted a scholarship from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to pursue his undergraduate studies in the United States in the field of oil and gas. Dr. Almansoori joined Florida Institute of Technology in 1998 to study Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and Technology. During his studies at Florida Tech, Dr. Almansoori developed a wide range of skills required to work and live effectively in a multicultural environment that pervades today’s global community. In his senior year, he worked in a team-based project to design and operate a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power plant capable of supplying electricity to the Florida Tech campus and surrounding neighborhood.

Graduating with highest honor from Florida Tech in 2002, Dr. Almansoori was awarded another scholarship by ADNOC Scholarship Department to pursue his postgraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at a prestigious university, Imperial College London. During his course at Imperial College, he conducted his research at the Centre for Process Systems Engineering. His PhD dissertation was concerned with the development of a mathematical optimization framework that can support strategic decisions in designing and operating the future hydrogen supply chain network. The outcome of his research was a generic model capable of outlining the future vehicular hydrogen infrastructure using Great Britain as an example.

In August 2006, Dr. Almansoori joined the Petroleum Institute (PI) as an Assistant Professor in the Chemical Engineering Program. Upon Joining the PI, Dr. Almansoori is committed to use his knowledge of research to further the Petroleum Institute status in the field of process systems engineering as well as alternative energy. Dr. Almansoori is also committed to serve as key contributors in achieving the PI’s strategic goal of becoming a world-class engineering education and research institution. Therefore, Dr. Almansoori contribution to the PI would be to indentify, understand and find optimum solutions to some of the problems encountered by ADNOC operating companies utilizing his background in process simulation, modeling and optimization. Additionally, He is obligated to construct a research group in the area of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. His vision would be to make the PI one of the leaders in alternative energy research and development.

TEACHING INTERESTS

Dr. Almansoori teaching interests include thermal-fluid sciences and process simulation, modeling and optimization. He has taught a number of courses including: thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and calculation of material and energy balances in chemical engineering. He also team-taught engineering economics as well as petroleum refining and processing. Moreover, Dr. Almansoori supervised the chemical engineering students during their summer internship in ADNOC’s oil and gas operating companies.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. Almansoori research interests are focused on design and operation of energy supply chain network using mathematical modeling and optimization methods and techniques. Currently, he is working on a project with the University of Maryland (UMD) to integrate engineering and business decisions for robust optimization of petrochemical systems.

Another area of research interest to Dr. Almansoori is hydrogen and fuel cell technology. One of the projects he is currently involved in is designing and operating a SOFC system to generate power using petroleum off-well gases from ADNOC’s oil and gas fields. His group is also looking at the modeling and controlling aspects of the SOFC system.

ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS

Project Title	Collaborator	Investigators
Integration of engineering and business decisions for robust optimization of petrochemical systems	PI-UMD	Dr. Ali Almansoori (PI); Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi (PI); Dr. Shapour Azarm (UMD); Dr. P. K. Kannan (UMD)
Evaluating Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems for Operation on Petroleum Off-Gases with Contaminants	PI-UMD	Dr. Ali Almansoori (PI); Dr. Valerie Eveloy (PI); Dr. Gregory Jackson (UMD); Dr. Bryan Eichhorn (UMD)
Simulation, Optimization and Control of SOFC system	PI-University of Minnesota	Dr. Ali Almansoori (PI); Dr. Prodromos Daoutidis

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES & COMMITTEES

Dr. Almansoori is currently active in a number of professional and departmental committees. He is the vice president of the AIChE Professional Chapter in Abu Dhabi. He is also the chair of the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum committee. Furthermore, Dr. Almansoori is a member of the ABET assessment, outreach, recruitment, PI academic honesty and peer teaching evaluation committees. He is the webmaster and library representative of the Chemical Engineering Program. He served as a departmental member in the task force assigned to assess the laboratories layout and equipments for TAKREER Research Centre.

PUBLICATIONS

• Almansoori, A. and N. Shah, Design and operation of a future Hydrogen supply chain: Multiperiod Model (Submitted April 2009).

• M. Li, S. Azarm, N. Williams, A. Almansoori, S. Al Hashimi, and N. Al Qasas, “Integrated multi-objective robust optimization and sensitivity analysis with irreducible and reducible interval uncertainly,” Engineering Optimization. (Forthcoming).

• W. Hu, M. Li, S. Azarm, S. Al Hashimi, A. Almansoori, and N. Al-Qasas, “Multi-Objective Robust Optimization with Interval Uncertainty Using Constraint cuts,” in Proceedings of the 2009 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, San Diego, California, August 30–September 2, 2009 (Forthcoming). Also, under review in the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design.

• S. Azarm, W. Hu, M. Li, S. Al Hashimi, A. Almansoori, and N. Al-Qasas, "Multi-objective robust optimization of energy systems," in Proceedings of the 2nd International Energy 2030 Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE, November 2008.

• N. Darwish, S. Al Hashimi, and A. Almansoori, “Analysis of a commercial absorption-refrigeration water-ammonia (ARWA) cycle using ASPEN PLUS Simulator,” in Proceedings of the 19th IASTED International Conference on Modelling and Simulation, Quebec City, Canada, 2008, pp. 205-210.

• Almansoori, A. and N. Shah, Design and Operation of a Future Hydrogen Supply Chain: Snapshot Model. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2006. 84(a6): p. 423–438.

HONORS & AWARDS

• Rashid Award for Scientific Outstanding, The Cultural & Scientific Association, Dubai, May 2008
• Fellowship from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), 1997–2006
• Florida Tech Outstanding Senior in Chemical Engineering, Spring 2002
• Distinguished Student Scholars, Spring 2002 and Spring 2001, Florida Tech
• Certificate of Recognition 2002, The Saudi House, Melbourne, Florida, USA
• ADNOC Recognition of Good Academic Performance, 1998–2002