Primary activities center on providing technical assistance and engineering support services to industry worldwide. This work focuses on applied thermodynamics and takes the form of industrial process energy assessments, specific process assessments, individual component analysis, short course presentations and software development. The main emphasis of this work is focused on energy management and applied thermodynamics in the areas of boilers, steam systems, combined heat and power systems (cogeneration), compressed air systems, refrigeration systems, and thermoeconomics. These activities include complete facility energy analysis, individual process analysis, industrial training courses and software development for energy system modeling. Dr. Harrell has conducted many energy surveys for industrial clients throughout the world and has served as a lead team member of energy management programs of major corporations. Industrial assessments and training courses have been completed on six continents in twenty-six countries and in thirty-eight of the United States. Along with this work he has conducted many industrial courses on energy systems. As a part of this instructional work Dr. Harrell developed the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) BestPractices Steam End User Training and co-developed the USDOE Steam Specialist Qualification Training. He played a major role in the development of the USDOE BestPractices Steam Tools and authored the Steam System Survey Guide, which has become the text for university mechanical engineering courses. He has become a certified instructor of the Compressed Air Challenge. Dr. Harrell is also a primary instructor in the North Carolina State University Energy Management Diploma Program.

The activities during this period of employment were similar to the present activities along with teaching graduate level and undergraduate level mechanical engineering thermodynamics courses. Primary activities centered on providing technical assistance and engineering support services to various industries. Process energy assessments were completed in many industrial settings including: oil refineries, gas refineries, cement plants, paper mills, steel mills, aluminum mills, food processing plants, wet-corn milling plants, ship yards, petrochemical facilities, textile mills, fiber production facilities and many other core businesses. Technical assistance, consultation and training services were provided to a large base of industry worldwide. Industrial assessments and training course presentations were completed on six continents in fifteen countries and twenty-six of the United States.

Collaborated with engineering consultants to provide technical assistance to various industries. This work focused on the area of applied thermodynamics and took the form of industrial process energy surveys, short course presentations as well as specific process or component analysis. The main emphasis of this work was focused on energy management and applied thermodynamics in the areas of boilers, steam systems, combined heat and power systems (cogeneration), compressed air systems, refrigeration systems and thermoeconomics. Also, teaching graduate level and undergraduate level mechanical engineering thermodynamics courses.

Responsible for the engineering and technical aspects of the utilities systems of a large industrial facility. The utilities systems included steam generation, electrical generation, water filtration, waste water treatment, industrial refrigeration, industrial HVAC, compressed air generation, and distribution of all utilities. Primary functions included short, medium and long term strategic planning, energy management, troubleshooting and failure analysis for all utilities systems. A series of short courses was developed to teach operating personnel and engineers the fundamentals of the utilities systems. Other responsibilities included thermoeconomic analysis of the facility including utilities costing and budgeting.

Responsible for the design of systems mainly for the utilities department of a large industrial facility. Each project included development of the project scope, preliminary system design, preliminary cost estimate preparation, complete system design, detailed cost estimate development, material purchase, construction oversight, operations and maintenance personnel training and system start-up.