Dr Zhifa Sun

Senior Lecturer

• Room: 519
• Phone: (03) 479 7812
• Email:

A native of China, Zhifa studied chemical engineering at Northwest University (Xi’an, China), Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and Tianjin University. He graduated from Northwest University (Xi’an) in 1977 and completed his ME (BUCT) in 1982 and his PhD (Tianjin) in 1988. He has worked in the Physics Department, Otago University, since he was first appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 1989. He has worked on several research contracts first with the NZ Electricity Corporation in the early 1990s, and latterly with the NZ Foundation for Research Science and Technology.

He is currently a senior lecturer, teaching EMAN 401: Simulation and Control, EMAN301: Fluids and Heat Transfer, EMAN 201: Thermoprocesses 1 and EMAN 308: Thermoprocesses 2, and continuing the work of the Energy Studies Programme's ongoing research into the development, design and implementation of energy efficient technologies, advanced energy systems and other projects.

New papers:

Ehimen E.A., Sun, Z. F., Carrington C.G., Use of ultrasound and co-solvents to improve the in-situ transesterification of microalgae biomass. Procedia Environmental Sciences, in press, (2011).

Ehimen E.A., Sun, Z. F., Carrington C.G. Birch E.J., Eaton-Rye J., Anaerobic digestion of microalgae residues resulting from the biodiesel production process. Applied Energy, 88, 3454-3463, (2011).

Catton, W., Carrington, G., and Sun, Z., Exergy analysis of an isothermal heat pump dryer. Energy, (2011). DOI:10.1016/j.energy.2011.03.038.

Catton, W. R., Sun, Z. F. and Carrington, C. G., Exergy analysis of an isothermal heat pump dryer, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 21, 139-144, (2010).

Catton, W., Carrington, C. G., and Sun, Z. F., Performance assessment of contact heat pump drying. International Journal of Energy Research, (2010), DOI: 10.1002/er.1704.

Ehimen, E., Connaughton, S., Sun, Z. F. and Carrington, C. G., Energy recovery from lipid extracted, transesterified and glycerol co-digested microalgae biomass. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, 1, 371-381, (2009).

Ehimen, E., Sun, Z. F. and Carrington, C. G., Variables affecting the in situ transesterification of microalgae lipids. Fuel, 89, 677-684, 2009.