Recent News
September 16, 2024
Experienced NETL metallurgical researchers and experts participated in the 15th International Symposium on Superalloys Sept. 8-12 in Champion, Pennsylvania, sharing the Lab’s groundbreaking research into superalloy development.
The symposium highlighted technologies for lifecycle improvement of superalloys. In addition to the traditional focus areas of alloy development, processing, mechanical behavior, coatings and environmental effects, the symposium invited members of the superalloy community to highlight technologies that contribute to improving manufacturability, affordability, life prediction and performance of superalloys. Invited attendees presented papers featuring academia, supply chain and product-user member perspectives.
NETL’s Chang-Yu Hung, Stoichko Antonov, Paul Jablonski, Martin Detrois and retired NETL employee Vito Cedro presented papers during two separate sessions on disk alloy mechanical behavior, outlining research into long-term-material behavior.
NETL researchers have a long record of success in advanced alloy development and have demonstrated and deployed alloys with improved performance capabilities for energy applications, aerospace, automotive, chemical processing, defense and bio-medical applications.
The Laboratory has also implemented technologies to improve melting and casting practices. Lab experts use an integrated alloy development approach incorporating computational materials engineering, manufacturing at scale and performance assessment at condition to develop alloy solutions that enable advanced technologies.
“The Superalloy Symposium allows our experts to share their research and provides an opportunity to connect with industry leaders who may benefit by partnering with NETL on alloy development projects,” said NETL’s James Ferguson, business development advisor, Research Partnerships and Tech Transfer. “NETL houses the Advanced Alloys Signature Center (AASC), a complete alloy development facility capable of prototyping alloys at scales that advance commercialization. The Lab welcomes partners to join us at the AASC and help develop the next-generation materials needed for a clean energy future.”
Learn more about the AASC and how to partner with the Lab here.
Source
Experienced NETL metallurgical researchers and experts participated in the 15th International Symposium on Superalloys Sept. 8-12 in Champion, Pennsylvania, sharing the Lab’s groundbreaking research into superalloy development.
The symposium highlighted technologies for lifecycle improvement of superalloys. In addition to the traditional focus areas of alloy development, processing, mechanical behavior, coatings and environmental effects, the symposium invited members of the superalloy community to highlight technologies that contribute to improving manufacturability, affordability, life prediction and performance of superalloys. Invited attendees presented papers featuring academia, supply chain and product-user member perspectives.
NETL’s Chang-Yu Hung, Stoichko Antonov, Paul Jablonski, Martin Detrois and retired NETL employee Vito Cedro presented papers during two separate sessions on disk alloy mechanical behavior, outlining research into long-term-material behavior.
NETL researchers have a long record of success in advanced alloy development and have demonstrated and deployed alloys with improved performance capabilities for energy applications, aerospace, automotive, chemical processing, defense and bio-medical applications.
The Laboratory has also implemented technologies to improve melting and casting practices. Lab experts use an integrated alloy development approach incorporating computational materials engineering, manufacturing at scale and performance assessment at condition to develop alloy solutions that enable advanced technologies.
“The Superalloy Symposium allows our experts to share their research and provides an opportunity to connect with industry leaders who may benefit by partnering with NETL on alloy development projects,” said NETL’s James Ferguson, business development advisor, Research Partnerships and Tech Transfer. “NETL houses the Advanced Alloys Signature Center (AASC), a complete alloy development facility capable of prototyping alloys at scales that advance commercialization. The Lab welcomes partners to join us at the AASC and help develop the next-generation materials needed for a clean energy future.”
Learn more about the AASC and how to partner with the Lab here.
Source
August 28, 2024
The Carbon Storage Planning Inquiry Tool, or PlanIT, is now available on NETL’s Energy Data eXchange®, providing easy access to explore, query and evaluate thousands of relevant data features and attributes from 14 authoritative sources in one place, to support and accelerate carbon storage feasibility assessments and planning efforts.
Planning carbon storage projects requires careful consideration of many geologic, technical, social and environmental factors. For any given area, project teams must evaluate how communities may benefit or be affected by carbon storage projects.
“The data needed to inform planning activities are often available from authoritative sources but can be disparate, making acquisition, integration and use of them challenging to stakeholders,” said Paige Morkner, NETL geologist and principal investigator for PlanIT. “Data science researchers at NETL have developed a user-friendly, interactive dashboard-style web application to address this common and fundamental need.”
PlanIT serves as a one-stop shop for visualizing, interrogating, and analyzing relevant data assets, providing researchers, policy makers, operators and other stakeholders with efficient access and insights that support carbon storage planning, feasibility, and resource assessment efforts.
The interactive tool currently contains a range of authoritative datasets associated with geologic, technical, social and environmental factors. The data sets can be filtered geographically for an area of interest to update statistics and charts within the tool itself.
PlanIT was developed in support of NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI), which leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production.
The tool is one of several carbon capture and storage (CCS) products on EDX and part of the EDX Carbon Capture and Sequestration (EDX4CCS) portfolio, a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded project that provides an advanced, strategic carbon capture and storage-specific data infrastructure system to drive efficient and rapid deployment of CCS efforts. All these products can be found on the EDX DisCO2ver Platform, hosted within the EDX data curation system. DisCO2ver hosts virtualized tools, data sets, geospatial data, dashboards, search capabilities (both within and outside EDX) and more.
“Tools like PlanIT and other assets in EDX enable stakeholders all across the country to collect the data they need to take their carbon storage projects from concepts to reality,” said Jen Bauer, EDX4CCS technical director and NETL Geo-Data Scientist. “Making it easier for others to pursue carbon capture and storage projects is one of the greatest ways NETL is helping to realize the vision of a decarbonized future.”
Source
The Carbon Storage Planning Inquiry Tool, or PlanIT, is now available on NETL’s Energy Data eXchange®, providing easy access to explore, query and evaluate thousands of relevant data features and attributes from 14 authoritative sources in one place, to support and accelerate carbon storage feasibility assessments and planning efforts.
Planning carbon storage projects requires careful consideration of many geologic, technical, social and environmental factors. For any given area, project teams must evaluate how communities may benefit or be affected by carbon storage projects.
“The data needed to inform planning activities are often available from authoritative sources but can be disparate, making acquisition, integration and use of them challenging to stakeholders,” said Paige Morkner, NETL geologist and principal investigator for PlanIT. “Data science researchers at NETL have developed a user-friendly, interactive dashboard-style web application to address this common and fundamental need.”
PlanIT serves as a one-stop shop for visualizing, interrogating, and analyzing relevant data assets, providing researchers, policy makers, operators and other stakeholders with efficient access and insights that support carbon storage planning, feasibility, and resource assessment efforts.
The interactive tool currently contains a range of authoritative datasets associated with geologic, technical, social and environmental factors. The data sets can be filtered geographically for an area of interest to update statistics and charts within the tool itself.
PlanIT was developed in support of NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI), which leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production.
The tool is one of several carbon capture and storage (CCS) products on EDX and part of the EDX Carbon Capture and Sequestration (EDX4CCS) portfolio, a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded project that provides an advanced, strategic carbon capture and storage-specific data infrastructure system to drive efficient and rapid deployment of CCS efforts. All these products can be found on the EDX DisCO2ver Platform, hosted within the EDX data curation system. DisCO2ver hosts virtualized tools, data sets, geospatial data, dashboards, search capabilities (both within and outside EDX) and more.
“Tools like PlanIT and other assets in EDX enable stakeholders all across the country to collect the data they need to take their carbon storage projects from concepts to reality,” said Jen Bauer, EDX4CCS technical director and NETL Geo-Data Scientist. “Making it easier for others to pursue carbon capture and storage projects is one of the greatest ways NETL is helping to realize the vision of a decarbonized future.”
Source
June 25, 2024
Key researchers from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories converged on NETL’s Albany, Oregon, site to discuss hydrogen energy-related research work of eXtremeMAT-H2— an NETL-led consortium of laboratories that accelerates the development of cost-effective alloys for use in the harsh environments of advanced energy systems.
Clean hydrogen is integral to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen offers significant potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize such as power generation, heavy duty transportation, chemicals production, and industrial heating. However, there are materials-related challenges.
At lower temperatures, exposure to hydrogen can make certain alloys brittle, which can lead to premature failure of components. However, little has been reported on the impact of hydrogen on the performance of alloys at elevated temperatures.
Alloys undergo a failure over time at elevated temperatures called “creep.” As a result, alloys begin to deform at loads below yield strength leading to component failure. Limited studies have shown that the creep life of alloys is decreased in hydrogen environments, even for alloys that show no hydrogen embrittlement under similar test conditions in short term tensile tests. With more and more power and industrial processes switching to hydrogen, it is important to understand the impact of hydrogen on the long-term performance of alloys at elevated temperatures.
NETL is currently evaluating the impacts of hydrogen on materials so that models can be developed that lead to an understanding of hydrogen-related impacts. The work will ultimately help establish a new domestic supply chain of hydrogen-resistant materials.
The eXtremeMAT approach harnesses the unique, world leading capabilities of national laboratories, in a focused, coordinated and collaborative way to demonstrate ways to design a new generation of computational and experimental validation toolsets accelerating the discovery, scale-up and manufacture of advanced energy materials for harsh service environments.
The original eXtremeMAT team consisted of NETL, Ames Lab, Idaho National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, and Pacific Northwest National Lab. Specifically, the team developed a data-driven framework for predicting the creep behavior of steels used in construction of power plants.
The accomplishments of the consortium included development of models that can simulate 10 years of creep behavior in less than five hours; predictions for the impact of alloy chemistry including trace elements on creep performance; development of a framework for predicting creep performance of welds and the capability to model cyclical loading conditions.
The eXtremeMAT-H2 consortium is building on those successes and extending the tools developed for predicting long term alloy performance in hydrogen environments at elevated temperature service conditions. The eXtremeMAT-H2 team consist of researchers from NETL, Ames Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. Information on eXtremeMAT and eXtremeMAT-H2 can be found here.
According to NETL’s Associate Director of Materials Engineering and Manufacturing David Alman, “The new tools of eXtremeMAT-H2 team will allow for better predictive capability of alloy performance which can enhance the reliability and safety of components operating in hydrogen at elevated temperatures. This will aid in the transition to hydrogen to produce power, chemicals, steels and other applications.”
NETL is internationally recognized for its leadership in designing, developing, and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme service environments. NETL researchers have designed, engineered, and evaluated materials ranging from atomistic to pilot-plant scales and it uses a one-of-a-kind suite of computational and experimental methods for translating new material science concepts into practical technologies.
Construction of the Advanced Alloy Signature Center, a complete alloy development facility capable of prototyping alloys at scales that advance commercialization is underway at the Albany site. The center represents a significant investment to accelerate commercialization of superalloys and other high-performance materials needed to develop corrosion-resistant components for environmentally friendly, highly efficient hydrogen energy facilities, power plants, advanced manufacturing processes in growing industries and applications vital to national security.
During their visit to Albany, consortium representatives toured NETL’s Melt Processing Laboratory, Thermo-Mechanical Processing Lab, Environmental Mechanical Testing Lab, Thermo-Physical Testing Lab, High Pressure Immersion and Reactive Transport lab, Geoscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Analysis Lab.
NETL is a DOE national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Source
Key researchers from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories converged on NETL’s Albany, Oregon, site to discuss hydrogen energy-related research work of eXtremeMAT-H2— an NETL-led consortium of laboratories that accelerates the development of cost-effective alloys for use in the harsh environments of advanced energy systems.
Clean hydrogen is integral to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen offers significant potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize such as power generation, heavy duty transportation, chemicals production, and industrial heating. However, there are materials-related challenges.
At lower temperatures, exposure to hydrogen can make certain alloys brittle, which can lead to premature failure of components. However, little has been reported on the impact of hydrogen on the performance of alloys at elevated temperatures.
Alloys undergo a failure over time at elevated temperatures called “creep.” As a result, alloys begin to deform at loads below yield strength leading to component failure. Limited studies have shown that the creep life of alloys is decreased in hydrogen environments, even for alloys that show no hydrogen embrittlement under similar test conditions in short term tensile tests. With more and more power and industrial processes switching to hydrogen, it is important to understand the impact of hydrogen on the long-term performance of alloys at elevated temperatures.
NETL is currently evaluating the impacts of hydrogen on materials so that models can be developed that lead to an understanding of hydrogen-related impacts. The work will ultimately help establish a new domestic supply chain of hydrogen-resistant materials.
The eXtremeMAT approach harnesses the unique, world leading capabilities of national laboratories, in a focused, coordinated and collaborative way to demonstrate ways to design a new generation of computational and experimental validation toolsets accelerating the discovery, scale-up and manufacture of advanced energy materials for harsh service environments.
The original eXtremeMAT team consisted of NETL, Ames Lab, Idaho National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, and Pacific Northwest National Lab. Specifically, the team developed a data-driven framework for predicting the creep behavior of steels used in construction of power plants.
The accomplishments of the consortium included development of models that can simulate 10 years of creep behavior in less than five hours; predictions for the impact of alloy chemistry including trace elements on creep performance; development of a framework for predicting creep performance of welds and the capability to model cyclical loading conditions.
The eXtremeMAT-H2 consortium is building on those successes and extending the tools developed for predicting long term alloy performance in hydrogen environments at elevated temperature service conditions. The eXtremeMAT-H2 team consist of researchers from NETL, Ames Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. Information on eXtremeMAT and eXtremeMAT-H2 can be found here.
According to NETL’s Associate Director of Materials Engineering and Manufacturing David Alman, “The new tools of eXtremeMAT-H2 team will allow for better predictive capability of alloy performance which can enhance the reliability and safety of components operating in hydrogen at elevated temperatures. This will aid in the transition to hydrogen to produce power, chemicals, steels and other applications.”
NETL is internationally recognized for its leadership in designing, developing, and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme service environments. NETL researchers have designed, engineered, and evaluated materials ranging from atomistic to pilot-plant scales and it uses a one-of-a-kind suite of computational and experimental methods for translating new material science concepts into practical technologies.
Construction of the Advanced Alloy Signature Center, a complete alloy development facility capable of prototyping alloys at scales that advance commercialization is underway at the Albany site. The center represents a significant investment to accelerate commercialization of superalloys and other high-performance materials needed to develop corrosion-resistant components for environmentally friendly, highly efficient hydrogen energy facilities, power plants, advanced manufacturing processes in growing industries and applications vital to national security.
During their visit to Albany, consortium representatives toured NETL’s Melt Processing Laboratory, Thermo-Mechanical Processing Lab, Environmental Mechanical Testing Lab, Thermo-Physical Testing Lab, High Pressure Immersion and Reactive Transport lab, Geoscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Analysis Lab.
NETL is a DOE national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Source
May 13, 2024
The brightest minds in the Oregon federal workforce gathered Tuesday, May 7, at the Historic Hangar, located adjacent to Pearson Air Museum, in Vancouver, Washington, for the Oregon Federal Executive Board (FEB) Excellence in Government Awards, where an NETL researcher took home a prestigious honor
NETL’s Jennifer Bauer received the award for Outstanding Innovator from the Oregon FEB for her work leading NETL’s Geoscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Analysis (GAIA) team, which integrated thousands of disparate public data resources to support clean energy and energy community activities within the Lab, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other federal agencies.
The Biden Administration has prioritized a clean energy transition that does not leave energy communities behind. However, most of the data on these communities did not exist in a single comprehensive resource. Additionally, the information available was often organized in a way that would require significant processing to unlock the data.
Bauer and her team have worked to integrate data resources that provide insights into existing energy facilities and infrastructure assets, energy resource potential, ongoing energy activities and projects, workforce and jobs, environmental conditions and community demographics to label and compile massive volumes of data for advanced, multi-scale analysis.
With these new foundational data resources, Bauer has rapidly developed custom mapping applications that have helped stakeholders and policymakers identify opportunities for economic improvement and environmental justice in communities that will be impacted by the changing energy landscape. The release and sharing of these datasets and maps provided important information for these communities, allowing them to evaluate funding and tax credit options and opportunities to support clean energy transitions.
Among other successes, these efforts resulted in the creation of several publicly accessible maps and data resources for the NETL-supported Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. The team also produced the Coal Power Plant Redevelopment Visualization Tool, which helps identify opportunities for the redevelopment of shuttered coal-fired power plants to support community reinvestment.
The GAIA team also worked with DOE to review authoritative, nationwide datasets and define eligibility criteria for the Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot, which was launched to facilitate sustained community-wide economic and environmental benefits. The goal is to empower low-income and energy-burdened communities with historic reliance on fossil industries or communities experiencing environmental injustice to design community-based pathways to a sustainable, resilient, equitable clean energy future. Bauer’s data helped inform the selection of 24 communities for the pilot.
These successes have led to multiple other impacts that support energy transition opportunities for different stakeholder groups across the nation. Her work with the GAIA team is accelerating responsible community transitions for energy communities by providing them with data-driven tools to identify opportunities for economic growth in their domains. This approach will create new jobs, improve public health, and provide a range of community benefits — all driven by the foundation of data that Bauer has worked diligently to build and make accessible across the United States.
The Oregon FEB Excellence in Government Awards recognize outstanding federal employees for efforts that encourage innovation and excellence in government, reinforce pride in federal service and call public attention to the broad range of services provided by federal employees. The winners of the FEB Excellence in Government Awards are selected by an independent committee of federal executives.
Source
The brightest minds in the Oregon federal workforce gathered Tuesday, May 7, at the Historic Hangar, located adjacent to Pearson Air Museum, in Vancouver, Washington, for the Oregon Federal Executive Board (FEB) Excellence in Government Awards, where an NETL researcher took home a prestigious honor
NETL’s Jennifer Bauer received the award for Outstanding Innovator from the Oregon FEB for her work leading NETL’s Geoscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Analysis (GAIA) team, which integrated thousands of disparate public data resources to support clean energy and energy community activities within the Lab, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other federal agencies.
The Biden Administration has prioritized a clean energy transition that does not leave energy communities behind. However, most of the data on these communities did not exist in a single comprehensive resource. Additionally, the information available was often organized in a way that would require significant processing to unlock the data.
Bauer and her team have worked to integrate data resources that provide insights into existing energy facilities and infrastructure assets, energy resource potential, ongoing energy activities and projects, workforce and jobs, environmental conditions and community demographics to label and compile massive volumes of data for advanced, multi-scale analysis.
With these new foundational data resources, Bauer has rapidly developed custom mapping applications that have helped stakeholders and policymakers identify opportunities for economic improvement and environmental justice in communities that will be impacted by the changing energy landscape. The release and sharing of these datasets and maps provided important information for these communities, allowing them to evaluate funding and tax credit options and opportunities to support clean energy transitions.
Among other successes, these efforts resulted in the creation of several publicly accessible maps and data resources for the NETL-supported Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. The team also produced the Coal Power Plant Redevelopment Visualization Tool, which helps identify opportunities for the redevelopment of shuttered coal-fired power plants to support community reinvestment.
The GAIA team also worked with DOE to review authoritative, nationwide datasets and define eligibility criteria for the Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot, which was launched to facilitate sustained community-wide economic and environmental benefits. The goal is to empower low-income and energy-burdened communities with historic reliance on fossil industries or communities experiencing environmental injustice to design community-based pathways to a sustainable, resilient, equitable clean energy future. Bauer’s data helped inform the selection of 24 communities for the pilot.
These successes have led to multiple other impacts that support energy transition opportunities for different stakeholder groups across the nation. Her work with the GAIA team is accelerating responsible community transitions for energy communities by providing them with data-driven tools to identify opportunities for economic growth in their domains. This approach will create new jobs, improve public health, and provide a range of community benefits — all driven by the foundation of data that Bauer has worked diligently to build and make accessible across the United States.
The Oregon FEB Excellence in Government Awards recognize outstanding federal employees for efforts that encourage innovation and excellence in government, reinforce pride in federal service and call public attention to the broad range of services provided by federal employees. The winners of the FEB Excellence in Government Awards are selected by an independent committee of federal executives.
Source
May 2, 2024
NETL publicly released an award-winning analytical tool that uses advanced big data computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity — a capability that can lead to effective cost savings and improved operational measures for environmental safety.
The NETL-developed Advanced Infrastructure Integrity Model (AIIM) web mapping application is available on the Department of Energy’s Energy Data eXchange® (EDX). Recognized with a 2022 Tech Connect National Innovation Award, AIIM has been acknowledged as a standout technology in its field.
AIIM can be applied to evaluate the integrity of offshore energy infrastructure, including pipelines and platforms. Infrastructure, like those in the Gulf of
Mexico, play an essential role in ensuring access to safe and secure energy for the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for 15% of total crude and 5% of total natural gas from the United States.
AIIM began in 2018 as an approach to assess offshore energy infrastructure integrity but has also been used to perform onshore infrastructure assessments related to carbon capture, transport and storage research, and more.
Jennifer Bauer, a geo-data scientist at NETL, explained that, because of growing national efforts to decarbonize, existing infrastructure may also be reused for other energy purposes.
“Many of these structures have been operating past their original design life, while others are at risk of attrition before return on investment,” she said. “To better understand the potential for reuse or life extension opportunities, an assessment of the infrastructure integrity is critical to inform decision making. AIIM provides key insights for assessing structural integrity related to infrastructure use and reuse. It’s a better way to develop risk prevention planning for regulators, researchers and industry.”
Kelly Rose, Ph.D., senior fellow of computational science and engineering at NETL, added that AIIM builds upon the Department of Energy’s supercomputing, AI and geo-data capabilities.
“AIIM integrates big data, big data computing, and multiple ML and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity,” she said. “This tool was developed in support of NETL’s Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI), which uses AI/ML and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production.”
AIIM applies a series of machine learning models to multiple public datasets representing components of the natural-engineered system and forecasts potential risk and remaining lifespan of infrastructure. AIIM integrates factors representing stressors, like daily operational wear-and-tear, environmental and geologic variables, reported incidents, and structural characteristics. The comprehensive evaluation helps quantify remaining life spans and identify potential integrity issues before they occur.
“To better understand the potential for life extension opportunities as well as remediation needs, AIIM provides key scientific and data-driven insights that can help secure our energy infrastructure, support risk prevention, inform maintenance and regulatory inspection plans and ultimately provide cost savings and measures that ensure operational and environmental safety,” Bauer said. “AIIM is paving the way for safe, sustainable and scientifically supervised AI-informed carbon-neutral solutions through infrastructure integrity technology.”
Source
NETL publicly released an award-winning analytical tool that uses advanced big data computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity — a capability that can lead to effective cost savings and improved operational measures for environmental safety.
The NETL-developed Advanced Infrastructure Integrity Model (AIIM) web mapping application is available on the Department of Energy’s Energy Data eXchange® (EDX). Recognized with a 2022 Tech Connect National Innovation Award, AIIM has been acknowledged as a standout technology in its field.
AIIM can be applied to evaluate the integrity of offshore energy infrastructure, including pipelines and platforms. Infrastructure, like those in the Gulf of
Mexico, play an essential role in ensuring access to safe and secure energy for the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for 15% of total crude and 5% of total natural gas from the United States.
AIIM began in 2018 as an approach to assess offshore energy infrastructure integrity but has also been used to perform onshore infrastructure assessments related to carbon capture, transport and storage research, and more.
Jennifer Bauer, a geo-data scientist at NETL, explained that, because of growing national efforts to decarbonize, existing infrastructure may also be reused for other energy purposes.
“Many of these structures have been operating past their original design life, while others are at risk of attrition before return on investment,” she said. “To better understand the potential for reuse or life extension opportunities, an assessment of the infrastructure integrity is critical to inform decision making. AIIM provides key insights for assessing structural integrity related to infrastructure use and reuse. It’s a better way to develop risk prevention planning for regulators, researchers and industry.”
Kelly Rose, Ph.D., senior fellow of computational science and engineering at NETL, added that AIIM builds upon the Department of Energy’s supercomputing, AI and geo-data capabilities.
“AIIM integrates big data, big data computing, and multiple ML and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity,” she said. “This tool was developed in support of NETL’s Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI), which uses AI/ML and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production.”
AIIM applies a series of machine learning models to multiple public datasets representing components of the natural-engineered system and forecasts potential risk and remaining lifespan of infrastructure. AIIM integrates factors representing stressors, like daily operational wear-and-tear, environmental and geologic variables, reported incidents, and structural characteristics. The comprehensive evaluation helps quantify remaining life spans and identify potential integrity issues before they occur.
“To better understand the potential for life extension opportunities as well as remediation needs, AIIM provides key scientific and data-driven insights that can help secure our energy infrastructure, support risk prevention, inform maintenance and regulatory inspection plans and ultimately provide cost savings and measures that ensure operational and environmental safety,” Bauer said. “AIIM is paving the way for safe, sustainable and scientifically supervised AI-informed carbon-neutral solutions through infrastructure integrity technology.”
Source
April 4, 2024
The continual growth of geologic carbon storage projects calls for the growth of comprehensive data resources to support project planning, geologic characterization and risk analysis. Researchers at NETL recently published a new dataset, the Catalog of U.S. Prospective Subsurface Storage Reservoir Sealing Formations, that aggregates prospective seal units for potential storage resources within the U.S. for geologic carbon storage in both onshore and offshore basins.
“The catalog aims to guide users to available literature and data resources related to containment systems for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, a vital component in the mission to achieve a net-zero carbon emissions energy sector and economy by 2050,” said NETL Geologist Paige Morkner. “This is the first version of this catalog and is a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers and industry professionals interested in geologic carbon storage and the identification of prospective seal units in U.S. sedimentary basins.”
The catalog lists prospective seals by unit name along with associated data and resources that are available, including lithology, position with respect to the reservoir (primary, secondary, intraformational, etc.) and age (geologic period), for prospective domestic geologic storage resources.
The information source for each record in the catalog also includes the published citation, year of publication, resource type (journal article, event proceedings, etc.) and additional record notes. The catalog is the result of a significant effort to aggregate disparate data resources into a single dataset that guides users to understand what prospective seal units exist in deep sedimentary basins.
Access the dataset on NETL's Energy Data eXchange® (EDX) and EDX® disCO2ver, NETL's carbon storage-centric virtual data collaboration and curation platform, to explore this important resource further.
EDX is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) virtual library and data laboratory built to find, connect, curate, use and re-use data to advance fossil energy and environmental research and development. Developed and maintained by NETL, EDX supports the entire life cycle of data by offering secure, private collaborative workspaces for ongoing research projects until they mature and become catalogued, curated and published. EDX adheres to DOE cyber policies and domestic and international standards for data curation and citation. This ensures data products pushed public via EDX are afforded a citation for proper accreditation and comply with journal publication requirements.
Source
The continual growth of geologic carbon storage projects calls for the growth of comprehensive data resources to support project planning, geologic characterization and risk analysis. Researchers at NETL recently published a new dataset, the Catalog of U.S. Prospective Subsurface Storage Reservoir Sealing Formations, that aggregates prospective seal units for potential storage resources within the U.S. for geologic carbon storage in both onshore and offshore basins.
“The catalog aims to guide users to available literature and data resources related to containment systems for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, a vital component in the mission to achieve a net-zero carbon emissions energy sector and economy by 2050,” said NETL Geologist Paige Morkner. “This is the first version of this catalog and is a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers and industry professionals interested in geologic carbon storage and the identification of prospective seal units in U.S. sedimentary basins.”
The catalog lists prospective seals by unit name along with associated data and resources that are available, including lithology, position with respect to the reservoir (primary, secondary, intraformational, etc.) and age (geologic period), for prospective domestic geologic storage resources.
The information source for each record in the catalog also includes the published citation, year of publication, resource type (journal article, event proceedings, etc.) and additional record notes. The catalog is the result of a significant effort to aggregate disparate data resources into a single dataset that guides users to understand what prospective seal units exist in deep sedimentary basins.
Access the dataset on NETL's Energy Data eXchange® (EDX) and EDX® disCO2ver, NETL's carbon storage-centric virtual data collaboration and curation platform, to explore this important resource further.
EDX is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) virtual library and data laboratory built to find, connect, curate, use and re-use data to advance fossil energy and environmental research and development. Developed and maintained by NETL, EDX supports the entire life cycle of data by offering secure, private collaborative workspaces for ongoing research projects until they mature and become catalogued, curated and published. EDX adheres to DOE cyber policies and domestic and international standards for data curation and citation. This ensures data products pushed public via EDX are afforded a citation for proper accreditation and comply with journal publication requirements.
Source
May 13, 2024
The brightest minds in the Oregon federal workforce gathered Tuesday, May 7, at the Historic Hangar, located adjacent to Pearson Air Museum, in Vancouver, Washington, for the Oregon Federal Executive Board (FEB) Excellence in Government Awards, where an NETL researcher took home a prestigious honor.
NETL’s Jennifer Bauer received the award for Outstanding Innovator from the Oregon FEB for her work leading NETL’s Geoscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Analysis (GAIA) team, which integrated thousands of disparate public data resources to support clean energy and energy community activities within the Lab, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other federal agencies.
The Biden Administration has prioritized a clean energy transition that does not leave energy communities behind. However, most of the data on these communities did not exist in a single comprehensive resource. Additionally, the information available was often organized in a way that would require significant processing to unlock the data.
Bauer and her team have worked to integrate data resources that provide insights into existing energy facilities and infrastructure assets, energy resource potential, ongoing energy activities and projects, workforce and jobs, environmental conditions and community demographics to label and compile massive volumes of data for advanced, multi-scale analysis.
With these new foundational data resources, Bauer has rapidly developed custom mapping applications that have helped stakeholders and policymakers identify opportunities for economic improvement and environmental justice in communities that will be impacted by the changing energy landscape. The release and sharing of these datasets and maps provided important information for these communities, allowing them to evaluate funding and tax credit options and opportunities to support clean energy transitions.
Among other successes, these efforts resulted in the creation of several publicly accessible maps and data resources for the NETL-supported Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. The team also produced the Coal Power Plant Redevelopment Visualization Tool, which helps identify opportunities for the redevelopment of shuttered coal-fired power plants to support community reinvestment.
The GAIA team also worked with DOE to review authoritative, nationwide datasets and define eligibility criteria for the Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot, which was launched to facilitate sustained community-wide economic and environmental benefits. The goal is to empower low-income and energy-burdened communities with historic reliance on fossil industries or communities experiencing environmental injustice to design community-based pathways to a sustainable, resilient, equitable clean energy future. Bauer’s data helped inform the selection of 24 communities for the pilot.
These successes have led to multiple other impacts that support energy transition opportunities for different stakeholder groups across the nation. Her work with the GAIA team is accelerating responsible community transitions for energy communities by providing them with data-driven tools to identify opportunities for economic growth in their domains. This approach will create new jobs, improve public health, and provide a range of community benefits — all driven by the foundation of data that Bauer has worked diligently to build and make accessible across the United States.
The Oregon FEB Excellence in Government Awards recognize outstanding federal employees for efforts that encourage innovation and excellence in government, reinforce pride in federal service and call public attention to the broad range of services provided by federal employees. The winners of the FEB Excellence in Government Awards are selected by an independent committee of federal executives.
Source
May 2, 2024
NETL publicly released an award-winning analytical tool that uses advanced big data computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity — a capability that can lead to effective cost savings and improved operational measures for environmental safety.
The NETL-developed Advanced Infrastructure Integrity Model (AIIM) web mapping application is available on the Department of Energy’s Energy Data eXchange® (EDX). Recognized with a 2022 Tech Connect National Innovation Award, AIIM has been acknowledged as a standout technology in its field.
AIIM can be applied to evaluate the integrity of offshore energy infrastructure, including pipelines and platforms. Infrastructure, like those in the Gulf of Mexico, play an essential role in ensuring access to safe and secure energy for the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for 15% of total crude and 5% of total natural gas from the United States.
AIIM began in 2018 as an approach to assess offshore energy infrastructure integrity but has also been used to perform onshore infrastructure assessments related to carbon capture, transport and storage research, and more.
Jennifer Bauer, a geo-data scientist at NETL, explained that, because of growing national efforts to decarbonize, existing infrastructure may also be reused
for other energy purposes.
“Many of these structures have been operating past their original design life, while others are at risk of attrition before return on investment,” she said. “To better understand the potential for reuse or life extension opportunities, an assessment of the infrastructure integrity is critical to inform decision making. AIIM provides key insights for assessing structural integrity related to infrastructure use and reuse. It’s a better way to develop risk prevention planning for regulators, researchers and industry.”
Kelly Rose, Ph.D., senior fellow of computational science and engineering at NETL, added that AIIM builds upon the Department of Energy’s
supercomputing, AI and geo-data capabilities.
“AIIM integrates big data, big data computing, and multiple ML and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity,” she said. “This tool was developed in support of NETL’s Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI), which uses AI/ML and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production.”
AIIM applies a series of machine learning models to multiple public datasets representing components of the natural-engineered system and forecasts potential risk and remaining lifespan of infrastructure. AIIM integrates factors representing stressors, like daily operational wear-and-tear, environmental and geologic variables, reported incidents, and structural characteristics. The comprehensive evaluation helps quantify remaining life spans and identify potential integrity issues before they occur.
“To better understand the potential for life extension opportunities as well as remediation needs, AIIM provides key scientific and data-driven insights that can help secure our energy infrastructure, support risk prevention, inform maintenance and regulatory inspection plans and ultimately provide cost savings and measures that ensure operational and environmental safety,” Bauer said. “AIIM is paving the way for safe, sustainable and scientifically supervised AI-informed carbon-neutral solutions through infrastructure integrity technology.”
Source
NETL publicly released an award-winning analytical tool that uses advanced big data computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity — a capability that can lead to effective cost savings and improved operational measures for environmental safety.
The NETL-developed Advanced Infrastructure Integrity Model (AIIM) web mapping application is available on the Department of Energy’s Energy Data eXchange® (EDX). Recognized with a 2022 Tech Connect National Innovation Award, AIIM has been acknowledged as a standout technology in its field.
AIIM can be applied to evaluate the integrity of offshore energy infrastructure, including pipelines and platforms. Infrastructure, like those in the Gulf of Mexico, play an essential role in ensuring access to safe and secure energy for the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for 15% of total crude and 5% of total natural gas from the United States.
AIIM began in 2018 as an approach to assess offshore energy infrastructure integrity but has also been used to perform onshore infrastructure assessments related to carbon capture, transport and storage research, and more.
Jennifer Bauer, a geo-data scientist at NETL, explained that, because of growing national efforts to decarbonize, existing infrastructure may also be reused
for other energy purposes.
“Many of these structures have been operating past their original design life, while others are at risk of attrition before return on investment,” she said. “To better understand the potential for reuse or life extension opportunities, an assessment of the infrastructure integrity is critical to inform decision making. AIIM provides key insights for assessing structural integrity related to infrastructure use and reuse. It’s a better way to develop risk prevention planning for regulators, researchers and industry.”
Kelly Rose, Ph.D., senior fellow of computational science and engineering at NETL, added that AIIM builds upon the Department of Energy’s
supercomputing, AI and geo-data capabilities.
“AIIM integrates big data, big data computing, and multiple ML and advanced analytical models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity,” she said. “This tool was developed in support of NETL’s Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI), which uses AI/ML and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production.”
AIIM applies a series of machine learning models to multiple public datasets representing components of the natural-engineered system and forecasts potential risk and remaining lifespan of infrastructure. AIIM integrates factors representing stressors, like daily operational wear-and-tear, environmental and geologic variables, reported incidents, and structural characteristics. The comprehensive evaluation helps quantify remaining life spans and identify potential integrity issues before they occur.
“To better understand the potential for life extension opportunities as well as remediation needs, AIIM provides key scientific and data-driven insights that can help secure our energy infrastructure, support risk prevention, inform maintenance and regulatory inspection plans and ultimately provide cost savings and measures that ensure operational and environmental safety,” Bauer said. “AIIM is paving the way for safe, sustainable and scientifically supervised AI-informed carbon-neutral solutions through infrastructure integrity technology.”
Source
March 8, 2024
Zineb Belarbi, Ph.D., a leading corrosion and electrochemistry researcher at NETL’s Albany, Oregon, facility, was recognized by the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) with the Joyce Wright Industry Impact Award in ceremonies held at the association’s annual conference March 6 in New Orleans.
The Joyce Wright Industry Impact Award recognizes women who have contributed to creating a positive impact on the culture of the materials protection and performance industry, mentoring, and providing wisdom to others in the industry. It is named for Joyce Wright, chair of AMPP Global Center and process improvement specialist at Huntington Ingals Industries Newport News Shipbuilding.
Belarbi’s work focuses on overcoming corrosion challenges in the nation’s methane mitigation and CO2 transport and storage efforts. She is a regular contributor to AMPP conferences and publications.
“My research at NETL focuses on evaluation of corrosion performance of steel alloys and mitigation of internal corrosion in natural gas pipelines,” Belarbi explained last year. “In addition, I support other projects such as the National Energy Water Treatment and Speciation (NEWTS) Database and geologic carbon storage.”
Belarbi was part of an NETL team that invented a new self-healing cold spray coating for internal pipeline corrosion protection that can help protect against corrosion in natural gas, hydrogen and CO2 pipelines. Pipeline corrosion can cause catastrophic failure events such as explosions and emissions of environmentally damaging substances like methane.
“My professor at college inspired me to pursue a career of engineering,” Belarbi said. “I am a very curious and experimental person, and I love that the combination of engineering and chemistry offers us the ability to design and create new materials that can improve and advance the economy.”
Belarbi received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Sorbonne University (ex. Pierre and Marie Curie University-Paris IV) France in 2013. She built a solid background in electrochemistry to further explore the inhibition of calcium carbonate deposition on metal surfaces.
Before joining NETL, Belarbi was a project leader at the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology at Ohio University where her research focused on using corrosion inhibitors to mitigate internal corrosion in oil and gas pipelines. Belarbi also worked at the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment, Ohio University, where she investigated the electrochemical removal of nutrients from animal wastewater.
AMPP is a global community of professionals focused on the protection of assets and the performance of industrial and natural materials. AMPP is the world’s largest corrosion control and protective coatings organization, serving more than 35,000 members in over 140 countries. AMPP is headquartered in the United States with offices in Houston and Pittsburgh, and additional offices in Brazil, Canada, China, Dubai (training center), Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
Source
Zineb Belarbi, Ph.D., a leading corrosion and electrochemistry researcher at NETL’s Albany, Oregon, facility, was recognized by the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) with the Joyce Wright Industry Impact Award in ceremonies held at the association’s annual conference March 6 in New Orleans.
The Joyce Wright Industry Impact Award recognizes women who have contributed to creating a positive impact on the culture of the materials protection and performance industry, mentoring, and providing wisdom to others in the industry. It is named for Joyce Wright, chair of AMPP Global Center and process improvement specialist at Huntington Ingals Industries Newport News Shipbuilding.
Belarbi’s work focuses on overcoming corrosion challenges in the nation’s methane mitigation and CO2 transport and storage efforts. She is a regular contributor to AMPP conferences and publications.
“My research at NETL focuses on evaluation of corrosion performance of steel alloys and mitigation of internal corrosion in natural gas pipelines,” Belarbi explained last year. “In addition, I support other projects such as the National Energy Water Treatment and Speciation (NEWTS) Database and geologic carbon storage.”
Belarbi was part of an NETL team that invented a new self-healing cold spray coating for internal pipeline corrosion protection that can help protect against corrosion in natural gas, hydrogen and CO2 pipelines. Pipeline corrosion can cause catastrophic failure events such as explosions and emissions of environmentally damaging substances like methane.
“My professor at college inspired me to pursue a career of engineering,” Belarbi said. “I am a very curious and experimental person, and I love that the combination of engineering and chemistry offers us the ability to design and create new materials that can improve and advance the economy.”
Belarbi received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Sorbonne University (ex. Pierre and Marie Curie University-Paris IV) France in 2013. She built a solid background in electrochemistry to further explore the inhibition of calcium carbonate deposition on metal surfaces.
Before joining NETL, Belarbi was a project leader at the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology at Ohio University where her research focused on using corrosion inhibitors to mitigate internal corrosion in oil and gas pipelines. Belarbi also worked at the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment, Ohio University, where she investigated the electrochemical removal of nutrients from animal wastewater.
AMPP is a global community of professionals focused on the protection of assets and the performance of industrial and natural materials. AMPP is the world’s largest corrosion control and protective coatings organization, serving more than 35,000 members in over 140 countries. AMPP is headquartered in the United States with offices in Houston and Pittsburgh, and additional offices in Brazil, Canada, China, Dubai (training center), Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
Source
January 2, 2024
NETL researchers invented a new self-healing cold spray coating for use inside pipelines. The coating protects against corrosion, which can cause catastrophic events such as explosions and methane emissions.
“The invention consists of a new zinc-rich material that creates an effective protective layer which resists dissolution compared to existing zinc sacrificial coatings,” NETL’s Ömer Doğan, who worked on the innovation with NETL researchers Joseph Tylczak, and Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, said. ‘This new material can be applied to steel structures in a cold spray process to protect them from the effects of corrosion.”
Cold spray is a high-energy solid-state coating and powder consolidation process for application of metals, metal alloys, and metal blends for numerous applications. It uses an electrically heated high-pressure carrier gas, like nitrogen or helium, to accelerate metal powders through a supersonic nozzle for particle adhesion. The coating can be applied to the interior of a pipeline by using a robotic cold spray device.
Source: Dave Kovaleski, DailyEnergyInsider, 1/2/2024
NETL researchers invented a new self-healing cold spray coating for use inside pipelines. The coating protects against corrosion, which can cause catastrophic events such as explosions and methane emissions.
“The invention consists of a new zinc-rich material that creates an effective protective layer which resists dissolution compared to existing zinc sacrificial coatings,” NETL’s Ömer Doğan, who worked on the innovation with NETL researchers Joseph Tylczak, and Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, said. ‘This new material can be applied to steel structures in a cold spray process to protect them from the effects of corrosion.”
Cold spray is a high-energy solid-state coating and powder consolidation process for application of metals, metal alloys, and metal blends for numerous applications. It uses an electrically heated high-pressure carrier gas, like nitrogen or helium, to accelerate metal powders through a supersonic nozzle for particle adhesion. The coating can be applied to the interior of a pipeline by using a robotic cold spray device.
Source: Dave Kovaleski, DailyEnergyInsider, 1/2/2024
December 28, 2023
A recent analysis published by Stanford University included 26 current and former NETL researchers in the top 2% of global scientists, underscoring the deep pool of talent at the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory focused on creating a clean energy future.
“We have some of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, but it is our people that make the difference,” NETL Acting Director Sean Plasynski said. “The Stanford analysis looks at the impact researchers have within their scientific communities, and it’s clear that our work reverberates well beyond the Lab.”
The analysis comprised lists according to career-long impact and single-year impact.
Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for career-long impact were Dominic Alfonso, David E. Alman, Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Randall S. Gemmen, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Mehrdad Massoudi, James Rawers, Wissam Saidi, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane, Dan C. Sorescu, D.H. Smith, Phuoc Tran and C.M. White.
Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for single-year impact were Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Douglas Kauffman, Liqiang Lu, Ping Lu, Mehrdad Massoudi, Giannis Mpourmpakis, Wissam Saidi, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane, Yongkoo Seol, Dan C. Sorescu, and Phuoc Tran.
“It’s truly inspiring to see so many familiar names on these lists,” Plasynski said. “Even more impressive is that some of our researchers appear on both lists — showing an impressive research career backed by a phenomenal year of contributions to the research community.”
The analysis was conducted through the Departments of Medicine, of Health Research and Policy, of Biomedical Data Science, and of Statistics, and Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University.
Source
Bold indicates an Albany Research Center researcher
A recent analysis published by Stanford University included 26 current and former NETL researchers in the top 2% of global scientists, underscoring the deep pool of talent at the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory focused on creating a clean energy future.
“We have some of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, but it is our people that make the difference,” NETL Acting Director Sean Plasynski said. “The Stanford analysis looks at the impact researchers have within their scientific communities, and it’s clear that our work reverberates well beyond the Lab.”
The analysis comprised lists according to career-long impact and single-year impact.
Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for career-long impact were Dominic Alfonso, David E. Alman, Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Randall S. Gemmen, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Mehrdad Massoudi, James Rawers, Wissam Saidi, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane, Dan C. Sorescu, D.H. Smith, Phuoc Tran and C.M. White.
Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for single-year impact were Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Douglas Kauffman, Liqiang Lu, Ping Lu, Mehrdad Massoudi, Giannis Mpourmpakis, Wissam Saidi, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane, Yongkoo Seol, Dan C. Sorescu, and Phuoc Tran.
“It’s truly inspiring to see so many familiar names on these lists,” Plasynski said. “Even more impressive is that some of our researchers appear on both lists — showing an impressive research career backed by a phenomenal year of contributions to the research community.”
The analysis was conducted through the Departments of Medicine, of Health Research and Policy, of Biomedical Data Science, and of Statistics, and Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University.
Source
Bold indicates an Albany Research Center researcher
November 13, 2023
As a recognized leader in research data curation, collaboration and virtualization for the national decarbonization effort, NETL’s geo-data infrastructure work was on display at national summits in October. The Lab’s digital infrastructure and resources are invaluable in advancing decarbonization projects related to carbon capture and storage (CCS), critical minerals (CM) and hydrogen.
At the 2023 National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's U.S. Research Data Summit and separately at the 2023 Geological Society of America (GSA) Connects Conference, NETL showcased its cutting-edge data infrastructure. Both of these summits were important opportunities for NETL to share and raise awareness for its focus on the development of advanced, safe and reliable data-science solutions to support the nation’s transition to a decarbonized economy and energy sector to address climate change.
One key NETL-developed asset showcased during these conferences was the Energy Data eXchange (EDX), a robust, mature and highly relevant data repository aligned with the summit's goals of enhancing collaboration and reducing research duplication. EDX offers vetted, authoritative resources, facilitating the development of safe, reliable next-generation technologies for various stakeholders, including commercial, regulatory and research and development professionals. Soon, EDX will transition to a multi-cloud environment, improving accessibility and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to democratize digital infrastructure for all while specifically addressing CCS challenges.
The recently released Executive Order on “The Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” features directives on ensuring safe and secure implementation of AI and data-driven efforts. EDX and NETL’s Science-based AI/Ml Institute (SAMI) are working with DOE leadership to support and meet the requirements delineated under this executive order.
The EDX upgrade aligns with SAMI, which leverages AI/ML and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production. Since 2020, SAMI has focused on ensuring the appropriate and trustworthy reuse of data, such as that stored on EDX, to drive applied energy research in line with decarbonization needs.
NETL decarbonization efforts several areas of research in CCS. NETL has launched EDX DisCO2ver, a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded platform with data integration, model/tool virtualization, and the capacity to be a central hub for diverse Energy Data eXchange for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (EDX4CCS), like the CO2-Locate Database, the Class VI Data Support Tool Geodatabase, the CO2 Pipeline Route Planning Database and the CCS Environmental Justice-Social Justice (EJ-SJ) Database, as well as those from the National Energy Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP).
NETL is also developing EDX Spatial, a spatial data visualization platform that allows researchers and industry professionals to map out historical data collection points, enhancing accessibility and user comprehension of the vast data resources.
Kelly Rose, Ph.D., NETL’s senior fellow for computational science and engineering, highlighted the democratization of data for energy research at the summit as a panelist speaker. EDX4CCS was also featured as a prime resource for addressing CCS needs on the summit’s pre-event support document.
NETL developments were also featured at the GSA Connects Conference, an event that promoted cross-sector collaboration in geoscience. NETL highlighted research in CCS, CM and hydrogen at the conference. EDX supports the safe, secure, and responsible data-driven future for CCS, critical minerals and hydrogen.
These products and developments are supporting NETL’s role in decarbonization and will enhance future efforts, such as the DOE-funded hydrogen hub projects, driving low-cost, clean hydrogen development. All these research sectors align closely with the White House's Energy Communities effort and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs dedicated to fostering equitable transitions for economic, environmental and social progress.
Source
As a recognized leader in research data curation, collaboration and virtualization for the national decarbonization effort, NETL’s geo-data infrastructure work was on display at national summits in October. The Lab’s digital infrastructure and resources are invaluable in advancing decarbonization projects related to carbon capture and storage (CCS), critical minerals (CM) and hydrogen.
At the 2023 National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's U.S. Research Data Summit and separately at the 2023 Geological Society of America (GSA) Connects Conference, NETL showcased its cutting-edge data infrastructure. Both of these summits were important opportunities for NETL to share and raise awareness for its focus on the development of advanced, safe and reliable data-science solutions to support the nation’s transition to a decarbonized economy and energy sector to address climate change.
One key NETL-developed asset showcased during these conferences was the Energy Data eXchange (EDX), a robust, mature and highly relevant data repository aligned with the summit's goals of enhancing collaboration and reducing research duplication. EDX offers vetted, authoritative resources, facilitating the development of safe, reliable next-generation technologies for various stakeholders, including commercial, regulatory and research and development professionals. Soon, EDX will transition to a multi-cloud environment, improving accessibility and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to democratize digital infrastructure for all while specifically addressing CCS challenges.
The recently released Executive Order on “The Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” features directives on ensuring safe and secure implementation of AI and data-driven efforts. EDX and NETL’s Science-based AI/Ml Institute (SAMI) are working with DOE leadership to support and meet the requirements delineated under this executive order.
The EDX upgrade aligns with SAMI, which leverages AI/ML and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean and efficient energy production. Since 2020, SAMI has focused on ensuring the appropriate and trustworthy reuse of data, such as that stored on EDX, to drive applied energy research in line with decarbonization needs.
NETL decarbonization efforts several areas of research in CCS. NETL has launched EDX DisCO2ver, a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded platform with data integration, model/tool virtualization, and the capacity to be a central hub for diverse Energy Data eXchange for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (EDX4CCS), like the CO2-Locate Database, the Class VI Data Support Tool Geodatabase, the CO2 Pipeline Route Planning Database and the CCS Environmental Justice-Social Justice (EJ-SJ) Database, as well as those from the National Energy Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP).
NETL is also developing EDX Spatial, a spatial data visualization platform that allows researchers and industry professionals to map out historical data collection points, enhancing accessibility and user comprehension of the vast data resources.
Kelly Rose, Ph.D., NETL’s senior fellow for computational science and engineering, highlighted the democratization of data for energy research at the summit as a panelist speaker. EDX4CCS was also featured as a prime resource for addressing CCS needs on the summit’s pre-event support document.
NETL developments were also featured at the GSA Connects Conference, an event that promoted cross-sector collaboration in geoscience. NETL highlighted research in CCS, CM and hydrogen at the conference. EDX supports the safe, secure, and responsible data-driven future for CCS, critical minerals and hydrogen.
These products and developments are supporting NETL’s role in decarbonization and will enhance future efforts, such as the DOE-funded hydrogen hub projects, driving low-cost, clean hydrogen development. All these research sectors align closely with the White House's Energy Communities effort and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs dedicated to fostering equitable transitions for economic, environmental and social progress.
Source
September 21, 2023
With insights from custom mapping and data science analyses, NETL is helping prioritize energy communities and spotlight opportunities for economic improvement and environmental justice in a changing energy landscape.
“The release and sharing of these data and maps provide critical information for U.S. communities; allowing them to evaluate funding opportunities, tax credits, as well as opportunities for clean energy transitions,” said NETL Geo-data Scientist Jennifer Bauer. “The data and analyses underpinning different definitions of energy communities wasn’t previously accessible, so making these data and maps publicly available is a major asset to a variety of stakeholders and decision makers throughout the nation.”
Since 2021, increasing demand for energy, environmental, community, and justice data lead to a growth in energy mapping and visualization projects with NETL’s geo-data science experts. NETL has performed rapid analytics on hundreds of energy, environmental, and community-level data sets to meet these demands, resulting in publicly accessible data and interactive maps that can help drive investments in energy communities, inform community and stakeholder engagement, support economic revitalization, strengthen American supply chains, and create jobs from the new clean energy economy.
Source
With insights from custom mapping and data science analyses, NETL is helping prioritize energy communities and spotlight opportunities for economic improvement and environmental justice in a changing energy landscape.
“The release and sharing of these data and maps provide critical information for U.S. communities; allowing them to evaluate funding opportunities, tax credits, as well as opportunities for clean energy transitions,” said NETL Geo-data Scientist Jennifer Bauer. “The data and analyses underpinning different definitions of energy communities wasn’t previously accessible, so making these data and maps publicly available is a major asset to a variety of stakeholders and decision makers throughout the nation.”
Since 2021, increasing demand for energy, environmental, community, and justice data lead to a growth in energy mapping and visualization projects with NETL’s geo-data science experts. NETL has performed rapid analytics on hundreds of energy, environmental, and community-level data sets to meet these demands, resulting in publicly accessible data and interactive maps that can help drive investments in energy communities, inform community and stakeholder engagement, support economic revitalization, strengthen American supply chains, and create jobs from the new clean energy economy.
Source
August 21, 2023
Researchers on NETL’s Structural Materials Team produced a more robust pipeline material for transporting hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide (CO2) by adding the rare earth element (REE) cerium to create a tougher steel alloy. The accomplishment simultaneously addresses two important U.S. Department of Energy priorities: development of infrastructure needed for decarbonization and improvement of the critical minerals supply chain.
Researchers explained that the added cerium reacts with oxygen and sulfur impurities that are introduced during the steel manufacturing and eliminates the negative impact of those impurities, producing a steel that is less susceptible to cracking during its service life. Testing at NETL has shown that cerium additions to X90 pipeline steel can improve the Charpy impact toughness—a measure of the steel’s ability to absorb energy and resist crack propagation—by up to 50%.
“Such an improvement is important for new pipelines, where running ductile fracture is a major concern, such as for carbon dioxide transport. These results show promise, and more research is needed to determine the impact of cerium on other important steel properties such as weldability.” said NETL Research Scientist Richard Oleksak. “Better steel isn’t the only potential benefit,” he added “Cerium, which is the most abundant rare earth element in both conventional and unconventional domestic feedstocks, is currently a major unused byproduct of the extraction of more valuable rare earths. This means we could see the creation of applications for cerium to meet industrial demand.” He said that with global steel production at two billion tons annually, the incorporation of even small amounts of cerium into this industry would significantly increase its demand. By developing high-volume applications for cerium, the value proposition for domestic production of rare earths is improved, thereby enhancing the supply chain for these critical minerals.
REEs have a long history in iron and steelmaking. Specifically, cerium, lanthanum, and cerium/lanthanum-rich alloys have been used in some form since the 1950s. The cost of cerium and lanthanum has decreased significantly since the major work involving these elements in iron and steelmaking in the mid-1900s.
A major driver of this cost reduction is related to the so-called rare earth balance problem. That is, both cerium and lanthanum co-occur with other REEs, such as neodymium, in both conventional and unconventional domestic feedstocks. Because of the high demand of neodymium and other REEs for various clean energy technologies, and the likely increase in demand for these technologies in the era of global decarbonization, it is very likely that tremendous amounts of unused cerium and lanthanum will be produced in the coming decades.
“This presents anexcellent opportunity for the renewed consideration of these rare earths as promising and inexpensive alloy additions in steelmaking,” Oleksak said. “The success of NETL in developing cerium-enhanced steel alloys is an example of the potential economic and environmental benefits to come from acting on such opportunities.”
Significant new pipeline infrastructure improvements are expected within the coming years that can help the nation facilitate decarbonization goals, including pipelines specifically designed for CO2 and hydrogen transport. Both uses pose unique challenges and place increased reliance on the integrity of the steel products.
Source
Researchers on NETL’s Structural Materials Team produced a more robust pipeline material for transporting hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide (CO2) by adding the rare earth element (REE) cerium to create a tougher steel alloy. The accomplishment simultaneously addresses two important U.S. Department of Energy priorities: development of infrastructure needed for decarbonization and improvement of the critical minerals supply chain.
Researchers explained that the added cerium reacts with oxygen and sulfur impurities that are introduced during the steel manufacturing and eliminates the negative impact of those impurities, producing a steel that is less susceptible to cracking during its service life. Testing at NETL has shown that cerium additions to X90 pipeline steel can improve the Charpy impact toughness—a measure of the steel’s ability to absorb energy and resist crack propagation—by up to 50%.
“Such an improvement is important for new pipelines, where running ductile fracture is a major concern, such as for carbon dioxide transport. These results show promise, and more research is needed to determine the impact of cerium on other important steel properties such as weldability.” said NETL Research Scientist Richard Oleksak. “Better steel isn’t the only potential benefit,” he added “Cerium, which is the most abundant rare earth element in both conventional and unconventional domestic feedstocks, is currently a major unused byproduct of the extraction of more valuable rare earths. This means we could see the creation of applications for cerium to meet industrial demand.” He said that with global steel production at two billion tons annually, the incorporation of even small amounts of cerium into this industry would significantly increase its demand. By developing high-volume applications for cerium, the value proposition for domestic production of rare earths is improved, thereby enhancing the supply chain for these critical minerals.
REEs have a long history in iron and steelmaking. Specifically, cerium, lanthanum, and cerium/lanthanum-rich alloys have been used in some form since the 1950s. The cost of cerium and lanthanum has decreased significantly since the major work involving these elements in iron and steelmaking in the mid-1900s.
A major driver of this cost reduction is related to the so-called rare earth balance problem. That is, both cerium and lanthanum co-occur with other REEs, such as neodymium, in both conventional and unconventional domestic feedstocks. Because of the high demand of neodymium and other REEs for various clean energy technologies, and the likely increase in demand for these technologies in the era of global decarbonization, it is very likely that tremendous amounts of unused cerium and lanthanum will be produced in the coming decades.
“This presents anexcellent opportunity for the renewed consideration of these rare earths as promising and inexpensive alloy additions in steelmaking,” Oleksak said. “The success of NETL in developing cerium-enhanced steel alloys is an example of the potential economic and environmental benefits to come from acting on such opportunities.”
Significant new pipeline infrastructure improvements are expected within the coming years that can help the nation facilitate decarbonization goals, including pipelines specifically designed for CO2 and hydrogen transport. Both uses pose unique challenges and place increased reliance on the integrity of the steel products.
Source
August 15, 2023
An invention reported by researchers from NETL can help protect against corrosion in natural gas, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines. Pipeline corrosion can cause catastrophic failure events such as explosions and emissions of environmentally damaging substances like methane. The innovation is a new self-healing cold spray coating for internal pipeline corrosion protection.
According to NETL’s Ömer Doğan, who worked on the innovation with NETL researchers Joseph Tylczak, and Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, and Zineb Belarbi, internal pipeline corrosion is a common problem. “Internal corrosion in pipelines primarily is due to the presence of water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide contained in natural gas,” Doğan explained. “Internal corrosion can eventually result in leakage, cracks, and rupture of the pipeline leading to explosion hazards and methane emissions.”
Traditional approaches to fighting pipeline corrosion included use of inhibitors or organic coatings such as fusion-bonded epoxy and polyurethane. Injection of inhibitors in natural gas or CO2 pipelines is challenging because of the difficulty of transporting the inhibitor along the pipelines. The main disadvantage of using organic coatings for internal pipeline protection is that they have poor abrasion resistance and can form a corrosion focal point.
Doğan said another approach is to use sacrificial coatings to protect pipelines and equipment from internal corrosion. A sacrificial coating, or anode, undergoes oxidation more than the metal surface it protects, effectively stopping oxidation on the metal. However, the existing sacrificial coatings tend to dissolve too fast in natural gas pipelines. “The invention consists of a new zinc-rich material that creates an effective protective layer which resists dissolution compared to existing zinc sacrificial coatings,” Doğan said. ‘This new material can be applied to steel structures in a cold spray process to protect them from the effects of corrosion.”
Cold spray is a high-energy solid-state coating and powder consolidation process for application of metals, metal alloys, and metal blends for numerous applications. Cold spray uses an electrically heated high-pressure carrier gas, like nitrogen or helium, to accelerate metal powders through a supersonic nozzle for particle adhesion. The coating can be applied to the interior of a pipeline by using a robotic cold spray device attached to a pipeline pig.
Just some of the features and advantages of the new zinc-rich coating approach compared to existing approaches include its ability to:
A Report of Invention (ROI) was disclosed June 30, 2023, and assigned 23N-12.
Source
An invention reported by researchers from NETL can help protect against corrosion in natural gas, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines. Pipeline corrosion can cause catastrophic failure events such as explosions and emissions of environmentally damaging substances like methane. The innovation is a new self-healing cold spray coating for internal pipeline corrosion protection.
According to NETL’s Ömer Doğan, who worked on the innovation with NETL researchers Joseph Tylczak, and Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, and Zineb Belarbi, internal pipeline corrosion is a common problem. “Internal corrosion in pipelines primarily is due to the presence of water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide contained in natural gas,” Doğan explained. “Internal corrosion can eventually result in leakage, cracks, and rupture of the pipeline leading to explosion hazards and methane emissions.”
Traditional approaches to fighting pipeline corrosion included use of inhibitors or organic coatings such as fusion-bonded epoxy and polyurethane. Injection of inhibitors in natural gas or CO2 pipelines is challenging because of the difficulty of transporting the inhibitor along the pipelines. The main disadvantage of using organic coatings for internal pipeline protection is that they have poor abrasion resistance and can form a corrosion focal point.
Doğan said another approach is to use sacrificial coatings to protect pipelines and equipment from internal corrosion. A sacrificial coating, or anode, undergoes oxidation more than the metal surface it protects, effectively stopping oxidation on the metal. However, the existing sacrificial coatings tend to dissolve too fast in natural gas pipelines. “The invention consists of a new zinc-rich material that creates an effective protective layer which resists dissolution compared to existing zinc sacrificial coatings,” Doğan said. ‘This new material can be applied to steel structures in a cold spray process to protect them from the effects of corrosion.”
Cold spray is a high-energy solid-state coating and powder consolidation process for application of metals, metal alloys, and metal blends for numerous applications. Cold spray uses an electrically heated high-pressure carrier gas, like nitrogen or helium, to accelerate metal powders through a supersonic nozzle for particle adhesion. The coating can be applied to the interior of a pipeline by using a robotic cold spray device attached to a pipeline pig.
Just some of the features and advantages of the new zinc-rich coating approach compared to existing approaches include its ability to:
- Remain stable regardless of temperature/pressure changes of the service environment.
- Not form defects during cold spray deposition resulting in its extended life.
- Self-heal when damaged by forming protective corrosion products.
- Not require a periodic application (long life).
- Be used as structural material to repair used/damaged pipeline.
A Report of Invention (ROI) was disclosed June 30, 2023, and assigned 23N-12.
Source
June 29, 2023
NETL is part of an international team at work in Ireland to develop a project to demonstrate the feasibility of district-level hydronic heating using subsurface geothermal energy.
The project, based in Limerick, Ireland, seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of using low-temperature geothermal heat sources on a district wide level. The effort is led by Ireland’s Micro Electricity Generation Association (MEGA), a not-for-profit research, development and incubation organization made up of communities, local authorities, research institutes and international energy companies. MEGA seeks solutions to future energy needs through microgeneration — the small-scale production of heat and/or electricity from a low carbon source.
NETL is offering technical solutions and expertise as the project team seeks to optimize the heat-extraction effectiveness in a geo-fluid loop while maintaining ecological safety as environmental benefits are assessed. The work is an example of how NETL drives innovation and delivers solutions as it partners with stakeholders.
Geothermal resources include aquifers, reservoirs and solid rock from which heat may be extracted and/or discharged. Geothermal wells, occurring at various depths ranging from only a few feet to several miles below the surface, can be drilled into underground rock formations where heat will be extracted, dissipated, or stored by circulating water or other fluids.
When heat is extracted from very low temperature resources, heat pumps are used to boost the heat to a chosen temperature range that meets the needs for a particular use. When heat pumps are used to provided cooling to buildings, the heat can be discharged to relatively cool rock and water in the subsurface where the heat is either dissipated or stored for later use.
Waste industrial and commercial heat can be stored in the subsurface for subsequent use in heating other buildings or for other purposes. High-temperature subsurface formations can be used to directly supply heat to district heating system, whereas heat pumps allow low-temperature formations to be used to supply district heating systems. Very low temperature subsurface formations can also be used cost effectively, usually through heat pumps, for district-level cooling systems.
NETL participated in the research effort’s kickoff by sending a team of researchers in the geology engineering fields. NETL’s Dan Oryshchyn, Mark McKoy, and Owen Grabowski, were on the ground in Limerick to kick-off the effort. NETL’s Rick Hammack, Yongkoo Seol, and Ali Zidane are also supporting the project.
“NETL’s part of the project focuses on developing the software tools for geothermal heat extraction, possible subsurface thermal energy storage, and river or estuary heat capture to reduce adverse temperature impacts to aquatic life, especially cold-water fisheries,” Oryshchyn said.
He said the model will be created jointly with experts at Mälardalen University in Sweden and will replicate an energy district’s behavior in an energy ecosystem, which includes a large proportion of intermittent electricity sources and various types of heat sources.
“An open-source tool arising from this model is also intended for use as a general matching tool that can present comparisons of pairings of various ground-sourcing and district-heating approaches like wind and solar,” Oryshchyn said. “We will be working to gather as much on-site information as possible and establish contacts that can later help provide relevant recorded data from geotechnical studies close to the project site.”
Oryshchyn and the NETL team joined project partners in Limerick May 23–29 to meet with local community leaders and toured areas that offer possibilities for tapping warmer river/estuary water during the summertime from which heat might be stored in the nearby subsurface to support winter-time district heating needs. The team also visited buildings and surrounding infrastructure where a pilot-level district heating system will be installed.
According to DOE, even when surface temperatures vary according to seasons, “a few feet below the Earth's surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 70°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer.”
The kickoff meeting also included an effort to engage Limerick area residents for two-way information exchanges focused on the goals and effects of the project.
Limerick is a major city in the Republic of Ireland set in Munster province in the south of the country. It is known for the medieval-era St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. John’s square, which is lined with Georgian townhouses, and for King John’s Castle, which is a picturesque medieval fort on the banks of the Shannon River.
Source
NETL is part of an international team at work in Ireland to develop a project to demonstrate the feasibility of district-level hydronic heating using subsurface geothermal energy.
The project, based in Limerick, Ireland, seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of using low-temperature geothermal heat sources on a district wide level. The effort is led by Ireland’s Micro Electricity Generation Association (MEGA), a not-for-profit research, development and incubation organization made up of communities, local authorities, research institutes and international energy companies. MEGA seeks solutions to future energy needs through microgeneration — the small-scale production of heat and/or electricity from a low carbon source.
NETL is offering technical solutions and expertise as the project team seeks to optimize the heat-extraction effectiveness in a geo-fluid loop while maintaining ecological safety as environmental benefits are assessed. The work is an example of how NETL drives innovation and delivers solutions as it partners with stakeholders.
Geothermal resources include aquifers, reservoirs and solid rock from which heat may be extracted and/or discharged. Geothermal wells, occurring at various depths ranging from only a few feet to several miles below the surface, can be drilled into underground rock formations where heat will be extracted, dissipated, or stored by circulating water or other fluids.
When heat is extracted from very low temperature resources, heat pumps are used to boost the heat to a chosen temperature range that meets the needs for a particular use. When heat pumps are used to provided cooling to buildings, the heat can be discharged to relatively cool rock and water in the subsurface where the heat is either dissipated or stored for later use.
Waste industrial and commercial heat can be stored in the subsurface for subsequent use in heating other buildings or for other purposes. High-temperature subsurface formations can be used to directly supply heat to district heating system, whereas heat pumps allow low-temperature formations to be used to supply district heating systems. Very low temperature subsurface formations can also be used cost effectively, usually through heat pumps, for district-level cooling systems.
NETL participated in the research effort’s kickoff by sending a team of researchers in the geology engineering fields. NETL’s Dan Oryshchyn, Mark McKoy, and Owen Grabowski, were on the ground in Limerick to kick-off the effort. NETL’s Rick Hammack, Yongkoo Seol, and Ali Zidane are also supporting the project.
“NETL’s part of the project focuses on developing the software tools for geothermal heat extraction, possible subsurface thermal energy storage, and river or estuary heat capture to reduce adverse temperature impacts to aquatic life, especially cold-water fisheries,” Oryshchyn said.
He said the model will be created jointly with experts at Mälardalen University in Sweden and will replicate an energy district’s behavior in an energy ecosystem, which includes a large proportion of intermittent electricity sources and various types of heat sources.
“An open-source tool arising from this model is also intended for use as a general matching tool that can present comparisons of pairings of various ground-sourcing and district-heating approaches like wind and solar,” Oryshchyn said. “We will be working to gather as much on-site information as possible and establish contacts that can later help provide relevant recorded data from geotechnical studies close to the project site.”
Oryshchyn and the NETL team joined project partners in Limerick May 23–29 to meet with local community leaders and toured areas that offer possibilities for tapping warmer river/estuary water during the summertime from which heat might be stored in the nearby subsurface to support winter-time district heating needs. The team also visited buildings and surrounding infrastructure where a pilot-level district heating system will be installed.
According to DOE, even when surface temperatures vary according to seasons, “a few feet below the Earth's surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 70°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer.”
The kickoff meeting also included an effort to engage Limerick area residents for two-way information exchanges focused on the goals and effects of the project.
Limerick is a major city in the Republic of Ireland set in Munster province in the south of the country. It is known for the medieval-era St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. John’s square, which is lined with Georgian townhouses, and for King John’s Castle, which is a picturesque medieval fort on the banks of the Shannon River.
Source
June 23, 2023
International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated across the globe June 23 to raise awareness about the women pursuing engineering and transforming the world with their achievements. NETL is proud to recognize its women engineers who work to address the nation’s critical energy needs.
A few of the many women engineers at work in NETL labs, their specialties, and their views on the work they do include:
Source
International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated across the globe June 23 to raise awareness about the women pursuing engineering and transforming the world with their achievements. NETL is proud to recognize its women engineers who work to address the nation’s critical energy needs.
A few of the many women engineers at work in NETL labs, their specialties, and their views on the work they do include:
Source
Zineb Belarbi, Ph.D. — Corrosion and Materials Scientist, LRST contractor
Belarbi received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Sorbonne University (ex. Pierre and Marie Curie University-Paris IV) France in 2013. She built a solid background in electrochemistry to further explore the inhibition of calcium carbonate deposition on metal surfaces. Before joining NETL, Belarbi was a project leader at the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology at Ohio University where her research focused on using corrosion inhibitors to mitigate internal corrosion in oil and gas pipelines. Belarbi also worked at the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment, Ohio University where she investigated the electrochemical removal of nutrients from animal wastewater. “My research at NETL focuses on evaluation of corrosion performance of steel alloys and mitigation of internal corrosion in natural gas pipelines. In addition, I support other projects such as the National Energy Water Treatment and Speciation (NEWTS) Database and geologic carbon storage. My professor at college inspired me to pursue a career of engineering. I am a very curious and experimental person, and I love that the combination of engineering and chemistry offers us the ability to design and create new materials that can improve and advance the economy.” |
Vertical Divider
Madison Wenzlick — Research Mechanical Engineer (Battelle/LRST supporting NETL)
Wenzlick is experienced in mechanical engineering and engineering physics. “My work includes data curation, modeling and analysis for materials property prediction and design, energy water management, and infrastructure assessment. Being an engineer in a research institution is an exciting blend of addressing real-world problems and using creativity to come up with new ideas, which are both reasons why I wanted to become an engineer.” |
June 21, 2023
When NETL researchers began to research the potential to recover critical minerals from rocks that are processed to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide in a practice called mineral carbonation, they expected to find valuable commodities like chromium, cobalt, and nickel. But their work also discovered valuable quantities of platinum group minerals (PGMs) — extremely precious metal commodities that are critical for the clean energy economy.
The finding could have positive implications for both the critical mineral supply chain and an evolving decarbonization technology.
The discovery was a by-product of research at NETL in Albany, Oregon the home for mineral processing research and development. The federally funded research focused on pulling critical minerals from ultramafic rocks before they are subjected to enhanced mineralization or natural weathering — processes that accelerate the decomposition of calcium and magnesium-rich silicate rocks and a chemical reaction that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Ultramafic rocks contain minerals that are naturally highly reactive to carbon dioxide. Researchers believe that enhanced mineralization can help stabilize and permanently store CO2.
The samples NETL examined came from the Twin Sisters mine in Washington’s Whatcom County, a source for olivine, an abundant silicate found in earth’s mantle that is used to make molds that can endure high temperatures with low thermal expansion.
Millbank Materials, owners of the Twin Sister’s mine, provided the Lab with access to the raw resources to test NETL mineralization and critical minerals technologies. Eion Carbon, a carbon removal company that focuses on enhanced rock weathering and NETL are working together in a cooperative research and development agreement to advance technology to remove critical minerals while preserving the mineral carbonation potential of the olivine from Twin Sisters Mine.
Circe Verba, Ph.D., of NETL’s Center for Geological and Environmental Systems (GES) said “the breakthrough could help reduce reliance on foreign sources for PGMs by developing a sustainable domestic supply chain in conjunction with mineral carbonation waste streams.”
“This research furthers the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Critical Minerals Sustainability Program,” NETL’s Burt Thomas said. “The team is focused on unconventional ores from waste streams we expect to grow in the future. This will hopefully lower the costs of mineral carbonation and provide secure sources of things like iridium, things that we know we are going to need a lot more of.”
NETL’s GES team tackles the challenges of clean energy production by focusing on the behavior of natural systems at both the earth’s surface and deep within the subsurface. With the laboratory equipment and computational models housed at NETL’s facilities, researchers can peer into the subsurface to discover critical minerals and PGMs that have energy-related value.
Jon Yang, Ph.D., is the lead researcher on the project. He explained that PGMs are critical to manufacturing and automotive sectors as catalytic materials.
“For the green energy transition, platinum and iridium will be crucial for the developing green hydrogen technologies as catalysts for hydrolyzing reactions,” he said. “Coupling the recovery of PGMs with actively mined rocks used in growing enhanced rock weathering industries significantly lowers the technological risks and cutoff grades for traditional PGM extraction.”
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Program, PGM refining has traditionally been a complex process because the chemical similarities of the metals make their separation difficult.
USGS reports that since 1960, approximately 90% of global PGM production came from South Africa and Russia, with Canada, the United States, and Zimbabwe accounting for 5%, 2%, and 1% of production, respectively.
PGMs include iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium and ruthenium. PGMs are among the rarest mineral commodities in the earth’s crust and are attracting increased attention for use in a wide range of applications.
When NETL researchers began to research the potential to recover critical minerals from rocks that are processed to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide in a practice called mineral carbonation, they expected to find valuable commodities like chromium, cobalt, and nickel. But their work also discovered valuable quantities of platinum group minerals (PGMs) — extremely precious metal commodities that are critical for the clean energy economy.
The finding could have positive implications for both the critical mineral supply chain and an evolving decarbonization technology.
The discovery was a by-product of research at NETL in Albany, Oregon the home for mineral processing research and development. The federally funded research focused on pulling critical minerals from ultramafic rocks before they are subjected to enhanced mineralization or natural weathering — processes that accelerate the decomposition of calcium and magnesium-rich silicate rocks and a chemical reaction that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Ultramafic rocks contain minerals that are naturally highly reactive to carbon dioxide. Researchers believe that enhanced mineralization can help stabilize and permanently store CO2.
The samples NETL examined came from the Twin Sisters mine in Washington’s Whatcom County, a source for olivine, an abundant silicate found in earth’s mantle that is used to make molds that can endure high temperatures with low thermal expansion.
Millbank Materials, owners of the Twin Sister’s mine, provided the Lab with access to the raw resources to test NETL mineralization and critical minerals technologies. Eion Carbon, a carbon removal company that focuses on enhanced rock weathering and NETL are working together in a cooperative research and development agreement to advance technology to remove critical minerals while preserving the mineral carbonation potential of the olivine from Twin Sisters Mine.
Circe Verba, Ph.D., of NETL’s Center for Geological and Environmental Systems (GES) said “the breakthrough could help reduce reliance on foreign sources for PGMs by developing a sustainable domestic supply chain in conjunction with mineral carbonation waste streams.”
“This research furthers the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Critical Minerals Sustainability Program,” NETL’s Burt Thomas said. “The team is focused on unconventional ores from waste streams we expect to grow in the future. This will hopefully lower the costs of mineral carbonation and provide secure sources of things like iridium, things that we know we are going to need a lot more of.”
NETL’s GES team tackles the challenges of clean energy production by focusing on the behavior of natural systems at both the earth’s surface and deep within the subsurface. With the laboratory equipment and computational models housed at NETL’s facilities, researchers can peer into the subsurface to discover critical minerals and PGMs that have energy-related value.
Jon Yang, Ph.D., is the lead researcher on the project. He explained that PGMs are critical to manufacturing and automotive sectors as catalytic materials.
“For the green energy transition, platinum and iridium will be crucial for the developing green hydrogen technologies as catalysts for hydrolyzing reactions,” he said. “Coupling the recovery of PGMs with actively mined rocks used in growing enhanced rock weathering industries significantly lowers the technological risks and cutoff grades for traditional PGM extraction.”
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Program, PGM refining has traditionally been a complex process because the chemical similarities of the metals make their separation difficult.
USGS reports that since 1960, approximately 90% of global PGM production came from South Africa and Russia, with Canada, the United States, and Zimbabwe accounting for 5%, 2%, and 1% of production, respectively.
PGMs include iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium and ruthenium. PGMs are among the rarest mineral commodities in the earth’s crust and are attracting increased attention for use in a wide range of applications.
- Platinum-based fuel cells are enabling mini-grid electrification technology that is an attractive and cost competitive alternative to grid electrification in remote areas.
- Because platinum is an effective catalyst in hydrogen-powered fuel cells, it is being used in new electric vehicles.
- In the electronics industry, PGE components increase storage capacities in computer hard disk drives and are ubiquitous in electronic devices, multilayer ceramic capacitors, and hybridized integrated circuits.
- The chemical industry uses platinum or platinum-rhodium alloys to manufacture specialty silicones and to make nitric oxide, the raw material for fertilizers, and nitric acid.
- In the petrochemical industry, platinum-supported catalysts are needed to refine crude oil and to produce high-octane gasoline. In addition to making plastics, synthetic rubber and polyester fibers for clothing.
- The glass manufacturing industry uses PGE to produce fiberglass and liquid-crystal and flat-panel displays.
- PGE alloys are exceptionally hard and durable, making them the best coating for the industrial crucibles used to manufacture chemicals and synthetic materials, including the high-purity sapphire crystals used to make light-emitting diodes.
- Because platinum does not corrode inside the human body and allergic reactions to platinum are rare, it is used in medical implants such as pacemakers. PGE are also used in cancer-fighting drugs.
- Because platinum, in certain chemical forms, can slow or stop the division of living cells, platinum-based drugs are being developed to treat cancers.
- Platinum-cured silicones can coat and protect automotive air bags and keep them stable and folded for long durations with deteriorating.
- Platinum-cured silicone mixes are used in lipsticks, shampoos, and contact lenses
June 7, 2023
One of the ways the Biden administration proposes to help the country reach the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is through carbon sequestration. Carbon dioxide would be captured from ethanol plants and other sources and transferred via thousands of miles of pipelines to permanent underground storage sites and conversion facilities.
To help inform CO2 pipeline routing decisions, a new resource offers officials nationwide data on infrastructure, land-use policies and environmental conditions that could influence the construction and location of the pipelines. U.S. officials hope to transport 65 million metric tons of carbon per year by 2030, officials at the Energy Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, or NETL, said in a statement launching the resource.
“Routing of pipelines, trains, and other infrastructure to facilitate CO2 transport depends on being able to evaluate a variety of regulatory, topographic, and potential risk variables,” said Jennifer Bauer, a data scientist at NETL and principal investigator of the Carbon Capture and Storage Pipeline Route Planning Database. “These complex systems require considerable investments and time to plan and complete; making it paramount that the best set of available information is utilized when planning and developing these systems.”
With more than 90 GB of spatial data, including variables such as land-use restrictions, soil type, slope of the terrain and the location of current infrastructure such as transportation and energy utilities, the database can help officials efficiently determine optimal routes for pipeline placement, Bauer said.
The database also includes satellite imagery from sources such as NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, she said, and it identifies disadvantaged communities and areas vulnerable to natural disasters so planners can reduce environmental injustice. The database will be updated monthly.
“The more we can do upfront to make sure that we're really being responsible and considerate when planning these routes … considering the technical needs, the optimal costs and time reduction needs as well as the social and environmental responsibility … is more likely to lead to long-term success,” Bauer said.
The database also serves as a building block for NETL’s smart route planning tool, which will leverage machine learning to produce route options for data users, she said. Slated for a March 2024 release, the tool will “serve as a decision support tool and offer those people that are coming to the table and discussing options a better understanding of how their preferences and their priorities can affect the route options overall.”
“Having access to these types of data … and tools that can be used more at the start of a project to help facilitate those conversations should ultimately help us more rapidly provide the infrastructure, and therefore the transportation, that’s necessary to meet the nation’s goals,” Bauer said.
From Route Fifty
One of the ways the Biden administration proposes to help the country reach the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is through carbon sequestration. Carbon dioxide would be captured from ethanol plants and other sources and transferred via thousands of miles of pipelines to permanent underground storage sites and conversion facilities.
To help inform CO2 pipeline routing decisions, a new resource offers officials nationwide data on infrastructure, land-use policies and environmental conditions that could influence the construction and location of the pipelines. U.S. officials hope to transport 65 million metric tons of carbon per year by 2030, officials at the Energy Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, or NETL, said in a statement launching the resource.
“Routing of pipelines, trains, and other infrastructure to facilitate CO2 transport depends on being able to evaluate a variety of regulatory, topographic, and potential risk variables,” said Jennifer Bauer, a data scientist at NETL and principal investigator of the Carbon Capture and Storage Pipeline Route Planning Database. “These complex systems require considerable investments and time to plan and complete; making it paramount that the best set of available information is utilized when planning and developing these systems.”
With more than 90 GB of spatial data, including variables such as land-use restrictions, soil type, slope of the terrain and the location of current infrastructure such as transportation and energy utilities, the database can help officials efficiently determine optimal routes for pipeline placement, Bauer said.
The database also includes satellite imagery from sources such as NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, she said, and it identifies disadvantaged communities and areas vulnerable to natural disasters so planners can reduce environmental injustice. The database will be updated monthly.
“The more we can do upfront to make sure that we're really being responsible and considerate when planning these routes … considering the technical needs, the optimal costs and time reduction needs as well as the social and environmental responsibility … is more likely to lead to long-term success,” Bauer said.
The database also serves as a building block for NETL’s smart route planning tool, which will leverage machine learning to produce route options for data users, she said. Slated for a March 2024 release, the tool will “serve as a decision support tool and offer those people that are coming to the table and discussing options a better understanding of how their preferences and their priorities can affect the route options overall.”
“Having access to these types of data … and tools that can be used more at the start of a project to help facilitate those conversations should ultimately help us more rapidly provide the infrastructure, and therefore the transportation, that’s necessary to meet the nation’s goals,” Bauer said.
From Route Fifty
June 06, 2023
Summer research associates arrived at NETL sites June 5 and have begun collaborating with the Lab’s scientists, engineers and other professionals to gain direct experience in their fields and contribute to innovative projects to meet the nation’s energy needs.
“NETL’s research associates are selected from an elite pool of candidates and represent the best and brightest in their fields,” said NETL Director Brian Anderson. “We are pleased they will be joining us as they contribute to projects and acquire experience to serve as the next generation of innovators.”
Fifty-four research associates will collaborate with world-renowned researchers and mentors at NETL. Thirty-seven research associates will be on-site at NETL facilities in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while 17 research associates will complete assignments virtually.
The majority of the research associates have been assigned to NETL through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) program. MLEF is a highly competitive 10-week summer educational fellowship program for students who are science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors. Participants will complete a cutting-edge research project in support of DOE’s mission to minimize the environmental impacts of energy resource recovery and use while working toward net-zero emissions.
The MLEF program was created in 1995 to strengthen a diverse pipeline of future STEM professionals. The program provides participants the unique opportunity to gain direct research experience at various DOE national laboratories across the country. Participants gain insight into how DOE is working to meet the energy challenges of the future, including policy and regulation, project finance and strategic performance measures.
NETL drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Source
Summer research associates arrived at NETL sites June 5 and have begun collaborating with the Lab’s scientists, engineers and other professionals to gain direct experience in their fields and contribute to innovative projects to meet the nation’s energy needs.
“NETL’s research associates are selected from an elite pool of candidates and represent the best and brightest in their fields,” said NETL Director Brian Anderson. “We are pleased they will be joining us as they contribute to projects and acquire experience to serve as the next generation of innovators.”
Fifty-four research associates will collaborate with world-renowned researchers and mentors at NETL. Thirty-seven research associates will be on-site at NETL facilities in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while 17 research associates will complete assignments virtually.
The majority of the research associates have been assigned to NETL through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) program. MLEF is a highly competitive 10-week summer educational fellowship program for students who are science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors. Participants will complete a cutting-edge research project in support of DOE’s mission to minimize the environmental impacts of energy resource recovery and use while working toward net-zero emissions.
The MLEF program was created in 1995 to strengthen a diverse pipeline of future STEM professionals. The program provides participants the unique opportunity to gain direct research experience at various DOE national laboratories across the country. Participants gain insight into how DOE is working to meet the energy challenges of the future, including policy and regulation, project finance and strategic performance measures.
NETL drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Source
May 31, 2023
Strategically planning safe and sustainable routes for transportation of CO2 from where it is captured to where it can be stored underground or converted into other products is a critical priority in achieving a greenhouse gas (GHG)-neutral economy by 2050. NETL has responded to that challenge by creating an expansive and accessible Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Pipeline Route Planning Database to guide routing decisions and increase transportation safety.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has been working with the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to ensure a safe and reliable CO2 transport network.
In support of that effort, NETL has identified technical gaps, prioritized research needs, and developed tools to facilitate and optimize a robust, national-scale CO2 transportation infrastructure. The near-term goal for 2030 is to expand the nation’s capability to transport 65 million metric tons of CO2 per year. The long-term goal for 2050 is to ensure the capability to transport 1 gigaton of CO2 per year.
“Routing of pipelines, trains, and other infrastructure to facilitate CO2 transport depends on being able to evaluate a variety of regulatory, topographic, and potential risk variables,” NETL researcher Jennifer Bauer explained. “These complex systems require considerable investments and time to plan and complete; making it paramount that the best set of available information is utilized when planning and developing these systems.”
She added that social, environmental, and energy justice variables, such as disadvantaged communities or areas with higher likelihoods of natural disasters, are also of special concern when strategically planning safe and sustainable transport routes.
NETL tackled the issues by creating a database that provides a curated compilation of critical decision factors, such as slope, public and energy infrastructure, and ground cover that provide planners with information about areas that are favorable for routing. The database also includes several novel data sets using federal and state legislation to understand regulations, incentives, and restrictions on transport.
The CCS Pipeline Route Planning Database, available through NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX®), provides a comprehensive, national, big data resource to accelerate the country's energy transition. With more than 90 gigabytes of spatial data, arranged in more than 40 data layers, and millions of individual features, the publicly available database provides critical insights into the complex social, environmental and regulatory variables that will be encountered during CCS deployment projects.
Bauer said the database supports NETL's ongoing work to develop a Smart Route Planning Tool, which will use machine learning algorithms to identify optimal routes for CO2 transport that are not only technically viable but also socially and environmentally responsible.
Source
Strategically planning safe and sustainable routes for transportation of CO2 from where it is captured to where it can be stored underground or converted into other products is a critical priority in achieving a greenhouse gas (GHG)-neutral economy by 2050. NETL has responded to that challenge by creating an expansive and accessible Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Pipeline Route Planning Database to guide routing decisions and increase transportation safety.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has been working with the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to ensure a safe and reliable CO2 transport network.
In support of that effort, NETL has identified technical gaps, prioritized research needs, and developed tools to facilitate and optimize a robust, national-scale CO2 transportation infrastructure. The near-term goal for 2030 is to expand the nation’s capability to transport 65 million metric tons of CO2 per year. The long-term goal for 2050 is to ensure the capability to transport 1 gigaton of CO2 per year.
“Routing of pipelines, trains, and other infrastructure to facilitate CO2 transport depends on being able to evaluate a variety of regulatory, topographic, and potential risk variables,” NETL researcher Jennifer Bauer explained. “These complex systems require considerable investments and time to plan and complete; making it paramount that the best set of available information is utilized when planning and developing these systems.”
She added that social, environmental, and energy justice variables, such as disadvantaged communities or areas with higher likelihoods of natural disasters, are also of special concern when strategically planning safe and sustainable transport routes.
NETL tackled the issues by creating a database that provides a curated compilation of critical decision factors, such as slope, public and energy infrastructure, and ground cover that provide planners with information about areas that are favorable for routing. The database also includes several novel data sets using federal and state legislation to understand regulations, incentives, and restrictions on transport.
The CCS Pipeline Route Planning Database, available through NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX®), provides a comprehensive, national, big data resource to accelerate the country's energy transition. With more than 90 gigabytes of spatial data, arranged in more than 40 data layers, and millions of individual features, the publicly available database provides critical insights into the complex social, environmental and regulatory variables that will be encountered during CCS deployment projects.
Bauer said the database supports NETL's ongoing work to develop a Smart Route Planning Tool, which will use machine learning algorithms to identify optimal routes for CO2 transport that are not only technically viable but also socially and environmentally responsible.
Source
March 17, 2023
NETL will share its expertise and research in materials sciences, spanning from high entropy alloys to gasification of plastics, among many other topics, at The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society’s (TMS) 2023 Annual Meeting and Exhibition scheduled for March 19-23 in San Diego. The conference brings together more than 4,000 engineers, scientists, business leaders, students and other professionals in the minerals, metals, and materials fields from 70 nations for a week of comprehensive, cross-disciplinary exchange of technical knowledge.
Lab representatives are scheduled to take part in several presentations, symposiums and other events during the conference. Among these sessions scheduled is “Additive Manufacturing of Large-scale Metallic Components — Nickel Alloys/Hybrid Additive Manufacturing,” which will delve into applications of new alloys and their roles in an economy increasingly powered by hydrogen. NETL is at the forefront in designing and manufacturing nickel (Ni)-based superalloys for industrial power generation. Owing to a superior combination of mechanical properties and environmental resistance, this important class of alloys is used in some of the most aggressive service environments involving high-temperatures, high-pressures, corrosive and oxidizing environments. A wide range of established alloy processing and manufacturing practices are commonly used to fabricate superalloy components.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is also increasingly being used due to its demonstrated potential for shorter lead times, near-net shape production, and novel component design and cooling optimization. NETL’s current research activities in additive manufacturing and alloy development of Ni-based superalloys under the Advanced Turbines and Advanced Materials Development research programs will be highlighted at TMS2023.
NETL researchers will share research on structure-property-processing relationships, developing alloys for hydrogen energy and for service above 800 °C, and optimizing the manufacturing processes for cleanliness and defect-free alloys. NETL’s unique facilities that allow researchers to prototype alloys at industrial scales that accelerate commercialization will also be highlighted; these facilities fill a critical gap in the alloy development research ecosystem.
Another NETL-led presentation, “Behavior of Plastic Ashes in Gasification Environments,” will detail the potential for energy savings in the recycling of plastics via gasification. This work reports ash compositions from various common plastics and their behavior at high temperatures. Plastic upscaling and recycling is one of the most effective ways to decarbonize the chemical industries. Gasification is a chemical recycling path that enables carbon renewal at elevated temperatures by breaking waste plastics into basic constituents. Significant energy savings in recycling plastics would be possible, not only compared to the mechanical recycling, but also to the traditional gasification because plastics carry higher heating values.
“TMS2023 is a premier materials science event, allowing NETL to showcase our capabilities to the world,” said NETL’s Michael Knaggs, who leads the Research Partnerships and Technology Transfer directorate within the Research and Innovation Center. “Furthermore, this conference presents valuable opportunities to learn from others’ research and success stories while giving us a chance to network. NETL is all about collaboration and the monumental task of decarbonizing our nation’s power sector and economy is too big for any one entity to take on alone.”
TMS 2023 marks the society’s 152nd annual exhibition. Through its Albany research campus, NETL has long established itself as a leader in designing, developing, and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme service environments. Some of the Lab’s development and implementation success stories in this field of research include alloy-based metal catalysts and electrochemical technologies that convert power plant waste streams such as carbon dioxide into valuable fuels and chemicals, among other achievements.
Source
NETL will share its expertise and research in materials sciences, spanning from high entropy alloys to gasification of plastics, among many other topics, at The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society’s (TMS) 2023 Annual Meeting and Exhibition scheduled for March 19-23 in San Diego. The conference brings together more than 4,000 engineers, scientists, business leaders, students and other professionals in the minerals, metals, and materials fields from 70 nations for a week of comprehensive, cross-disciplinary exchange of technical knowledge.
Lab representatives are scheduled to take part in several presentations, symposiums and other events during the conference. Among these sessions scheduled is “Additive Manufacturing of Large-scale Metallic Components — Nickel Alloys/Hybrid Additive Manufacturing,” which will delve into applications of new alloys and their roles in an economy increasingly powered by hydrogen. NETL is at the forefront in designing and manufacturing nickel (Ni)-based superalloys for industrial power generation. Owing to a superior combination of mechanical properties and environmental resistance, this important class of alloys is used in some of the most aggressive service environments involving high-temperatures, high-pressures, corrosive and oxidizing environments. A wide range of established alloy processing and manufacturing practices are commonly used to fabricate superalloy components.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is also increasingly being used due to its demonstrated potential for shorter lead times, near-net shape production, and novel component design and cooling optimization. NETL’s current research activities in additive manufacturing and alloy development of Ni-based superalloys under the Advanced Turbines and Advanced Materials Development research programs will be highlighted at TMS2023.
NETL researchers will share research on structure-property-processing relationships, developing alloys for hydrogen energy and for service above 800 °C, and optimizing the manufacturing processes for cleanliness and defect-free alloys. NETL’s unique facilities that allow researchers to prototype alloys at industrial scales that accelerate commercialization will also be highlighted; these facilities fill a critical gap in the alloy development research ecosystem.
Another NETL-led presentation, “Behavior of Plastic Ashes in Gasification Environments,” will detail the potential for energy savings in the recycling of plastics via gasification. This work reports ash compositions from various common plastics and their behavior at high temperatures. Plastic upscaling and recycling is one of the most effective ways to decarbonize the chemical industries. Gasification is a chemical recycling path that enables carbon renewal at elevated temperatures by breaking waste plastics into basic constituents. Significant energy savings in recycling plastics would be possible, not only compared to the mechanical recycling, but also to the traditional gasification because plastics carry higher heating values.
“TMS2023 is a premier materials science event, allowing NETL to showcase our capabilities to the world,” said NETL’s Michael Knaggs, who leads the Research Partnerships and Technology Transfer directorate within the Research and Innovation Center. “Furthermore, this conference presents valuable opportunities to learn from others’ research and success stories while giving us a chance to network. NETL is all about collaboration and the monumental task of decarbonizing our nation’s power sector and economy is too big for any one entity to take on alone.”
TMS 2023 marks the society’s 152nd annual exhibition. Through its Albany research campus, NETL has long established itself as a leader in designing, developing, and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme service environments. Some of the Lab’s development and implementation success stories in this field of research include alloy-based metal catalysts and electrochemical technologies that convert power plant waste streams such as carbon dioxide into valuable fuels and chemicals, among other achievements.
Source
October 20, 2022
NETL geo-data scientist Jennifer Bauer will discuss the Lab’s research activities focused on legacy oil and gas infrastructure — retired pipelines, platforms and other structures that remain in place after abandonment or end of use — at the Gulf Offshore Energy Safety Informational Webinar to be held from 11 a.m. to noon ET Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
An estimated 18,000 miles of inactive pipelines, which may still contain oil or gas, have been decommissioned across the Gulf of Mexico in the last 50 years. “These assets and others create risks for spills and leaks and can release methane, a potent greenhouse gas,” Bauer said. “Concern over this aging energy infrastructure in the Gulf will continue as additional oil and gas projects face the prospect of becoming stranded assets while the world transitions to low-carbon energy sources.”
During the upcoming webinar, Bauer will discuss research by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/NETL to identify challenges and opportunities created by legacy oil and gas infrastructure. Bauer will be joined by panelists from Healthy Gulf and Oceana, organizations working to protect Gulf ecosystems. The webinar, presented by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, is free and open to the public.
As a geo-data scientist, Bauer relies on massive volumes of data that are compiled in databases and analyzed using computational tools such as machine learning to pull out key pieces of information that identify the likelihood of a hazard or the risk of an adverse event such as a pipeline leak.
Bauer served as principal investigator of the NETL team that developed Advanced Infrastructure Integrity Modeling (AIIM), a tool that integrates big data, big data computing, and multiple machine-learning and advanced spatial models to evaluate energy infrastructure integrity, identify potential infrastructure hazards, and support infrastructure use and reuse planning.
A product of work sponsored by DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management offshore oil spill prevention program, AIIM also has strong and increasing relevance for offshore carbon storage and other energy applications in the transition to carbon-neutral solutions that may require the use of or alignments with aging oil and gas offshore infrastructure. This summer, AIIM earned a TechConnect National Innovation Award at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo.
Bauer is an active researcher in the Lab’s Offshore Research Program. The program’s projects focus on innovative solutions to solve the challenges associated with geohazard prediction, subsurface uncertainty reduction, and oil and gas infrastructure integrity and optimization for new and existing infrastructure systems.
NETL drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Source
October 19, 2022
Many of the world’s most talented energy technology experts call NETL home, and a recent analysis published by Stanford University underlines this fact, listing 25 current and former NETL researchers as being in the top 2% of global scientists. “We have some of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, but our greatest asset is still our people,” NETL Director Brian J. Anderson said. “The Stanford analysis looks at the impact researchers have within their scientific communities, and it’s clear that our work reaches far beyond the walls of our laboratories. In the last year alone, NETL research has been cited thousands of times in scientific publications.”
The analysis comprised lists according to career-long impact and single-year impact. Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for career-long impact were David E. Alman, Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Ömer N. Doğan, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Randall S. Gemmen, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Mehrdad Massoudi, Phuoc Tran, Henry W. Pennline, James Rawers, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane, D.H. Smith, and C.M. White.
Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for single-year impact were Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Dominic Alfonso, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Douglas Kauffman, Barbara Kutchko, Ping Lu, Mehrdad Massoudi, Phuoc Tran, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane and Venna R. Surendar.
“It’s truly inspiring to see so many familiar names on these lists,” Anderson said. “Even more impressive is that many of our researchers appear on both lists — showing not only a phenomenal year but also an impressive research career.” The analysis was conducted through the Departments of Medicine, of Health Research and Policy, of Biomedical Data Science, and of Statistics, and Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University.
NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Albany Research Center Employees in Bold
Source
Many of the world’s most talented energy technology experts call NETL home, and a recent analysis published by Stanford University underlines this fact, listing 25 current and former NETL researchers as being in the top 2% of global scientists. “We have some of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, but our greatest asset is still our people,” NETL Director Brian J. Anderson said. “The Stanford analysis looks at the impact researchers have within their scientific communities, and it’s clear that our work reaches far beyond the walls of our laboratories. In the last year alone, NETL research has been cited thousands of times in scientific publications.”
The analysis comprised lists according to career-long impact and single-year impact. Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for career-long impact were David E. Alman, Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Ömer N. Doğan, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Randall S. Gemmen, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Mehrdad Massoudi, Phuoc Tran, Henry W. Pennline, James Rawers, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane, D.H. Smith, and C.M. White.
Current and former NETL researchers listed in the top 2% for single-year impact were Ray Boswell, Ronald W. Breault, Dominic Alfonso, Yuhua Duan, Michael C. Gao, Angela L. Goodman, Evan J. Granite, Jeffrey Hawk, Gordon R. Holcomb, Douglas Kauffman, Barbara Kutchko, Ping Lu, Mehrdad Massoudi, Phuoc Tran, Harpreet Singh, Ranjani Siriwardane and Venna R. Surendar.
“It’s truly inspiring to see so many familiar names on these lists,” Anderson said. “Even more impressive is that many of our researchers appear on both lists — showing not only a phenomenal year but also an impressive research career.” The analysis was conducted through the Departments of Medicine, of Health Research and Policy, of Biomedical Data Science, and of Statistics, and Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University.
NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.
Albany Research Center Employees in Bold
Source
May 04, 2022
NETL extends its gratitude and recognition to Randal “Burt” Thomas for his outstanding scientific research and demonstrated exceptional leadership at NETL’s Albany facility for more than six years. His achievements led to his nomination in the leadership category of the Oregon Federal Executive Board (FEB) Excellence in Government Awards. The Oregon FEB Excellence in Government Awards recognize outstanding federal employees for efforts that encourage innovation and excellence in government, reinforce pride in federal service and call public attention to the broad range of services provided by federal employees. The winners of the FEB Excellence in Government Awards are selected by an independent committee of federal executives.
“Being nominated for such an award is a major accomplishment and reflects the quality of talent that calls NETL home,” NETL Director Brian Anderson said. “As our country undergoes a profound transformation to achieve a sustainable energy landscape and combat climate change while creating exciting new job opportunities, Thomas’ work is a demonstration of how our Lab is leading the way.”
As the leader of the Critical Minerals research portfolio, Thomas amplifies NETL’s pursuit of a socially and environmentally clean energy future. This portfolio targets the development of a domestic supply chain of critical minerals in places where there are significant environmental and community justice benefits. This research will help develop materials required for critical energy components for the future while cleaning up legacy waste streams such as acid mine drainage, fly ash ponds, mine tailings and impoundments.
Thomas is also a principal investigator on several geochemistry-focused projects/portfolios across the Lab’s Research and Innovation Center. His technical skill and rigor in conducting research and development (R&D) is resulting in outstanding products for NETL. An example is the development of the Geochemically Informed Leakage Detection model that will be applicable for monitoring storage integrity at geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites, ensuring the safe mitigation of CO2 emissions. This area is a vital component for decarbonizing the American economy.
Thomas is a dedicated interdisciplinary scientist who connects research staff across campuses and scientific disciplines to strengthen NETL with diverse, broadly capable and resilient researchers. He finds opportunities to elevate others’ work and ideas, which is crucial for early career researchers who will form the basis of future R&D leadership at NETL. Beyond his research, Thomas also strengthens NETL’s education and outreach efforts by promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, mentoring young scientists and engaging in outreach activities. Both inside and outside NETL, Thomas far exceeds his job expectations to help create a sustainable and supportive research community.
Source
NETL extends its gratitude and recognition to Randal “Burt” Thomas for his outstanding scientific research and demonstrated exceptional leadership at NETL’s Albany facility for more than six years. His achievements led to his nomination in the leadership category of the Oregon Federal Executive Board (FEB) Excellence in Government Awards. The Oregon FEB Excellence in Government Awards recognize outstanding federal employees for efforts that encourage innovation and excellence in government, reinforce pride in federal service and call public attention to the broad range of services provided by federal employees. The winners of the FEB Excellence in Government Awards are selected by an independent committee of federal executives.
“Being nominated for such an award is a major accomplishment and reflects the quality of talent that calls NETL home,” NETL Director Brian Anderson said. “As our country undergoes a profound transformation to achieve a sustainable energy landscape and combat climate change while creating exciting new job opportunities, Thomas’ work is a demonstration of how our Lab is leading the way.”
As the leader of the Critical Minerals research portfolio, Thomas amplifies NETL’s pursuit of a socially and environmentally clean energy future. This portfolio targets the development of a domestic supply chain of critical minerals in places where there are significant environmental and community justice benefits. This research will help develop materials required for critical energy components for the future while cleaning up legacy waste streams such as acid mine drainage, fly ash ponds, mine tailings and impoundments.
Thomas is also a principal investigator on several geochemistry-focused projects/portfolios across the Lab’s Research and Innovation Center. His technical skill and rigor in conducting research and development (R&D) is resulting in outstanding products for NETL. An example is the development of the Geochemically Informed Leakage Detection model that will be applicable for monitoring storage integrity at geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites, ensuring the safe mitigation of CO2 emissions. This area is a vital component for decarbonizing the American economy.
Thomas is a dedicated interdisciplinary scientist who connects research staff across campuses and scientific disciplines to strengthen NETL with diverse, broadly capable and resilient researchers. He finds opportunities to elevate others’ work and ideas, which is crucial for early career researchers who will form the basis of future R&D leadership at NETL. Beyond his research, Thomas also strengthens NETL’s education and outreach efforts by promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, mentoring young scientists and engaging in outreach activities. Both inside and outside NETL, Thomas far exceeds his job expectations to help create a sustainable and supportive research community.
Source
April 18, 2022
Five thousand years ago, someone discovered that by melting copper and combining it with a small amount of similarly melted tin, they could create bronze, a stronger metal used for weapons, pots and tools. It became known as the first metal alloy and ushered in the “Bronze Age.”
In the 21st Century, NETL is at the forefront of efforts to create the strongest, most innovative metal alloys possible. Those alloys are needed because new cutting-edge energy-producing processes and facilities that can generate affordable, clean electricity and support growth in emerging U.S. industries require cost-effective, durable alloys used in construction.
NETL’s advanced alloy development capabilities in Albany, Oregon, are helping to formulate unique alloys that can perform in extreme environments that range from the vacuum of space to the crushing pressures of the deep ocean. Advanced alloys are essential to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the power sector by 2035 and the broader economy by 2050 ── key goals of the Administration to address climate change.
The alloy needs of the energy industry are evolving because of the diversification of power generation. For example, greater use of renewable, intermittent sources are resulting in plants being subjected to cyclic operating conditions that bring on changes in temperatures and pressures. This “on-off” operation mode can cause metal-fatigue of components which increases materials performance requirements. Additionally, the safe production, transportation, and storage of hydrogen requires alloys that can withstand becoming brittle when exposed to hydrogen. Alloying is critical to increase strength and corrosion resistance of pure metals. Alloys are generally made by melting two or more metals together. The metals are mixed in the melt. Upon cooling and solidification, the resulting solid material is an alloy that is designed to resist corrosion and mechanical degradation when exposed to extreme environments.
NETL’s advanced alloy development capabilities are anchored by its extensive ingot metallurgy capabilities. These capabilities allow NETL to validate alloy solutions at scales that readily translate to industrial practice, which helps accelerate commercialization of alloy concepts. Key melting equipment, at the Albany NETL site includes:
The metal melting capabilities are just part of an array of NETL facilities that help evolve specialty metals and processes. The Lab’s alloy development approach leverages computational materials engineering, manufacturing at scale, and performance assessments to develop alloys for advanced technologies. The work allows U.S. industry, government agencies (including other national laboratories) and research universities to validate and prototype alloy solutions that will accelerate the development of alloys needed to enable and deploy clean energy and other advanced technologies.
Source
Five thousand years ago, someone discovered that by melting copper and combining it with a small amount of similarly melted tin, they could create bronze, a stronger metal used for weapons, pots and tools. It became known as the first metal alloy and ushered in the “Bronze Age.”
In the 21st Century, NETL is at the forefront of efforts to create the strongest, most innovative metal alloys possible. Those alloys are needed because new cutting-edge energy-producing processes and facilities that can generate affordable, clean electricity and support growth in emerging U.S. industries require cost-effective, durable alloys used in construction.
NETL’s advanced alloy development capabilities in Albany, Oregon, are helping to formulate unique alloys that can perform in extreme environments that range from the vacuum of space to the crushing pressures of the deep ocean. Advanced alloys are essential to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the power sector by 2035 and the broader economy by 2050 ── key goals of the Administration to address climate change.
The alloy needs of the energy industry are evolving because of the diversification of power generation. For example, greater use of renewable, intermittent sources are resulting in plants being subjected to cyclic operating conditions that bring on changes in temperatures and pressures. This “on-off” operation mode can cause metal-fatigue of components which increases materials performance requirements. Additionally, the safe production, transportation, and storage of hydrogen requires alloys that can withstand becoming brittle when exposed to hydrogen. Alloying is critical to increase strength and corrosion resistance of pure metals. Alloys are generally made by melting two or more metals together. The metals are mixed in the melt. Upon cooling and solidification, the resulting solid material is an alloy that is designed to resist corrosion and mechanical degradation when exposed to extreme environments.
NETL’s advanced alloy development capabilities are anchored by its extensive ingot metallurgy capabilities. These capabilities allow NETL to validate alloy solutions at scales that readily translate to industrial practice, which helps accelerate commercialization of alloy concepts. Key melting equipment, at the Albany NETL site includes:
- Induction Melting and Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) ── An induction furnace is an electrical furnace in which metal is melted through induction heating. The metal to be melted is contained in a nonconductive crucible, surrounded by a coil of copper wire. An alternating electrical current is passed through a water-cooled copper coil creating a magnetic field that couples with the metal inside the crucible, The magnetic field induces eddy currents in the metal and through the electrical resistance of the metal, the metal is heated. The melt process can be done in air or in vacuum. NETL’s VIM capabilities can produce ingots ranging from 15 to 500 pounds.
- Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) ── VAR is a secondary melting process for production of metal ingots, The VAR process is widely used to improve the cleanliness of standard air-melted and vacuum induction melted ingots. It is also used to produce alloys from highly reactive materials (such as titanium) that react with crucibles used in the VIM process. VAR is similar to welding processes; a VIM ingot is remelted by striking an electrical arc between the VIM ingot and the bottom of a water-cooled copper crucible. The VIM ingot is consumed during melting and re-solidifies in the copper crucible. NETL can produce up to 8-inch diameter VAR ingots.
- Electroslag remelting (ESR) –ESR is process of remelting and refining alloys used for mission-critical applications in aerospace, energy, defense, and other applications. ESR is similar to VAR, except a slag material is feed between the VIM ingot and the crucible. The molten metal droplets pass through the slag. Impurities in the metal, such as sulfur, react with and are trapped in slag. This results in refining and increasing the purity of the ESR ingot. NETL can produce up to 8-inch diameter ESR ingots.
The metal melting capabilities are just part of an array of NETL facilities that help evolve specialty metals and processes. The Lab’s alloy development approach leverages computational materials engineering, manufacturing at scale, and performance assessments to develop alloys for advanced technologies. The work allows U.S. industry, government agencies (including other national laboratories) and research universities to validate and prototype alloy solutions that will accelerate the development of alloys needed to enable and deploy clean energy and other advanced technologies.
Source
April 13, 2022
NETL data analysis research is expanding the work of the Lab’s eXtremeMAT program to enable improved materials property prediction that could support the design of cutting-edge clean energy systems. In their 2021 study, “Data Science Techniques, Assumptions, and Challenges in Alloy Clustering and Property Prediction,” which was cited for excellence by a prestigious academic journal, the researchers explain steps taken to use data from eXtremeMAT to accelerate the development of materials for extreme environments, including the high-temperature, high-pressure conditions in advanced power plants.
The study manuscript was named an Editor’s Choice Article by the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. In a Feb. 22 letter to the research team, Editor-in-Chief Rajiv Asthana noted, “This selection is reflective of the comprehensive nature of your paper and its overall excellence.” The journal selects only six papers annually for this recognition. “This designation validates the importance of the work we are completing to harness the unique capabilities of data science and high-performance computing to make faster and more accurate predictions and develop cost-effective materials needed in flexible energy systems,” said Madison Wenzlick, NETL researcher and lead author of the study.
A thermal power plant’s internal environment is unforgiving. Advanced power generation systems with operating temperatures of more than 650 degrees Celsius and stresses exceeding 50 megapascals will put a plant’s metal components to the test. “But these high temperatures and pressures, along with reliable components, are critical to achieve thermodynamic efficiency that results in reduced carbon emissions and increased cost-effectiveness,” Wenzlick said.
Data analytics methods have been increasingly applied to understand materials chemistry. Wenzlick and her co-authors, which include NETL’s Kelly Rose and Jeffrey Hawk along with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers, noted in the paper that the challenges in interpreting the results of large datasets and assumptions made during data analysis are a barrier to widespread adoption and application of data science methods and tools. The researchers drew data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management eXtremeMAT program, a database of physical and mechanical properties of materials for fossil energy power generation (but applicable to many engineering fields), which was launched in 2018.
The paper describes the limitations of existing studies and provides a clear and methodical example of how advanced machine learning (ML) methods can be used to improve materials property predictions while also ensuring the explainability and reproducibility of those results. Researchers found their work indicates that strong correlations identified with small datasets can become weaker when more data are collected. Therefore, a certain degree of restraint is called for in drawing conclusions from small datasets. New techniques were applied to the updated and expanded eXtremeMAT dataset. For instance, in order to investigate trends and underlying patterns in the dataset, visualization tools were applied to the data and a correlation matrix was created. Applying these techniques and others resulted in the identification of new steel groupings that were not present in previous iterations of database analysis and will enable improved property predictions.
Wenzlick noted that the Editor’s Choice honor means the manuscript will be posted as a free-access article on the journal website. “Open access to this article will increase the visibility of this work and will help promote the work of eXtremeMAT and NETL in the area of materials data science.”
This work undertaken in the study is an example of the advanced research supported by NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI). Established in 2020, SAMI combines the strengths of NETL’s energy computational scientists, data scientists and subject matter experts with strategic partners to drive solutions to today’s energy challenges. The Institute has a vision to leverage science-based models, artificial intelligence and ML methods, data analytics and high-performance computing to accelerate applied technology development for clean, efficient and affordable energy production and utilization.
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NETL data analysis research is expanding the work of the Lab’s eXtremeMAT program to enable improved materials property prediction that could support the design of cutting-edge clean energy systems. In their 2021 study, “Data Science Techniques, Assumptions, and Challenges in Alloy Clustering and Property Prediction,” which was cited for excellence by a prestigious academic journal, the researchers explain steps taken to use data from eXtremeMAT to accelerate the development of materials for extreme environments, including the high-temperature, high-pressure conditions in advanced power plants.
The study manuscript was named an Editor’s Choice Article by the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. In a Feb. 22 letter to the research team, Editor-in-Chief Rajiv Asthana noted, “This selection is reflective of the comprehensive nature of your paper and its overall excellence.” The journal selects only six papers annually for this recognition. “This designation validates the importance of the work we are completing to harness the unique capabilities of data science and high-performance computing to make faster and more accurate predictions and develop cost-effective materials needed in flexible energy systems,” said Madison Wenzlick, NETL researcher and lead author of the study.
A thermal power plant’s internal environment is unforgiving. Advanced power generation systems with operating temperatures of more than 650 degrees Celsius and stresses exceeding 50 megapascals will put a plant’s metal components to the test. “But these high temperatures and pressures, along with reliable components, are critical to achieve thermodynamic efficiency that results in reduced carbon emissions and increased cost-effectiveness,” Wenzlick said.
Data analytics methods have been increasingly applied to understand materials chemistry. Wenzlick and her co-authors, which include NETL’s Kelly Rose and Jeffrey Hawk along with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers, noted in the paper that the challenges in interpreting the results of large datasets and assumptions made during data analysis are a barrier to widespread adoption and application of data science methods and tools. The researchers drew data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management eXtremeMAT program, a database of physical and mechanical properties of materials for fossil energy power generation (but applicable to many engineering fields), which was launched in 2018.
The paper describes the limitations of existing studies and provides a clear and methodical example of how advanced machine learning (ML) methods can be used to improve materials property predictions while also ensuring the explainability and reproducibility of those results. Researchers found their work indicates that strong correlations identified with small datasets can become weaker when more data are collected. Therefore, a certain degree of restraint is called for in drawing conclusions from small datasets. New techniques were applied to the updated and expanded eXtremeMAT dataset. For instance, in order to investigate trends and underlying patterns in the dataset, visualization tools were applied to the data and a correlation matrix was created. Applying these techniques and others resulted in the identification of new steel groupings that were not present in previous iterations of database analysis and will enable improved property predictions.
Wenzlick noted that the Editor’s Choice honor means the manuscript will be posted as a free-access article on the journal website. “Open access to this article will increase the visibility of this work and will help promote the work of eXtremeMAT and NETL in the area of materials data science.”
This work undertaken in the study is an example of the advanced research supported by NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI). Established in 2020, SAMI combines the strengths of NETL’s energy computational scientists, data scientists and subject matter experts with strategic partners to drive solutions to today’s energy challenges. The Institute has a vision to leverage science-based models, artificial intelligence and ML methods, data analytics and high-performance computing to accelerate applied technology development for clean, efficient and affordable energy production and utilization.
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April 04, 2022
What do high tech tools to understand the internal structures of rocks; sophisticated heating equipment strong enough and hot enough to melt metals; and a cutting edge platform combining artificial intelligence with machine learning and information dissemination abilities have in common? The answer is NETL, where an evolving collection of technologies are playing an impressive role in advancing knowledge attaining breakthroughs in energy research.
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What do high tech tools to understand the internal structures of rocks; sophisticated heating equipment strong enough and hot enough to melt metals; and a cutting edge platform combining artificial intelligence with machine learning and information dissemination abilities have in common? The answer is NETL, where an evolving collection of technologies are playing an impressive role in advancing knowledge attaining breakthroughs in energy research.
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March 10, 2022
A digital tool developed by NETL that helps examine ocean currents and wind patterns to predict where oil and other particles in the ocean are likely to travel in the event of an oil spill is being used for a range of non-energy related uses: like keeping track of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for cleanup activities.
NETL’s Kelly Rose, Ph.D., explained that Climatological and Instantaneous Isolation and Attraction Model (CIIAM) was developed within NETL’s Advanced Offshore Research portfolio (AOR) as one of several projects initiated because of lessons learned following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. That event highlighted the need for improved models, data and tools to prevent future events, and improve response preparedness.
CIIAM can be accessed through the Lab’s Energy Data Exchange (EDX), along with offshore spill prevention, carbon management and other predictive tools. EDX supports private collaborations for ongoing research efforts and technology transfer of DOE research products like CIIAM.
“CIIAM leverages scientific expertise along with big data science, machine learning, and computing to forecast hazards and identify risks that contribute to offshore spills,” she said. “It also provides rapid predictions of the transport of surface spills to aid response planning and containment. CIIAM uses a high fidelity approach that demonstrates high impact and value for applications lie cleaning up our oceans.”
Source
A digital tool developed by NETL that helps examine ocean currents and wind patterns to predict where oil and other particles in the ocean are likely to travel in the event of an oil spill is being used for a range of non-energy related uses: like keeping track of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for cleanup activities.
NETL’s Kelly Rose, Ph.D., explained that Climatological and Instantaneous Isolation and Attraction Model (CIIAM) was developed within NETL’s Advanced Offshore Research portfolio (AOR) as one of several projects initiated because of lessons learned following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. That event highlighted the need for improved models, data and tools to prevent future events, and improve response preparedness.
CIIAM can be accessed through the Lab’s Energy Data Exchange (EDX), along with offshore spill prevention, carbon management and other predictive tools. EDX supports private collaborations for ongoing research efforts and technology transfer of DOE research products like CIIAM.
“CIIAM leverages scientific expertise along with big data science, machine learning, and computing to forecast hazards and identify risks that contribute to offshore spills,” she said. “It also provides rapid predictions of the transport of surface spills to aid response planning and containment. CIIAM uses a high fidelity approach that demonstrates high impact and value for applications lie cleaning up our oceans.”
Source
March 03, 2022
NETL’s new Carbon Ore Resources Database (CORD) is a valuable online tool to enable the recovery of high-value carbons and critical minerals from U.S. mining and industrial waste streams needed to support innovative manufacturing while lowering the environmental footprint of using domestic resources. As the world seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from conventional sources, there is a growing opportunity to address environmental and social needs through the beneficiation and alternative, carbon-neutral impact of U.S. carbon resources. To tap into these resources for maximum benefit requires large quantities of data to drive analyses and support regulatory, commercial and research decisions and breakthroughs. This is where CORD can serve as a game changer.
A recent addition to NETL’s digital Energy Data eXchange (EDX) platform, CORD collectively is a database and interactive tool that allows users to visualize and analyze the nation’s carbon ore resources in an integrated resource. CORD enables broader understanding and data-driven analyses of in-situ-, supply chain-, and consumer-based carbon resources by providing a single location to efficiently access carbon ore resource datasets for a range of applications and end uses. The public release of CORD is a major step towards realizing the DOE goal of utilizing carbon & mineral containing waste from mining, industrial operations, and impoundments as a carbon ore that can be mined and used as a manufacturing feedstock to make high value materials with strategic & economic importance to the United States.
This systematized database is the first open-source, national resource of publicly available U.S. carbon ore data. CORD presently is comprised of 399 data files and metadata from authoritative, but previously disparate sources, associated with carbon ore resources in the U.S. These data were originally produced and released from 18 national, state and university sources. The combined database was structured to include information and features representing aspects of carbon ore resources, including geochemical characteristics, geologic contextual source data, and infrastructure related features such as those associated with supply chain and distribution features.
The CORD database can be accessed and download as a standalone resource, but users can also utilize the CORD Platform. The CORD Platform is a geospatial web application and cloud-hosted tool that enables users to interact, query, and visualize information within CORD without needing specialty software or having to download the database. It offers the flexibility to utilize this information from any web-browser and enabled device. This cloud-hosted instance of the CORD Platform represents a first for NETL, serving as the first application to leverage new data computing and virtualization infrastructure via the Lab’s EDX in a multi-cloud configuration (with Amazon Web Services and ESRI ArcEnterprise). This couples the power of DOE data, computing and data science expertise, increasing access, functionality and utilization of this resources to address an array of next-generation carbon ore-related projects.
NETL developed a database and online tool for visualization and analyses of geology, geochemistry, mining and delivery logistics, and environmental footprint information associated with utilizing coal for manufacturing high-value carbon products and critical minerals. CORD will support ongoing research at NETL focused on the sustainable extraction of carbon and critical minerals from existing mining and industrial waste streams and upcycling these materials to high-value carbons (e.g., graphite or graphene carbon nanomaterials) and/or critical minerals.
This development of CORD, using geo-data science methods, is detailed in a recent peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Data in Brief, which can be accessed here. “CORD grants increased accessibility to systematized carbon ore resource datasets that can help scientists, analysts, developers, economists and engineers from a variety of organizations, such as mining companies, power plant operators, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and natural resource managers,” explained Devin Justman, a research scientist at NETL and first author of the paper. “By bringing so many data resources in one place, the pace at which projects proceed will vastly increase and the cost of those projects will be reduced while also making it easier and faster to inform stakeholders and decision makers.” Future work on CORD is expected to focus on integration of new data, features and resources, such as integration of environmental and social justice related features and data, addition of coal and mining waste affiliated data, such as fly ash, waste piles, etc. Data infrastructure and resources like CORD are key to artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) enhanced research and technology breakthroughs. New AI/ML capabilities are playing an increasing role in the energy arena. They offer data to inform project investigations as well as validation resources to ensure decipherability to stakeholders and decision makers.
Source
NETL’s new Carbon Ore Resources Database (CORD) is a valuable online tool to enable the recovery of high-value carbons and critical minerals from U.S. mining and industrial waste streams needed to support innovative manufacturing while lowering the environmental footprint of using domestic resources. As the world seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from conventional sources, there is a growing opportunity to address environmental and social needs through the beneficiation and alternative, carbon-neutral impact of U.S. carbon resources. To tap into these resources for maximum benefit requires large quantities of data to drive analyses and support regulatory, commercial and research decisions and breakthroughs. This is where CORD can serve as a game changer.
A recent addition to NETL’s digital Energy Data eXchange (EDX) platform, CORD collectively is a database and interactive tool that allows users to visualize and analyze the nation’s carbon ore resources in an integrated resource. CORD enables broader understanding and data-driven analyses of in-situ-, supply chain-, and consumer-based carbon resources by providing a single location to efficiently access carbon ore resource datasets for a range of applications and end uses. The public release of CORD is a major step towards realizing the DOE goal of utilizing carbon & mineral containing waste from mining, industrial operations, and impoundments as a carbon ore that can be mined and used as a manufacturing feedstock to make high value materials with strategic & economic importance to the United States.
This systematized database is the first open-source, national resource of publicly available U.S. carbon ore data. CORD presently is comprised of 399 data files and metadata from authoritative, but previously disparate sources, associated with carbon ore resources in the U.S. These data were originally produced and released from 18 national, state and university sources. The combined database was structured to include information and features representing aspects of carbon ore resources, including geochemical characteristics, geologic contextual source data, and infrastructure related features such as those associated with supply chain and distribution features.
The CORD database can be accessed and download as a standalone resource, but users can also utilize the CORD Platform. The CORD Platform is a geospatial web application and cloud-hosted tool that enables users to interact, query, and visualize information within CORD without needing specialty software or having to download the database. It offers the flexibility to utilize this information from any web-browser and enabled device. This cloud-hosted instance of the CORD Platform represents a first for NETL, serving as the first application to leverage new data computing and virtualization infrastructure via the Lab’s EDX in a multi-cloud configuration (with Amazon Web Services and ESRI ArcEnterprise). This couples the power of DOE data, computing and data science expertise, increasing access, functionality and utilization of this resources to address an array of next-generation carbon ore-related projects.
NETL developed a database and online tool for visualization and analyses of geology, geochemistry, mining and delivery logistics, and environmental footprint information associated with utilizing coal for manufacturing high-value carbon products and critical minerals. CORD will support ongoing research at NETL focused on the sustainable extraction of carbon and critical minerals from existing mining and industrial waste streams and upcycling these materials to high-value carbons (e.g., graphite or graphene carbon nanomaterials) and/or critical minerals.
This development of CORD, using geo-data science methods, is detailed in a recent peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Data in Brief, which can be accessed here. “CORD grants increased accessibility to systematized carbon ore resource datasets that can help scientists, analysts, developers, economists and engineers from a variety of organizations, such as mining companies, power plant operators, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and natural resource managers,” explained Devin Justman, a research scientist at NETL and first author of the paper. “By bringing so many data resources in one place, the pace at which projects proceed will vastly increase and the cost of those projects will be reduced while also making it easier and faster to inform stakeholders and decision makers.” Future work on CORD is expected to focus on integration of new data, features and resources, such as integration of environmental and social justice related features and data, addition of coal and mining waste affiliated data, such as fly ash, waste piles, etc. Data infrastructure and resources like CORD are key to artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) enhanced research and technology breakthroughs. New AI/ML capabilities are playing an increasing role in the energy arena. They offer data to inform project investigations as well as validation resources to ensure decipherability to stakeholders and decision makers.
Source
February 14, 2022
The NETL Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI) recently ramped up efforts to connect artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) researchers working on clean energy technologies by hosting a Jan. 19 Ai4AE Day Workshop and expanding the reach of its biweekly Artificial Intelligence for Applied Energy (Ai4AE) digital communication. “The goal of this inaugural Ai4AE Day Workshop was to catalyze connections and socialize AI/ML research within NETL for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM),” said Kelly Rose, SAMI technical director. “Feedback from our participants and stakeholders indicate that this first event was a resounding success and helped build awareness of crosscutting efforts and promote knowledge sharing across the community.”
After opening remarks by Rose, NETL Director Brian Anderson delivered a keynote address in which he emphasized that AI/ML offers the unique opportunity to “create our future” as we travel down the path toward decarbonization. Frederick Streitz, science advisor for DOE’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office followed Anderson, noting the business growth that AI will enable. Darren Mollot, director of DOE’s Exploratory Research and Innovation rounded out the keynotes by discussing some of FECM’s investments in AI capabilities.
Following the keynotes, NETL researchers presented some of the Lab’s most cutting-edge AI/ML projects covering a wide array of energy research topics during 28 fast-paced presentations. “These lightning talks really allowed researchers to establish connections across the Laboratory’s different centers that they might not have made otherwise,” Rose said. “By coming together for the workshop, the researchers are seeing opportunities for collaboration across our research mission space.” Plans are underway to expand the event to the AI/ML community at large and make the workshop a biannual event.
Complimenting the success of the Ai4AE workshop, SAMI expanded its biweekly Ai4AE news update to include distribution to external subscribers, including from government agencies, industry and academia. The Ai4AE Update digital communication includes the latest news and advances in AI/ML across NETL, government and industry, including external funding opportunities, recently awarded proposals, papers and publications, industry news, upcoming events and conferences, career and internship opportunities and more. “Beyond sharing timely and useful applied energy AI/ML information, the news update allows this active community to connect, which can lead to opportunities for data discovery, support of proposal planning, and growth of funding,” Rose said. Sign up for the Ai4AE Update here to receive all the latest applied energy AI/ML news including future announcements for Ai4AE events.
SAMI was established in 2020 and combines the strengths of NETL’s energy computational scientists, data scientists, and subject matter experts with strategic partners to drive solutions to today’s energy challenges. The institute has a vision to leverage science-based models, AI/ML methods, data analytics, and high-performance computing to accelerate applied technology development for clean, efficient, and affordable energy production and utilization.
Source
The NETL Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI) recently ramped up efforts to connect artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) researchers working on clean energy technologies by hosting a Jan. 19 Ai4AE Day Workshop and expanding the reach of its biweekly Artificial Intelligence for Applied Energy (Ai4AE) digital communication. “The goal of this inaugural Ai4AE Day Workshop was to catalyze connections and socialize AI/ML research within NETL for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM),” said Kelly Rose, SAMI technical director. “Feedback from our participants and stakeholders indicate that this first event was a resounding success and helped build awareness of crosscutting efforts and promote knowledge sharing across the community.”
After opening remarks by Rose, NETL Director Brian Anderson delivered a keynote address in which he emphasized that AI/ML offers the unique opportunity to “create our future” as we travel down the path toward decarbonization. Frederick Streitz, science advisor for DOE’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office followed Anderson, noting the business growth that AI will enable. Darren Mollot, director of DOE’s Exploratory Research and Innovation rounded out the keynotes by discussing some of FECM’s investments in AI capabilities.
Following the keynotes, NETL researchers presented some of the Lab’s most cutting-edge AI/ML projects covering a wide array of energy research topics during 28 fast-paced presentations. “These lightning talks really allowed researchers to establish connections across the Laboratory’s different centers that they might not have made otherwise,” Rose said. “By coming together for the workshop, the researchers are seeing opportunities for collaboration across our research mission space.” Plans are underway to expand the event to the AI/ML community at large and make the workshop a biannual event.
Complimenting the success of the Ai4AE workshop, SAMI expanded its biweekly Ai4AE news update to include distribution to external subscribers, including from government agencies, industry and academia. The Ai4AE Update digital communication includes the latest news and advances in AI/ML across NETL, government and industry, including external funding opportunities, recently awarded proposals, papers and publications, industry news, upcoming events and conferences, career and internship opportunities and more. “Beyond sharing timely and useful applied energy AI/ML information, the news update allows this active community to connect, which can lead to opportunities for data discovery, support of proposal planning, and growth of funding,” Rose said. Sign up for the Ai4AE Update here to receive all the latest applied energy AI/ML news including future announcements for Ai4AE events.
SAMI was established in 2020 and combines the strengths of NETL’s energy computational scientists, data scientists, and subject matter experts with strategic partners to drive solutions to today’s energy challenges. The institute has a vision to leverage science-based models, AI/ML methods, data analytics, and high-performance computing to accelerate applied technology development for clean, efficient, and affordable energy production and utilization.
Source
January 26, 2022
NETL researchers, working closely with experts at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), have designed a multi-cloud-based computational solution to complement on-site resources that will accelerate clean energy research across the agency. The team then tested the cloud environment using the powerful NETL-developed deep-learning tool SmartSearch©, which helps to mitigate one of the biggest draws on a researcher’s time — searching for, acquiring, and transforming relevant data.
“DOE has some of the fastest and most powerful scientific computing clusters in the world,” said NETL’s Kelley Rose, technical director for the Lab’s Science-Based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI). “These systems are always in high demand. They’re also configured for key DOE-aligned applications, and cloud computing allows for additional and complementary compute resources in support of DOE research and development (R&D).”
The computing capability developed by Rose and her colleagues is capable of running on any cloud-based service, but the team worked closely with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to architect ad first demonstrate an efficient and cost-effective solution that would work for researchers across DOE. This simultaneously matured NETL’s SmartSearch tool while testing the GCP environment for the OCIO — a win for NETL, OCIO and DOE at large.
Source
NETL researchers, working closely with experts at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), have designed a multi-cloud-based computational solution to complement on-site resources that will accelerate clean energy research across the agency. The team then tested the cloud environment using the powerful NETL-developed deep-learning tool SmartSearch©, which helps to mitigate one of the biggest draws on a researcher’s time — searching for, acquiring, and transforming relevant data.
“DOE has some of the fastest and most powerful scientific computing clusters in the world,” said NETL’s Kelley Rose, technical director for the Lab’s Science-Based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI). “These systems are always in high demand. They’re also configured for key DOE-aligned applications, and cloud computing allows for additional and complementary compute resources in support of DOE research and development (R&D).”
The computing capability developed by Rose and her colleagues is capable of running on any cloud-based service, but the team worked closely with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to architect ad first demonstrate an efficient and cost-effective solution that would work for researchers across DOE. This simultaneously matured NETL’s SmartSearch tool while testing the GCP environment for the OCIO — a win for NETL, OCIO and DOE at large.
Source
December 27, 2021
NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) Development and Operations Team received the Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award. This award is bestowed upon a group or team of DOE employees and contractors who together accomplished significant achievements on DOE’s behalf. Developed and maintained by NETL, EDX is a data laboratory built to find, connect, curate, use and re-use data to advance fossil energy and environmental R&D.
Recognizing the need to incorporate big data capabilities within DOE for the benefit of keeping up with the speed of modern research, the EDX Team worked for a decade to create EDX and update it to its current form. By providing a platform from which data from more than 20,000 research projects can be accessed, EDX has helped streamline R&D projects that will address some of the greatest energy, environmental and technological challenges of the 21st century. Members of the EDX Development and Operations Team are Kelly Rose, Jennifer Bauer, Chad Rowan, Mark Dehlin, Tracey Williams, Aaron Barkhurst, Vic Baker, Timothy Jones, Daniel McFarland, Catherine Hines, Joel Chittum, Joseph Obradovich, Michael Miller and Tracy Rutter
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NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) Development and Operations Team received the Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award. This award is bestowed upon a group or team of DOE employees and contractors who together accomplished significant achievements on DOE’s behalf. Developed and maintained by NETL, EDX is a data laboratory built to find, connect, curate, use and re-use data to advance fossil energy and environmental R&D.
Recognizing the need to incorporate big data capabilities within DOE for the benefit of keeping up with the speed of modern research, the EDX Team worked for a decade to create EDX and update it to its current form. By providing a platform from which data from more than 20,000 research projects can be accessed, EDX has helped streamline R&D projects that will address some of the greatest energy, environmental and technological challenges of the 21st century. Members of the EDX Development and Operations Team are Kelly Rose, Jennifer Bauer, Chad Rowan, Mark Dehlin, Tracey Williams, Aaron Barkhurst, Vic Baker, Timothy Jones, Daniel McFarland, Catherine Hines, Joel Chittum, Joseph Obradovich, Michael Miller and Tracy Rutter
Source
November 19, 2021
NETL strives to realize new technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS), which have been recognized as having potential to help achieve a net-zero carbon emissions energy sector. However, taking CCS processes from concepts to reality requires reliable data from a multitude of sources in a one-stop digital stop. That’s where NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) Carbon Storage Data Resources can help.
Home to thousands of publicly available carbon storage research products, EDX is a virtual library and data repository designed to support the entire life cycle of energy research data products, making data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. NETL created EDX in response to a growing need to easily access carbon storage research and development products by implementing data curation and preservation. Having such capabilities and accessible data can assist stakeholders in their respective CCS projects at all phases.
By integrating energy data products while also connecting users to outside data resources, EDX has created an environment to find, visualize, explore and download relevant carbon storage data all in one convenient location. Some of the tools within EDX to make users’ various CCS projects easier include the following:
“CCS has been a priority research topic at NETL for years, and EDX is a vehicle for getting our research and data into the hands of those who can use it effectively, all while granting researchers access to information that can help advance their projects,” said Jennifer Bauer, a federal researcher at NETL. “EDX provides us a necessary tool that supports the endeavor to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the power sector no later than 2035 and the broader economy 2050.”
NETL has produced a video detailing the EDX virtual library and how users can navigate it and use its various tools, which can be accessed here. EDX itself can be accessed by clicking here.
Source
NETL strives to realize new technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS), which have been recognized as having potential to help achieve a net-zero carbon emissions energy sector. However, taking CCS processes from concepts to reality requires reliable data from a multitude of sources in a one-stop digital stop. That’s where NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) Carbon Storage Data Resources can help.
Home to thousands of publicly available carbon storage research products, EDX is a virtual library and data repository designed to support the entire life cycle of energy research data products, making data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. NETL created EDX in response to a growing need to easily access carbon storage research and development products by implementing data curation and preservation. Having such capabilities and accessible data can assist stakeholders in their respective CCS projects at all phases.
By integrating energy data products while also connecting users to outside data resources, EDX has created an environment to find, visualize, explore and download relevant carbon storage data all in one convenient location. Some of the tools within EDX to make users’ various CCS projects easier include the following:
- The Natcarb Database contains geospatial information, along with CO2 point source emitter information, to guide users toward sources of CO2 emissions and potential storage sites around the country.
- The GeoCube, EDX’s geospatial data mapping platform, features hundreds of spatial carbon storage data layers and enables users to explore, visualize, query and download data based on spatial location, keywords and data type.
- The Carbon Storage Open Database, a collection of spatial data layers from public websites and data servers, consists of geologic, hydrologic, surface and subsurface data.
“CCS has been a priority research topic at NETL for years, and EDX is a vehicle for getting our research and data into the hands of those who can use it effectively, all while granting researchers access to information that can help advance their projects,” said Jennifer Bauer, a federal researcher at NETL. “EDX provides us a necessary tool that supports the endeavor to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the power sector no later than 2035 and the broader economy 2050.”
NETL has produced a video detailing the EDX virtual library and how users can navigate it and use its various tools, which can be accessed here. EDX itself can be accessed by clicking here.
Source
November 15, 2021
NETL’s Advanced Alloys Signature Center (AASC) will drive the development of next-generation, high-performance materials needed to generate affordable, clean electricity, support growth in emerging U.S. industries and strengthen America’s position as a world leader in alloy design and production.
In a recently released NETL fact sheet, the Lab outlines the technical capabilities and benefits of the AASC, which will be based at NETL’s existing alloys research site in Albany, Oregon. The Lab plans to refresh and expand its alloys manufacturing capabilities in Albany, which will allow U.S. industry, government agencies (including other national laboratories) and research universities to prototype alloy solutions that will accelerate commercialization of advanced materials.
NETL is internationally recognized for its leadership in designing, developing and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme environments. The Lab’s Albany site currently maintains facilities for melting, casting, forging, rolling and heat-treating materials. However, the U.S. does not have a research facility that can prototype alloys at scales that easily translate to industrial practice.“The AASC will fill this gap by prototyping alloys at scales of up to 500 pounds,” said NETL’s David Alman, Ph.D., associate director, Materials Engineering & Manufacturing.
Development of advanced alloys is essential to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the power sector by 2035 and the broader economy by 2050, key goals of the Biden Administration to address climate change.
The diversification of fossil energy power generation sources through greater use and penetration of intermittent, renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, is transforming the electrical grid, resulting in plant assets and components being subjected to cyclic operating conditions. The extreme changes in temperatures and pressures brought on by cyclic conditions increase performance demands on the materials of construction. “The new center will not only address the need to develop alloys that can thrive in harsh service environments, but the center will also be instrumental in creating alloys specifically designed for additive manufacturing, as well as high-performance materials for renewable and nuclear power generation, chemical processing and the aerospace, defense, transportation and medical sectors,” Alman said.
Advanced alloys and specialty metals are a $32 billion annual market. This nationally unique facility will enable prototyping at near-industrial scale and help the U.S. maintain and grow global leadership in this industry.
Source
NETL’s Advanced Alloys Signature Center (AASC) will drive the development of next-generation, high-performance materials needed to generate affordable, clean electricity, support growth in emerging U.S. industries and strengthen America’s position as a world leader in alloy design and production.
In a recently released NETL fact sheet, the Lab outlines the technical capabilities and benefits of the AASC, which will be based at NETL’s existing alloys research site in Albany, Oregon. The Lab plans to refresh and expand its alloys manufacturing capabilities in Albany, which will allow U.S. industry, government agencies (including other national laboratories) and research universities to prototype alloy solutions that will accelerate commercialization of advanced materials.
NETL is internationally recognized for its leadership in designing, developing and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme environments. The Lab’s Albany site currently maintains facilities for melting, casting, forging, rolling and heat-treating materials. However, the U.S. does not have a research facility that can prototype alloys at scales that easily translate to industrial practice.“The AASC will fill this gap by prototyping alloys at scales of up to 500 pounds,” said NETL’s David Alman, Ph.D., associate director, Materials Engineering & Manufacturing.
Development of advanced alloys is essential to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the power sector by 2035 and the broader economy by 2050, key goals of the Biden Administration to address climate change.
The diversification of fossil energy power generation sources through greater use and penetration of intermittent, renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, is transforming the electrical grid, resulting in plant assets and components being subjected to cyclic operating conditions. The extreme changes in temperatures and pressures brought on by cyclic conditions increase performance demands on the materials of construction. “The new center will not only address the need to develop alloys that can thrive in harsh service environments, but the center will also be instrumental in creating alloys specifically designed for additive manufacturing, as well as high-performance materials for renewable and nuclear power generation, chemical processing and the aerospace, defense, transportation and medical sectors,” Alman said.
Advanced alloys and specialty metals are a $32 billion annual market. This nationally unique facility will enable prototyping at near-industrial scale and help the U.S. maintain and grow global leadership in this industry.
Source
November 10, 2021
NETL has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center for Research and Development (OMIC R&D) to coordinate the development of new alloys and materials technologies for use in manufacturing applications.
This agreement unites the activities of the two organizations and plays to the strengths of their unique research capabilities that complement each other. NETL has expertise in materials development, alloy development, prototype alloy manufacturing (based on ingot metallurgy), characterization and performance under simulated service conditions and life-cycle modeling. OMIC R&D has experience and expertise in subtractive and additive manufacturing, and it has real-world experience in materials performance as it pertains to machining, machinability and service application.
The MOU provides an ideal basis for a scalable public-private partnership, providing a wider array of tools, capabilities, expertise, scientists, engineers and associated support programs that neither have nor can afford alone. Leveraging capabilities of NETL and OMIC R&D will support the acceleration of technology innovation, solutions and entrepreneurship for an expanding and robust advanced alloy and manufacturing supply chain comprised of startups, small and large businesses to benefit Oregon and the entire nation.
NETL is internationally recognized for its leadership in designing, developing, and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme service environments, such as power plants, among others. The Lab’s accomplishments in this field of research includes the development of a world-leading radiopaque alloy for medical coronary stents; a corrosion-resistant refractory brick used in nearly all slagging gasifiers worldwide; and developing several advanced alloys for power generation applications.
As part of the Oregon Tech, the state’s polytechnic university, OMIC R&D was established to develop and apply advanced manufacturing technologies and processes for industrial competitive advantage and academic growth, while inspiring and educating the next generation’s manufacturing workforce.
“NETL has some of the best and brightest minds in alloy development, but OMIC R&D has great talent as well. By synergizing, we can more easily realize our shared goals,” said NETL Associate Director David Alman, who leads the Lab’s Materials Engineering & Manufacturing directorate. “Our Lab and OMIC R&D will inform each other of opportunities for collaboration on a routine basis. These collaborations will accelerate innovative solutions to critical and challenging materials and manufacturing problems.”
“Over the past several years OMIC R&D has been working in collaboration with Industry and Academia to overcome manufacturing challenges thereby increasing economic competitiveness and de-risking investments for regional and national companies,” OMIC R&D Business Development Manager Joshua Koch said. “The opportunity allows us to work with NETL in alloy development to enhance the options for today’s machine shops as well as undertake work to help make new alloys application ready.”
Source
NETL has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center for Research and Development (OMIC R&D) to coordinate the development of new alloys and materials technologies for use in manufacturing applications.
This agreement unites the activities of the two organizations and plays to the strengths of their unique research capabilities that complement each other. NETL has expertise in materials development, alloy development, prototype alloy manufacturing (based on ingot metallurgy), characterization and performance under simulated service conditions and life-cycle modeling. OMIC R&D has experience and expertise in subtractive and additive manufacturing, and it has real-world experience in materials performance as it pertains to machining, machinability and service application.
The MOU provides an ideal basis for a scalable public-private partnership, providing a wider array of tools, capabilities, expertise, scientists, engineers and associated support programs that neither have nor can afford alone. Leveraging capabilities of NETL and OMIC R&D will support the acceleration of technology innovation, solutions and entrepreneurship for an expanding and robust advanced alloy and manufacturing supply chain comprised of startups, small and large businesses to benefit Oregon and the entire nation.
NETL is internationally recognized for its leadership in designing, developing, and deploying advanced materials for use in energy applications and extreme service environments, such as power plants, among others. The Lab’s accomplishments in this field of research includes the development of a world-leading radiopaque alloy for medical coronary stents; a corrosion-resistant refractory brick used in nearly all slagging gasifiers worldwide; and developing several advanced alloys for power generation applications.
As part of the Oregon Tech, the state’s polytechnic university, OMIC R&D was established to develop and apply advanced manufacturing technologies and processes for industrial competitive advantage and academic growth, while inspiring and educating the next generation’s manufacturing workforce.
“NETL has some of the best and brightest minds in alloy development, but OMIC R&D has great talent as well. By synergizing, we can more easily realize our shared goals,” said NETL Associate Director David Alman, who leads the Lab’s Materials Engineering & Manufacturing directorate. “Our Lab and OMIC R&D will inform each other of opportunities for collaboration on a routine basis. These collaborations will accelerate innovative solutions to critical and challenging materials and manufacturing problems.”
“Over the past several years OMIC R&D has been working in collaboration with Industry and Academia to overcome manufacturing challenges thereby increasing economic competitiveness and de-risking investments for regional and national companies,” OMIC R&D Business Development Manager Joshua Koch said. “The opportunity allows us to work with NETL in alloy development to enhance the options for today’s machine shops as well as undertake work to help make new alloys application ready.”
Source
October 22, 2021
The Energy Data eXchange (EDX), an NETL-developed virtual library and data laboratory built to advance fossil energy and environmental research and development (R&D), celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. EDX supports the entire lifecycle of data by offering secure, private collaborative workspaces to help scientists maximize their research potential and further critical technology advancements. The virtual tool has seen wide success since its inception and is in a prime position to support the artificial intelligence and machine learning big data revolution currently under way.
Developed in 2011, EDX is the only U.S Department of Energy (DOE) platform tailored to support research from start to finish. Throughout the decade, data hosted and utilized on EDX has supported NETL’s Oil and Gas Program and Carbon Storage Program, as well as many other vital energy research areas. EDX data has been used to inform decisions surrounding the prevention of environmental and social risks of offshore drilling, preventing infrastructure failures in oil wells, informing a variety of decarbonization efforts in the U.S. and more.
Users have uploaded hundreds of terabytes of data and downloaded nearly 1.2 million files (14 petabytes) to drive innovative energy research. EDX currently hosts hundreds of thousands of combined public and private resources, and nearly 1,000 private collaborative workspaces have been created since the online tool’s inception. To date in 2021, EDX experienced over 300 new registered users, the creation of over 100 new workspaces and 89,314 new resources uploaded. In August 2021, more than 19,000 new resources and 9 TB of data were uploaded.
By utilizing the unique capabilities of EDX, energy researchers are using this data to drive development in carbon materials, rare earth elements, critical minerals, extreme alloys and a number of other focus areas. Over the decade, EDX has kept hosted resources secure by adhering to DOE cybersecurity policies and meeting federal security standards. The tool is curating research and data products that are the result of billions of dollars of FECM and other R&D investments to ensure access and reuse, working to catalyze the next generation of data-driven breakthroughs for our nation’s social, environmental and energy goals.
“Since 2011, our goal has been to create the ideal workspace for energy research to take place,” Kelly Rose, Ph.D. and one of the creators of EDX, said. “The ability to preserve data, collaborate with researchers in a secure online environment and manage data across every stage of development is expediting development of the energy technologies of the future.”
EDX has grown into a trusted resource used by both internal national laboratory researchers and external collaborators from government agencies, universities, nonprofits and industry. Its functionality was built from the needs and suggestions of NETL researchers, and the tool has been continually updated since its inception to make data curation and development more efficient. Private workspaces with drag-and-drop capabilities, dashboards and digital notebooks were added to make collaboration easier across organizations, and EDX developers are in the process of implementing an internal messaging application to further streamline user experiences.
Several DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) research programs are encouraging and supporting the curation of R&D products over the past decade. These include:
Source
The Energy Data eXchange (EDX), an NETL-developed virtual library and data laboratory built to advance fossil energy and environmental research and development (R&D), celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. EDX supports the entire lifecycle of data by offering secure, private collaborative workspaces to help scientists maximize their research potential and further critical technology advancements. The virtual tool has seen wide success since its inception and is in a prime position to support the artificial intelligence and machine learning big data revolution currently under way.
Developed in 2011, EDX is the only U.S Department of Energy (DOE) platform tailored to support research from start to finish. Throughout the decade, data hosted and utilized on EDX has supported NETL’s Oil and Gas Program and Carbon Storage Program, as well as many other vital energy research areas. EDX data has been used to inform decisions surrounding the prevention of environmental and social risks of offshore drilling, preventing infrastructure failures in oil wells, informing a variety of decarbonization efforts in the U.S. and more.
Users have uploaded hundreds of terabytes of data and downloaded nearly 1.2 million files (14 petabytes) to drive innovative energy research. EDX currently hosts hundreds of thousands of combined public and private resources, and nearly 1,000 private collaborative workspaces have been created since the online tool’s inception. To date in 2021, EDX experienced over 300 new registered users, the creation of over 100 new workspaces and 89,314 new resources uploaded. In August 2021, more than 19,000 new resources and 9 TB of data were uploaded.
By utilizing the unique capabilities of EDX, energy researchers are using this data to drive development in carbon materials, rare earth elements, critical minerals, extreme alloys and a number of other focus areas. Over the decade, EDX has kept hosted resources secure by adhering to DOE cybersecurity policies and meeting federal security standards. The tool is curating research and data products that are the result of billions of dollars of FECM and other R&D investments to ensure access and reuse, working to catalyze the next generation of data-driven breakthroughs for our nation’s social, environmental and energy goals.
“Since 2011, our goal has been to create the ideal workspace for energy research to take place,” Kelly Rose, Ph.D. and one of the creators of EDX, said. “The ability to preserve data, collaborate with researchers in a secure online environment and manage data across every stage of development is expediting development of the energy technologies of the future.”
EDX has grown into a trusted resource used by both internal national laboratory researchers and external collaborators from government agencies, universities, nonprofits and industry. Its functionality was built from the needs and suggestions of NETL researchers, and the tool has been continually updated since its inception to make data curation and development more efficient. Private workspaces with drag-and-drop capabilities, dashboards and digital notebooks were added to make collaboration easier across organizations, and EDX developers are in the process of implementing an internal messaging application to further streamline user experiences.
Several DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) research programs are encouraging and supporting the curation of R&D products over the past decade. These include:
- eXtremeMAT, a NETL-led consortium that seeks to develop unique capabilities for materials design, high-performance computing, manufacturing and characterization to accelerate the development of materials for service in extreme environments.
- The National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP), a collaboration of five national laboratories focused on quantifying and managing subsurface environmental risks to support implementation of safe and secure large-scale geologic carbon storage.
- Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI), established in 2020 to combine the strengths of NETL’s energy computational scientists, data scientists and subject matter experts with strategic partners to drive solutions to today’s energy challenges. SAMI seeks to build off NETL’s data management curation efforts with EDX to foster a robust carbon management artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) community, which includes providing access to data required for projects to connect to AI/ML resources and drive next-generation technology breakthroughs for the future.
- The Science-informed Machine Learning to Accelerate Real-Time (SMART) Initiative, a 10-year, multi-organizational operation with the goal of transforming interactions within the subsurface and addressing social and environmental challenges by significantly improving energy resource sustainability and carbon management remediation efforts.
Source
September 30, 2021
Taking a leading role NETL, in collaboration with Oregon State University (OSU) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), is exploring how high-temperature carbon dioxide (CO2) degrades power plant building materials — research that could lead to the development of supercritical CO2 power plants that could help decarbonize the nation’s power sector.
CO2 generated from electricity production represents 25% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Revolutionary technologies will be required to decarbonize electricity production while simultaneously making electricity more affordable and accessible for all Americans. One promising approach is to use extremely hot carbon dioxide in place of steam to drive a turbine and produce electricity in future power plants.
These “supercritical CO2” power plants rely on much simpler machinery, provide a smaller physical footprint compared to traditional plants, and can be powered by a variety of energy sources. This makes them ideal to support remote distributed power, increasing the availability of affordable electricity to rural areas and promoting electrification of American society.
While conceptually simple, commercialization of these supercritical CO2 systems is severely limited by the availability of materials, specifically structural alloys, that can survive contact with hot corrosive CO2-rich gases.
NETL researchers, with support from OSU and PNNL, conducted a study titled "Molecular-scale investigation of the oxidation behavior of chromia-forming alloys in high-temperature CO2." The study examined how the alloys inside these power plants deteriorate as result of increased CO2 contact and expressed the need for new materials to build the plants of the future and retrofit the existing fleet.
“In this project, our collaborative team used a combination of specialized analytical techniques to reveal precisely how an alloy degrades by reaction with oxygen and carbon in hot CO2,” explained NETL Research Scientist Richard Oleksak, one of the study’s authors. “This information equips designers with the knowledge required to select cost-effective and durable materials to enable the commercialization of these future power plants, which will aid in decarbonizing the energy sector—a goal shared by NETL and the Biden-Harris Administration.”
In addition to his work on the study, Oleksak was selected to receive the Young Leaders Professional Development Award within the Structural Materials Division of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society in 2020. Oleksak’s research involves the use of the Lab’s autoclave reactor. The autoclave reactor, located in the Supercritical Materials Research Facility at NETL, generates harsh environments that consist of flowing CO2-rich supercritical fluids at exceptionally high temperatures and pressures. This allows researchers to test the performance of candidate alloys at conditions which closely simulate those expected in future power plants.
"Molecular-scale investigation of the oxidation behavior of chromia-forming alloys in high-temperature CO2" was published in Nature Partner Journals Materials Degradation, an open access journal from Nature Research dedicated to publishing high-quality papers that report significant advances on the degradation of all material types. These journals are published in collaboration with internationally renowned partners, driving high-impact open science. The study can be read here.
Source
Taking a leading role NETL, in collaboration with Oregon State University (OSU) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), is exploring how high-temperature carbon dioxide (CO2) degrades power plant building materials — research that could lead to the development of supercritical CO2 power plants that could help decarbonize the nation’s power sector.
CO2 generated from electricity production represents 25% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Revolutionary technologies will be required to decarbonize electricity production while simultaneously making electricity more affordable and accessible for all Americans. One promising approach is to use extremely hot carbon dioxide in place of steam to drive a turbine and produce electricity in future power plants.
These “supercritical CO2” power plants rely on much simpler machinery, provide a smaller physical footprint compared to traditional plants, and can be powered by a variety of energy sources. This makes them ideal to support remote distributed power, increasing the availability of affordable electricity to rural areas and promoting electrification of American society.
While conceptually simple, commercialization of these supercritical CO2 systems is severely limited by the availability of materials, specifically structural alloys, that can survive contact with hot corrosive CO2-rich gases.
NETL researchers, with support from OSU and PNNL, conducted a study titled "Molecular-scale investigation of the oxidation behavior of chromia-forming alloys in high-temperature CO2." The study examined how the alloys inside these power plants deteriorate as result of increased CO2 contact and expressed the need for new materials to build the plants of the future and retrofit the existing fleet.
“In this project, our collaborative team used a combination of specialized analytical techniques to reveal precisely how an alloy degrades by reaction with oxygen and carbon in hot CO2,” explained NETL Research Scientist Richard Oleksak, one of the study’s authors. “This information equips designers with the knowledge required to select cost-effective and durable materials to enable the commercialization of these future power plants, which will aid in decarbonizing the energy sector—a goal shared by NETL and the Biden-Harris Administration.”
In addition to his work on the study, Oleksak was selected to receive the Young Leaders Professional Development Award within the Structural Materials Division of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society in 2020. Oleksak’s research involves the use of the Lab’s autoclave reactor. The autoclave reactor, located in the Supercritical Materials Research Facility at NETL, generates harsh environments that consist of flowing CO2-rich supercritical fluids at exceptionally high temperatures and pressures. This allows researchers to test the performance of candidate alloys at conditions which closely simulate those expected in future power plants.
"Molecular-scale investigation of the oxidation behavior of chromia-forming alloys in high-temperature CO2" was published in Nature Partner Journals Materials Degradation, an open access journal from Nature Research dedicated to publishing high-quality papers that report significant advances on the degradation of all material types. These journals are published in collaboration with internationally renowned partners, driving high-impact open science. The study can be read here.
Source
September 21, 2021
A new superalloy, developed by Haynes International and tested by a collaborative effort led by NETL, has received American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) approval for use in the next generation of power plants that will operate with enhanced efficiency and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
The ASME, whose code and standards are regarded as the world’s leading set of rules for the design of pressure equipment, approved the nickel-based superalloy for use in boilers, fired heaters, pressure vessels and other key components at conditions of up to 875 degrees Celsius (1,607 degrees Fahrenheit), which covers maximum anticipated operating conditions of Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (AUSC) plus carbon dioxide (CO2) capture power plants.
Across much of the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, the ASME code stamp is required for boiler and pressure vessel installations and is a mandatory requirement of many insurance companies. “ASME code approval marks a critical achievement to accelerate the development of a reliable domestic supply chain of materials and components needed to advance power generation options that operate at high temperatures in order to increase efficiency and thus reduce emissions,” said Vito Cedro III, project manager on NETL’s Advanced Coal & Carbon Management Crosscutting Team.
Transformational power technologies such as AUSC plus CO2 capture systems and supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2), which uses CO2 as the working fluid in turbomachinery, operate at higher temperatures and pressures leading to more corrosive and harsher environments when compared to traditional power plants.
Additionally, the diversification of power generation sources, such as wind and solar power, is transforming the electrical grid, resulting in power plant components being subjected to cycling operating conditions. Extreme changes in temperatures and pressures brought on by cycling conditions increase performance demands placed on materials of construction.
ASME approval of the superalloy, known as Haynes International H282, provides a new material to withstand such aggressive service environments, improves efficiency and extends the life of electricity-producing power plants. Code approval also could provide opportunities for increased international sales of the material, thereby creating U.S. jobs.
Haynes International, NETL’s industry partner on the project, also noted that the new superalloy is well-suited for other high-temperature structural applications, especially those in aero and industrial gas turbine engines, because it possesses a unique combination of creep strength (the tendency of a materials to deform permanently under persistent mechanical stresses), thermal stability, weldability and fabricability not found in currently available commercial alloys.
The testing of the superalloy for advanced power plant applications was part of a $27 million project, “Advanced UltraSupercritcial (AUSC) Component Testing” launched in 2015 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Industries of Ohio is the recipient of this cooperative agreement project.
Goals for the second phase of the project called for fabricating full-scale versions of selected key components made of nickel-based alloys and obtaining ASME code approval for new materials, components and processes. Other members of the test team included GE Power, the Electric Power Research Institute, Special Metals Corporation, Metal Tek International and McConway & Torley LLC. Oak Ridge National Laboratory generated most of the lab-scale creep test data that was needed for the H282 code case.
H282 is only the second gamma prime precipitate strengthened nickel superalloy to be approved by the ASME for use in boilers and pressure vessels. The other alloy is Inconel 740, whose ASME code case was supported by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s AUSC materials research and development program.
Source
A new superalloy, developed by Haynes International and tested by a collaborative effort led by NETL, has received American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) approval for use in the next generation of power plants that will operate with enhanced efficiency and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
The ASME, whose code and standards are regarded as the world’s leading set of rules for the design of pressure equipment, approved the nickel-based superalloy for use in boilers, fired heaters, pressure vessels and other key components at conditions of up to 875 degrees Celsius (1,607 degrees Fahrenheit), which covers maximum anticipated operating conditions of Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (AUSC) plus carbon dioxide (CO2) capture power plants.
Across much of the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, the ASME code stamp is required for boiler and pressure vessel installations and is a mandatory requirement of many insurance companies. “ASME code approval marks a critical achievement to accelerate the development of a reliable domestic supply chain of materials and components needed to advance power generation options that operate at high temperatures in order to increase efficiency and thus reduce emissions,” said Vito Cedro III, project manager on NETL’s Advanced Coal & Carbon Management Crosscutting Team.
Transformational power technologies such as AUSC plus CO2 capture systems and supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2), which uses CO2 as the working fluid in turbomachinery, operate at higher temperatures and pressures leading to more corrosive and harsher environments when compared to traditional power plants.
Additionally, the diversification of power generation sources, such as wind and solar power, is transforming the electrical grid, resulting in power plant components being subjected to cycling operating conditions. Extreme changes in temperatures and pressures brought on by cycling conditions increase performance demands placed on materials of construction.
ASME approval of the superalloy, known as Haynes International H282, provides a new material to withstand such aggressive service environments, improves efficiency and extends the life of electricity-producing power plants. Code approval also could provide opportunities for increased international sales of the material, thereby creating U.S. jobs.
Haynes International, NETL’s industry partner on the project, also noted that the new superalloy is well-suited for other high-temperature structural applications, especially those in aero and industrial gas turbine engines, because it possesses a unique combination of creep strength (the tendency of a materials to deform permanently under persistent mechanical stresses), thermal stability, weldability and fabricability not found in currently available commercial alloys.
The testing of the superalloy for advanced power plant applications was part of a $27 million project, “Advanced UltraSupercritcial (AUSC) Component Testing” launched in 2015 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Industries of Ohio is the recipient of this cooperative agreement project.
Goals for the second phase of the project called for fabricating full-scale versions of selected key components made of nickel-based alloys and obtaining ASME code approval for new materials, components and processes. Other members of the test team included GE Power, the Electric Power Research Institute, Special Metals Corporation, Metal Tek International and McConway & Torley LLC. Oak Ridge National Laboratory generated most of the lab-scale creep test data that was needed for the H282 code case.
H282 is only the second gamma prime precipitate strengthened nickel superalloy to be approved by the ASME for use in boilers and pressure vessels. The other alloy is Inconel 740, whose ASME code case was supported by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s AUSC materials research and development program.
Source
August 31, 2021
Research associate Fei Xue, a participant in the NETL Post Graduate Research Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, explains how working with his mentor, Youhai Wen, interacting with other NETL experts and using the Lab’s Joule 2.0 supercomputer, among the most powerful in the nation, are advancing important research in the field of computational science and engineering.
Through science-based simulations, multiscale modeling and data analytics, Xue is making meaningful contributions to NETL’s efforts to analyze and predict performance of materials used in a diverse set of energy research projects while accelerating development of clean energy technologies.
For Wen, mentoring research associates such as Xue is an extraordinary experience. “It is truly exciting to watch this next generation of dedicated and talented researchers blossom and advance their careers,” he said.
Source
Research associate Fei Xue, a participant in the NETL Post Graduate Research Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, explains how working with his mentor, Youhai Wen, interacting with other NETL experts and using the Lab’s Joule 2.0 supercomputer, among the most powerful in the nation, are advancing important research in the field of computational science and engineering.
Through science-based simulations, multiscale modeling and data analytics, Xue is making meaningful contributions to NETL’s efforts to analyze and predict performance of materials used in a diverse set of energy research projects while accelerating development of clean energy technologies.
For Wen, mentoring research associates such as Xue is an extraordinary experience. “It is truly exciting to watch this next generation of dedicated and talented researchers blossom and advance their careers,” he said.
Source
June 15, 2021
NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) has served as a virtual platform for the public curation of research data and tools for more than a decade, bringing together researchers from across the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM). Now, as the Biden Administration begins the transition to a clean energy economy, the data and models available through EDX are helping shape this new future where federal leadership will partner with power plant communities to create good-paying union jobs, spur economic revitalization, mediate environmental degradation and support energy workers.
“EDX preserves research products stemming from projects valued at over $20 billion dollars, including datasets and modeling tools” said NETL’s Kelly Rose, Ph.D., technical director of NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Institute (SAMI). “These products support the goals of the Administration and will help accelerate the technology development necessary to get us to a carbon emission-free electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050 while ensuring affordable, reliable energy supplies for U.S. economic growth in all regions.” EDX, which went live in 2012, both publishes and curates research products to enable technology transfer while supporting secure, private, multi-institution collaboration for ongoing research projects. The platform supports the entire data lifecycle, enabling researchers to collect and upload data, where it can be organized and annotated; analyzed, used and re-used; disseminated, aggregated and sorted; and then preserved through indexing, curation and archiving.
Several FECM research programs have encouraged and supported methodical curation of R&D products and use of EDX over the past decade. These include:
Source
NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) has served as a virtual platform for the public curation of research data and tools for more than a decade, bringing together researchers from across the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM). Now, as the Biden Administration begins the transition to a clean energy economy, the data and models available through EDX are helping shape this new future where federal leadership will partner with power plant communities to create good-paying union jobs, spur economic revitalization, mediate environmental degradation and support energy workers.
“EDX preserves research products stemming from projects valued at over $20 billion dollars, including datasets and modeling tools” said NETL’s Kelly Rose, Ph.D., technical director of NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Institute (SAMI). “These products support the goals of the Administration and will help accelerate the technology development necessary to get us to a carbon emission-free electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050 while ensuring affordable, reliable energy supplies for U.S. economic growth in all regions.” EDX, which went live in 2012, both publishes and curates research products to enable technology transfer while supporting secure, private, multi-institution collaboration for ongoing research projects. The platform supports the entire data lifecycle, enabling researchers to collect and upload data, where it can be organized and annotated; analyzed, used and re-used; disseminated, aggregated and sorted; and then preserved through indexing, curation and archiving.
Several FECM research programs have encouraged and supported methodical curation of R&D products and use of EDX over the past decade. These include:
- eXtremeMAT — an NETL-led consortium that leverages the world-leading expertise and capabilities in the national laboratory complex associated with material design, high-performance computing power, advanced manufacturing, in-situ characterization and performance assessment in an integrated, collaborative and coordinated effort to address the materials challenges associated with advanced energy systems.
- Offshore Research and Development — a suite of projects that focuses on innovative solutions to solve the challenges associated with geohazard prediction, subsurface uncertainty reduction, and oil and gas infrastructure integrity and optimization for new and existing infrastructure systems.
- Carbon Storage Program: NETL Research — a collection of projects conducted by NETL’s Research and Innovation Center (RIC) that focus on developing, implementing and advancing carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies necessary for widespread commercial deployment in the 2025-2035 timeframe.
- The National Risk Assessment Partnership — a collaboration of five U.S. national laboratories focused on quantifying and managing subsurface environmental risks to support implementation of safe and secure large-scale geologic carbon storage.
- Natural Gas Hydrates — a research and development program that has worked to accelerate the determination and realization of gas hydrate’s resource potential and to better understand the role of gas hydrates in the environment.
- Rare Earth Elements — a portfolio developed to cover NETL’s early domestic field prospecting efforts, and the technical research, development and demonstration efforts that were conducted between 2014 and 2020 under NETL’s Feasibility of Recovering Rare Earth Elements Program, and after 2020 under NETL’s Critical Minerals Sustainability Program.
- Science-informed Machine Learning to Accelerate Real-Time (SMART) Initiative — a 10-year, multi-organizational effort with the goal of transforming interactions within the subsurface and significantly improving efficiency and effectiveness of field-scale carbon storage and unconventional oil and gas operations.
- Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI) — an institute established in 2020 that combines the strengths of NETL’s energy computational scientists, data scientists and subject matter experts with strategic partners to drive solutions to today’s energy challenges. The institute has a vision to leverage science-based models, artificial intelligence and machine learning methods, data analytics and high-performance computing to accelerate applied technology development for clean, efficient and affordable energy production and utilization.
- Unconventional Resources — research through NETL’s RIC that is focused on developing the data and modeling tools needed to predict and quantify potential risks associated with oil and gas resources in shale reservoirs that require hydraulic fracturing or other engineering measures to produce.
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Here are some of the presentations from the recent review meeting that focus on research at ARC, June 3-15, 2021
Advanced Alloy Development (FWP-1022406)
David Alman, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Materials Performance in sCO2 Environments (FWP-1022406 Task 12)
Omer Dogan, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Design Tool for Creep-Resistant Materials and Low Cycle Fatigue Modeling (FWP-1022406 Task 16)
Youhai Wen, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Advanced Alloy Development (FWP-1022406 EY20 Task 5, 7, & 8; EY21 Task 5)
Paul Jablonski, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Advanced Alloy Development (FWP-1022406)
David Alman, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Materials Performance in sCO2 Environments (FWP-1022406 Task 12)
Omer Dogan, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Design Tool for Creep-Resistant Materials and Low Cycle Fatigue Modeling (FWP-1022406 Task 16)
Youhai Wen, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Advanced Alloy Development (FWP-1022406 EY20 Task 5, 7, & 8; EY21 Task 5)
Paul Jablonski, National Energy Technology Laboratory
May 12, 2021
NETL is collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University to make faster and more accurate predictions on the properties of heat-resistant alloys and develop cost-effective, corrosion-resistant materials needed in flexible energy systems that will be highly efficient, produce fewer emissions and help meet the nation’s decarbonization goals while producing reliable supplies of electricity. To produce durable alloys to manufacture turbine blades, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and other equipment, NETL is collaborating with CMU on a two-year project to further explore the “PSP connection” — a fundamental tenet of materials science that maintains Processing generates the microstructure that mediates material Properties.
The NETL-managed project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy High Performance Materials program, focuses on collecting microstructure image data and property metadata, and using computational tools to discover new PSP connections and design microstructures to achieve desired properties. Microstructure refers to the substructures that form from the interaction between composition and processing of an alloy (a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements to induce hardness, toughness or other desired properties). Microstructural features in an alloy include grains, interfaces, precipitates, dislocations, voids and others. The amount, distribution and arrangement of these features govern materials properties, from mechanical response to corrosion to superconductivity.
In this project, CMU researchers are applying computer vision (CV) — technology in which a computer can extract, analyze and understand useful information from an individual image or a sequence of images — to create quantitative representations of microstructural images and apply machine learning (ML) methods to predict material properties. Artificial intelligence techniques, including CV and ML, hold immense promise for extracting new knowledge from the rich, complex and multimodal data collected in materials science and engineering investigations. As the first application of these methods to heat-resistant alloy design, this project is expected to provide critical experience and insight for alloy development and could revolutionize microstructure design for performance. ML models require extensive training data to minimize error and improve predictive accuracy. NETL’s Youhai Wen, Ph.D., a member of the Computational Science and Engineering Team, and Michael Gao, Ph.D., a member of the Structural Materials Team, are providing microstructural images to train CMU’s model.
Developing the CV/ML system to discover the PSP connections is proceeding in three stages. In the first stage, the team assembled a dataset of microstructural images and associated property metadata. In the next stage, researchers will compare two CV image representation models to develop a CV approach to quantify the visual information contained in the microstructural images. Finally, the team will choose an ML method suitable for learning from the selected image representation. Machine learning can rapidly accelerate materials research by automating performance predictions from microstructural image data. The project will provide critical insights to develop materials that can function under extreme temperature and pressure conditions and enable energy systems to increase their use of intermittent renewable energy resources and develop a new class of cost-effective materials for high-efficiency systems such as natural gas (or hydrogen-fired) combined cycles equipped with carbon capture and storage.
Source
NETL is collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University to make faster and more accurate predictions on the properties of heat-resistant alloys and develop cost-effective, corrosion-resistant materials needed in flexible energy systems that will be highly efficient, produce fewer emissions and help meet the nation’s decarbonization goals while producing reliable supplies of electricity. To produce durable alloys to manufacture turbine blades, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and other equipment, NETL is collaborating with CMU on a two-year project to further explore the “PSP connection” — a fundamental tenet of materials science that maintains Processing generates the microstructure that mediates material Properties.
The NETL-managed project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy High Performance Materials program, focuses on collecting microstructure image data and property metadata, and using computational tools to discover new PSP connections and design microstructures to achieve desired properties. Microstructure refers to the substructures that form from the interaction between composition and processing of an alloy (a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements to induce hardness, toughness or other desired properties). Microstructural features in an alloy include grains, interfaces, precipitates, dislocations, voids and others. The amount, distribution and arrangement of these features govern materials properties, from mechanical response to corrosion to superconductivity.
In this project, CMU researchers are applying computer vision (CV) — technology in which a computer can extract, analyze and understand useful information from an individual image or a sequence of images — to create quantitative representations of microstructural images and apply machine learning (ML) methods to predict material properties. Artificial intelligence techniques, including CV and ML, hold immense promise for extracting new knowledge from the rich, complex and multimodal data collected in materials science and engineering investigations. As the first application of these methods to heat-resistant alloy design, this project is expected to provide critical experience and insight for alloy development and could revolutionize microstructure design for performance. ML models require extensive training data to minimize error and improve predictive accuracy. NETL’s Youhai Wen, Ph.D., a member of the Computational Science and Engineering Team, and Michael Gao, Ph.D., a member of the Structural Materials Team, are providing microstructural images to train CMU’s model.
Developing the CV/ML system to discover the PSP connections is proceeding in three stages. In the first stage, the team assembled a dataset of microstructural images and associated property metadata. In the next stage, researchers will compare two CV image representation models to develop a CV approach to quantify the visual information contained in the microstructural images. Finally, the team will choose an ML method suitable for learning from the selected image representation. Machine learning can rapidly accelerate materials research by automating performance predictions from microstructural image data. The project will provide critical insights to develop materials that can function under extreme temperature and pressure conditions and enable energy systems to increase their use of intermittent renewable energy resources and develop a new class of cost-effective materials for high-efficiency systems such as natural gas (or hydrogen-fired) combined cycles equipped with carbon capture and storage.
Source
April 21, 2021
NACE International and the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) has announced that NETL’s Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, Ph.D., has been selected to receive the 2021 NACE Fellows honor, becoming a member of the class of NACE Fellows for her sustained and widely recognized contributions to corrosion control. Ziomek-Moroz will receive her award during CORROSION 2021, NACE’s virtual conference and expo held April 19-30.
Ziomek-Moroz is a research chemist at NETL in Albany where she works on projects aimed at the fundamental understanding of the corrosion mechanisms of materials. She also works on projects aimed at developing methods of corrosion protection of metallic components subjected to extreme environments associated with advanced energy systems.
Currently, she is working on selection of inexpensive, reliable, corrosion-resistant alloys for low-temperature supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle components; development of advanced coatings for corrosion protection of natural gas infrastructure; and a means of monitoring the corrosion protection capability of the coatings using novel membrane-based electrochemical sensors (MBES). These unique MBES provide remote, in-situ and real-time monitoring of environmental humidity and material corrosion rates. MBES can also detect the onset of localized corrosion, such as pitting. In 2020, a MBES was successfully field tested in natural gas at the Colorado Engineering Experimental Station. A paper describing the environmental humidity and corrosion rate of the pipeline material will be presented at CORROSION 2021.
Her research, both at NETL and before she joined the Lab, has spanned numerous topics in corrosion and corrosion control. Her research has included investigations on the stress corrosion cracking of a nickel-base superalloy for nuclear applications; development of coatings that prevent coastal bridges from corroding, which extends the service life of critical infrastructure; development of environmentally friendly electrolytes for electrochemical machining of brittle alloys; and research aimed at discovering ways to lower the cost of solid oxide fuel cells by investigating the resistance to corrosion of affordable metallic interconnect materials.
Ziomek-Moroz grew up in Poland and earned a doctorate in chemistry with a specialization in corrosion and its prevention from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. She currently lives in Albany, Oregon.
She acts as a mentor and educator for those interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. Her mentoring work has guided several graduate students into the field of corrosion and corrosion control, where their subsequent work earned them recognition through NACE student awards.
Additionally, Ziomek-Moroz has been a role model for middle and high school students interested in STEM through her participation as a corrosion educator in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Bowl and DaVinci Days. Currently, she is a mentor for two graduate students pursuing their doctorates in the materials science and engineering area with a focus on corrosion at Oregon State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
“The Association Awards are an opportunity to celebrate those individuals who have made significant contributions to our industry, whether it be in corrosion science, engineering, education or extraordinary service to the association,” said Tim Bieri, Chair of AMPP. “It is an honor to recognize the extraordinary efforts and achievements of our members like Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, who have done so much to advance the association and the industry.”
Photo caption: Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, Ph.D., (right) is seen here in her Albany, Oregon, Corrosion-Electrochemistry Laboratory with two NETL research associates: Kelsea Keenan (second from right) and Alvaro Rodriguez, Ph.D., (left).
Source
NACE International and the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) has announced that NETL’s Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, Ph.D., has been selected to receive the 2021 NACE Fellows honor, becoming a member of the class of NACE Fellows for her sustained and widely recognized contributions to corrosion control. Ziomek-Moroz will receive her award during CORROSION 2021, NACE’s virtual conference and expo held April 19-30.
Ziomek-Moroz is a research chemist at NETL in Albany where she works on projects aimed at the fundamental understanding of the corrosion mechanisms of materials. She also works on projects aimed at developing methods of corrosion protection of metallic components subjected to extreme environments associated with advanced energy systems.
Currently, she is working on selection of inexpensive, reliable, corrosion-resistant alloys for low-temperature supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle components; development of advanced coatings for corrosion protection of natural gas infrastructure; and a means of monitoring the corrosion protection capability of the coatings using novel membrane-based electrochemical sensors (MBES). These unique MBES provide remote, in-situ and real-time monitoring of environmental humidity and material corrosion rates. MBES can also detect the onset of localized corrosion, such as pitting. In 2020, a MBES was successfully field tested in natural gas at the Colorado Engineering Experimental Station. A paper describing the environmental humidity and corrosion rate of the pipeline material will be presented at CORROSION 2021.
Her research, both at NETL and before she joined the Lab, has spanned numerous topics in corrosion and corrosion control. Her research has included investigations on the stress corrosion cracking of a nickel-base superalloy for nuclear applications; development of coatings that prevent coastal bridges from corroding, which extends the service life of critical infrastructure; development of environmentally friendly electrolytes for electrochemical machining of brittle alloys; and research aimed at discovering ways to lower the cost of solid oxide fuel cells by investigating the resistance to corrosion of affordable metallic interconnect materials.
Ziomek-Moroz grew up in Poland and earned a doctorate in chemistry with a specialization in corrosion and its prevention from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. She currently lives in Albany, Oregon.
She acts as a mentor and educator for those interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. Her mentoring work has guided several graduate students into the field of corrosion and corrosion control, where their subsequent work earned them recognition through NACE student awards.
Additionally, Ziomek-Moroz has been a role model for middle and high school students interested in STEM through her participation as a corrosion educator in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Bowl and DaVinci Days. Currently, she is a mentor for two graduate students pursuing their doctorates in the materials science and engineering area with a focus on corrosion at Oregon State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
“The Association Awards are an opportunity to celebrate those individuals who have made significant contributions to our industry, whether it be in corrosion science, engineering, education or extraordinary service to the association,” said Tim Bieri, Chair of AMPP. “It is an honor to recognize the extraordinary efforts and achievements of our members like Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, who have done so much to advance the association and the industry.”
Photo caption: Margaret Ziomek-Moroz, Ph.D., (right) is seen here in her Albany, Oregon, Corrosion-Electrochemistry Laboratory with two NETL research associates: Kelsea Keenan (second from right) and Alvaro Rodriguez, Ph.D., (left).
Source
February 24, 2021
Data Science leadership from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of the Chief information Officer (OCIO) and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) researchers continue to work together to bolster the Department’s geo-data science capabilities through strategic interagency connections and participation in valuable workforce development programs. These efforts support the U.S. Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA) as well as the Federal Data Strategy and help to spark innovation and advance scientific research, catalyze economic opportunity, improve the nation’s public health and protect the environment. Geospatial data enables critical DOE research, and this location-based information is integral to the greater policy development, evaluation and decision-making that underpin DOE’s mission. For example, awareness of environmental conditions, energy planning and production, hazard mitigation, emergency response and decision support all benefit from carefully curated geospatial data.
Supporting the Geospatial Data Act of 2018
The GDA was passed with the goal of outlining requirements for federal geospatial data governance structures, encouraging organized use and collaboration within agencies, and promoting broader sharing of geospatial data across departments. To help meet the requirements of the GDA, OCIO, as the Department of Energy’s lead office for GDA implementation, established the cross-cutting Geospatial Science Program Management Office (GS-PMO). The GS-PMO, which is co-chaired by OCIO’s Deputy Chief Information Officer for Architecture, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation Pamela Isom, provides the governance structure, strategic direction, mission alignment and communication for the geospatial science and technology implementations within the Department.
Serving as senior agency official for geospatial information (SAOGI), Isom turned to NETL Geo-Data Scientist Jennifer Bauer, Ph.D., to fill the interim position of GS-PMO Geospatial Information Officer because of Bauer’s first-hand knowledge of DOE’s geospatial use and connection to geospatial researchers across the nation. Bauer joined the NETL team in 2012 and quickly connected to DOE’s GIS user group. “We would meet at geospatial conferences twice a year and share our work and talk about challenges and best practices,” Bauer said. “Then, in 2017, I stepped in as co-chair for that community, hosting and coordinating some of the events.”
Bauer began her detail as interim Geospatial Information Officer in May of last year, and together with Isom, they have taken important steps down the GS-PMO geospatial roadmap. For instance, the group has developed a Geospatial Communications Plan and drafted a Geospatial Data Management Strategy, which will support the GDA and help to build credible, trusted geospatial data in support of the DOE mission. “The Geospatial Data Management Strategy was a big accomplishment,” said Bauer. “We hope this strategy will enable a collaborative, structured and empowered DOE geospatial community. Such a community can produce, use and share quality geospatial data to develop innovative solutions in support of the nation’s security, energy independence and environmental stewardship.”
The Federal Data Science Training Program
The federal government is committed to leading geo-data science, and one way it is leveraging data as a strategic asset is through the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) inaugural Federal Data Science Training program. The program selects two or three high-performing and high-potential employees from each federal agency and teaches them skills to apply data science techniques to enhance data gathering, analysis and visualization-enriched presentations to yield informed for data-driven decisions.
Isom and Bauer had another opportunity to collaborate when they were selected as two of DOE’s participants in the program, which began with online classes in mid-September 2020. Participants will commence their two-month, hands-on capstone project in February 2021. “We’re still brainstorming ideas for our capstone,” Bauer said. “There are numerous opportunities to leverage DOE data and apply data science and advanced analytics to look at energy challenges and provide insights into the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on energy infrastructure and jobs.” Isom agreed. “I am concerned about climate change, our readiness for the next pandemic knowing that’s inevitable, and protecting our critical infrastructure,” she said.
Another NETL geo-data scientist, Kelly Rose, Ph.D., is serving as a mentor in the program. Rose and others at the Lab have made significant advancements in data science in the last decade, establishing NETL as a pioneer in the field, as the team developed a wide range of tools and platforms that leverage machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze massive data sets and extract their full value. Rose has also been named the interim technical director for NETL’s Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI). SAMI seeks to foster and leverage NETL’s AI/ML expertise to address applied energy and environmental needs. Participation in OMB’s Federal Data Science Training program aligns to SAMI’s goals, including supporting workforce development to evolve DOE’s energy research competencies.
In addition, the DOE members, which also include a participant from the Western Area Power Administration, are leveraging a valuable new DOE-wide innovation platform designed by Isom called the Innovation Community Center (ICC) as part of their training. “The ICC is giving context for what we’re learning in our classes and providing valuable information on regulations, laws and governance around data, data management and data use, which is essential as you design projects and as you start to move forward, building architectures and workflows,” Bauer said. “We also appreciate OCIO’s Chief Architect Jayu Wu and the ICC team for ensuring that we have the cloud enclaves and access for developing solutions.”
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
Data Science leadership from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of the Chief information Officer (OCIO) and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) researchers continue to work together to bolster the Department’s geo-data science capabilities through strategic interagency connections and participation in valuable workforce development programs. These efforts support the U.S. Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA) as well as the Federal Data Strategy and help to spark innovation and advance scientific research, catalyze economic opportunity, improve the nation’s public health and protect the environment. Geospatial data enables critical DOE research, and this location-based information is integral to the greater policy development, evaluation and decision-making that underpin DOE’s mission. For example, awareness of environmental conditions, energy planning and production, hazard mitigation, emergency response and decision support all benefit from carefully curated geospatial data.
Supporting the Geospatial Data Act of 2018
The GDA was passed with the goal of outlining requirements for federal geospatial data governance structures, encouraging organized use and collaboration within agencies, and promoting broader sharing of geospatial data across departments. To help meet the requirements of the GDA, OCIO, as the Department of Energy’s lead office for GDA implementation, established the cross-cutting Geospatial Science Program Management Office (GS-PMO). The GS-PMO, which is co-chaired by OCIO’s Deputy Chief Information Officer for Architecture, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation Pamela Isom, provides the governance structure, strategic direction, mission alignment and communication for the geospatial science and technology implementations within the Department.
Serving as senior agency official for geospatial information (SAOGI), Isom turned to NETL Geo-Data Scientist Jennifer Bauer, Ph.D., to fill the interim position of GS-PMO Geospatial Information Officer because of Bauer’s first-hand knowledge of DOE’s geospatial use and connection to geospatial researchers across the nation. Bauer joined the NETL team in 2012 and quickly connected to DOE’s GIS user group. “We would meet at geospatial conferences twice a year and share our work and talk about challenges and best practices,” Bauer said. “Then, in 2017, I stepped in as co-chair for that community, hosting and coordinating some of the events.”
Bauer began her detail as interim Geospatial Information Officer in May of last year, and together with Isom, they have taken important steps down the GS-PMO geospatial roadmap. For instance, the group has developed a Geospatial Communications Plan and drafted a Geospatial Data Management Strategy, which will support the GDA and help to build credible, trusted geospatial data in support of the DOE mission. “The Geospatial Data Management Strategy was a big accomplishment,” said Bauer. “We hope this strategy will enable a collaborative, structured and empowered DOE geospatial community. Such a community can produce, use and share quality geospatial data to develop innovative solutions in support of the nation’s security, energy independence and environmental stewardship.”
The Federal Data Science Training Program
The federal government is committed to leading geo-data science, and one way it is leveraging data as a strategic asset is through the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) inaugural Federal Data Science Training program. The program selects two or three high-performing and high-potential employees from each federal agency and teaches them skills to apply data science techniques to enhance data gathering, analysis and visualization-enriched presentations to yield informed for data-driven decisions.
Isom and Bauer had another opportunity to collaborate when they were selected as two of DOE’s participants in the program, which began with online classes in mid-September 2020. Participants will commence their two-month, hands-on capstone project in February 2021. “We’re still brainstorming ideas for our capstone,” Bauer said. “There are numerous opportunities to leverage DOE data and apply data science and advanced analytics to look at energy challenges and provide insights into the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on energy infrastructure and jobs.” Isom agreed. “I am concerned about climate change, our readiness for the next pandemic knowing that’s inevitable, and protecting our critical infrastructure,” she said.
Another NETL geo-data scientist, Kelly Rose, Ph.D., is serving as a mentor in the program. Rose and others at the Lab have made significant advancements in data science in the last decade, establishing NETL as a pioneer in the field, as the team developed a wide range of tools and platforms that leverage machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze massive data sets and extract their full value. Rose has also been named the interim technical director for NETL’s Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI). SAMI seeks to foster and leverage NETL’s AI/ML expertise to address applied energy and environmental needs. Participation in OMB’s Federal Data Science Training program aligns to SAMI’s goals, including supporting workforce development to evolve DOE’s energy research competencies.
In addition, the DOE members, which also include a participant from the Western Area Power Administration, are leveraging a valuable new DOE-wide innovation platform designed by Isom called the Innovation Community Center (ICC) as part of their training. “The ICC is giving context for what we’re learning in our classes and providing valuable information on regulations, laws and governance around data, data management and data use, which is essential as you design projects and as you start to move forward, building architectures and workflows,” Bauer said. “We also appreciate OCIO’s Chief Architect Jayu Wu and the ICC team for ensuring that we have the cloud enclaves and access for developing solutions.”
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
January 25, 2021
NETL has named Kelly Rose, Ph.D., to serve as interim technical director for the Lab’s Science-Based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI), a joint institute led by NETL for advancing cutting-edge AI and ML computational technologies to drive innovative solutions for effective, environmentally sustainable fossil energy resource recovery and utilization.
Established in 2020, SAMI builds off NETL’s unique strengths in science-based modeling and research data curation and management capabilities. It also capitalizes on NETL’s world-class capabilities in high-performance and other scientific computing capabilities to address fossil energy research in areas such as improving the performance, reliability and efficiency of the existing coal-fired fleet; beneficiating carbon ore and fossil energy byproducts; driving break throughs in advanced materials design and discovery; optimizing the recovery of oil and gas resources; and reducing the cost and risk of carbon capture utilization and storage.
AI/ML offers emerging and rapidly evolving technologies that result in efficiencies and cost reductions, as well as new scientific discoveries. Numerous NETL projects apply AI/ML technologies, and the success of these applications has led to improvements in standards across data and modeling and has also aided ongoing efforts to improve the trustworthiness of increasingly complex computational reasoning.
Combined with NETL’s world-class capabilities, strategic partnerships with academia and industry will enable SAMI to more rapidly realize the full potential of AI/ML for science-based advancements. As technical director, Rose will focus on building the institute partnerships and leading SAMI, along with its increasing role in supporting activities across NETL’s portfolio, to strategically combine established scientific methodologies with AI/ML computational approaches to accelerate fossil energy technologies and other advances.
Rose has served as a geo-data science researcher, principal investigator and research portfolio lead at NETL since 2001. In addition to SAMI technical director, Rose is also principal investigator for NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX), an online, public and private research curation and virtual data laboratory platform developed to improve enduring access to DOE data products and support the next-generation of data research and development.
SAMI will use EDX to enhance data-handling technologies and couple EDX’s customized data curation and collaboration capabilities with other scientific computing resources, such as NETL’s cluster computing resources Watt and Joule, and Cloud based capabilities. These resources, along with future, anticipated partnerships, enable the NETL community and extramural partners to conduct computationally intense work and drive fossil energy science and data technology breakthroughs.
Rose’s work has involved development of new data-driven methods and tools for analysis and exploration of offshore energy, oil & gas, rare earth element/critical minerals, groundwater, carbon storage, geothermal, infrastructure and materials. Rose’s research interests also include development of software driven solutions to research and science data curation, discovery and inter-operability challenges. She is co-author of award winning, data-science driven tools and models, including one patented, five trademarked, one registered trademarked, and one copyrighted. Rose holds geology degrees from Denison University (B.S.), Virginia Tech (M.S.), and Oregon State University (Ph.D.).
NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support domestic energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at NETL’s sites in Albany, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; Houston, Texas; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
NETL has named Kelly Rose, Ph.D., to serve as interim technical director for the Lab’s Science-Based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI), a joint institute led by NETL for advancing cutting-edge AI and ML computational technologies to drive innovative solutions for effective, environmentally sustainable fossil energy resource recovery and utilization.
Established in 2020, SAMI builds off NETL’s unique strengths in science-based modeling and research data curation and management capabilities. It also capitalizes on NETL’s world-class capabilities in high-performance and other scientific computing capabilities to address fossil energy research in areas such as improving the performance, reliability and efficiency of the existing coal-fired fleet; beneficiating carbon ore and fossil energy byproducts; driving break throughs in advanced materials design and discovery; optimizing the recovery of oil and gas resources; and reducing the cost and risk of carbon capture utilization and storage.
AI/ML offers emerging and rapidly evolving technologies that result in efficiencies and cost reductions, as well as new scientific discoveries. Numerous NETL projects apply AI/ML technologies, and the success of these applications has led to improvements in standards across data and modeling and has also aided ongoing efforts to improve the trustworthiness of increasingly complex computational reasoning.
Combined with NETL’s world-class capabilities, strategic partnerships with academia and industry will enable SAMI to more rapidly realize the full potential of AI/ML for science-based advancements. As technical director, Rose will focus on building the institute partnerships and leading SAMI, along with its increasing role in supporting activities across NETL’s portfolio, to strategically combine established scientific methodologies with AI/ML computational approaches to accelerate fossil energy technologies and other advances.
Rose has served as a geo-data science researcher, principal investigator and research portfolio lead at NETL since 2001. In addition to SAMI technical director, Rose is also principal investigator for NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX), an online, public and private research curation and virtual data laboratory platform developed to improve enduring access to DOE data products and support the next-generation of data research and development.
SAMI will use EDX to enhance data-handling technologies and couple EDX’s customized data curation and collaboration capabilities with other scientific computing resources, such as NETL’s cluster computing resources Watt and Joule, and Cloud based capabilities. These resources, along with future, anticipated partnerships, enable the NETL community and extramural partners to conduct computationally intense work and drive fossil energy science and data technology breakthroughs.
Rose’s work has involved development of new data-driven methods and tools for analysis and exploration of offshore energy, oil & gas, rare earth element/critical minerals, groundwater, carbon storage, geothermal, infrastructure and materials. Rose’s research interests also include development of software driven solutions to research and science data curation, discovery and inter-operability challenges. She is co-author of award winning, data-science driven tools and models, including one patented, five trademarked, one registered trademarked, and one copyrighted. Rose holds geology degrees from Denison University (B.S.), Virginia Tech (M.S.), and Oregon State University (Ph.D.).
NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support domestic energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at NETL’s sites in Albany, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; Houston, Texas; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
January 19, 2021
Energy trends are changing, which means the nation’s energy infrastructure must change too, including the designs of transformational power technologies like ultra-supercritical steam plants and supercritical carbon-dioxide power systems. To operate efficiently at higher temperatures and pressures, power plants of the future will need new affordable materials that can deliver both superior corrosion and creep resistance. These alloys can operate in many industrial environments such as such as gas turbines or chemical processing plants without sacrificing the typical lower cost, formability and weldability of conventional high-temperature materials. Such systems will increase efficiency, lower costs and reduce emissions from fossil-fired power cycles, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for the nation well into the future.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) eXtremeMAT national laboratory consortium, led by the National Technology Laboratory (NETL), leverages the world-leading expertise and capabilities in the DOE complex associated with materials design, high-performance computing power, advanced manufacturing, in-situ characterization, and performance assessment in an integrated, collaborative, and coordinated effort to address the materials challenges associated with advanced energy systems.
“Building the power plants and industrial facilities of the future is a lengthy and complex process, but with the help of big data and machine learning, we can make the process easier, cheaper and less time-consuming” explained NETL’s Jeffery Hawk, eXtremeMAT’s technical director. “With the latest in simulation and modeling technologies at our disposal, we can predict how some of our alloys samples will perform under pressure without having to conduct physical experiments. It’s about working smarter rather than harder.”
The eXtremeMAT team (consisting of NETL and partner laboratories, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) has made significant progress in a short period time:
The Lab contributed to eXtremeMAT’s advances in the fields of computational multiscale modeling, simulations and data science, which directly contribute to the production of alloys and help all the consortium’s members.
For example, NETL researchers created a database platform on the NETL EDX site to curate experimental and simulation data and metadata required for material data analytics in expediting design and development and material property life prediction. Based on previous NETL research, a database of information on austenitic stainless steels was augmented with datasets on steels, nickel superalloys and high entropy alloys. Datasets from the literature added into the database included dataset from Japan’s National Institute of Materials Science on fatigue. Creep data collected at the University of Texas El Paso was shared with the eXtremeMAT team. These data sets, their creep characteristics, and the accompanying metadata were added to the eXtremeMAT datasets, further bolstering efforts to advance the initiative.
The consortium was also very active regarding outreach and engagement with industry partners. During FY20, eXtremeMAT organized a series of webinars to inform stakeholders about its goals and objectives and several of the recent program accomplishments. These events provided an excellent opportunity for soliciting information about challenges being faced by industry that could be addressed by DOE.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory develops advanced technologies that provide reliable and affordable solutions to America's energy challenges. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
Energy trends are changing, which means the nation’s energy infrastructure must change too, including the designs of transformational power technologies like ultra-supercritical steam plants and supercritical carbon-dioxide power systems. To operate efficiently at higher temperatures and pressures, power plants of the future will need new affordable materials that can deliver both superior corrosion and creep resistance. These alloys can operate in many industrial environments such as such as gas turbines or chemical processing plants without sacrificing the typical lower cost, formability and weldability of conventional high-temperature materials. Such systems will increase efficiency, lower costs and reduce emissions from fossil-fired power cycles, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for the nation well into the future.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) eXtremeMAT national laboratory consortium, led by the National Technology Laboratory (NETL), leverages the world-leading expertise and capabilities in the DOE complex associated with materials design, high-performance computing power, advanced manufacturing, in-situ characterization, and performance assessment in an integrated, collaborative, and coordinated effort to address the materials challenges associated with advanced energy systems.
“Building the power plants and industrial facilities of the future is a lengthy and complex process, but with the help of big data and machine learning, we can make the process easier, cheaper and less time-consuming” explained NETL’s Jeffery Hawk, eXtremeMAT’s technical director. “With the latest in simulation and modeling technologies at our disposal, we can predict how some of our alloys samples will perform under pressure without having to conduct physical experiments. It’s about working smarter rather than harder.”
The eXtremeMAT team (consisting of NETL and partner laboratories, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) has made significant progress in a short period time:
- Developed a suite of physics-based models to predict creep rupture using a limited number of short-term creep tests. The eXtremeMAT models may help accelerate qualification for harsh environment service.
- Developed a first-generation engineering model which incorporates microstructural changes during service, to predict the performance of components subjected to multi-axial stresses and cyclic-loading conditions. This model can be implemented in commercial finite element analysis packages. This eXtremeMAT tool may lead to better prediction of component failure and remaining life during service and enable predictive maintenance practices.
- Identified several affordable alumina forming austenitic steels with enhanced elevated temperature properties compared to state-of-the art high temperature austenitic alloys. These lower cost alloys may lower the costs for systems operating in harsh environments.
The Lab contributed to eXtremeMAT’s advances in the fields of computational multiscale modeling, simulations and data science, which directly contribute to the production of alloys and help all the consortium’s members.
For example, NETL researchers created a database platform on the NETL EDX site to curate experimental and simulation data and metadata required for material data analytics in expediting design and development and material property life prediction. Based on previous NETL research, a database of information on austenitic stainless steels was augmented with datasets on steels, nickel superalloys and high entropy alloys. Datasets from the literature added into the database included dataset from Japan’s National Institute of Materials Science on fatigue. Creep data collected at the University of Texas El Paso was shared with the eXtremeMAT team. These data sets, their creep characteristics, and the accompanying metadata were added to the eXtremeMAT datasets, further bolstering efforts to advance the initiative.
The consortium was also very active regarding outreach and engagement with industry partners. During FY20, eXtremeMAT organized a series of webinars to inform stakeholders about its goals and objectives and several of the recent program accomplishments. These events provided an excellent opportunity for soliciting information about challenges being faced by industry that could be addressed by DOE.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory develops advanced technologies that provide reliable and affordable solutions to America's energy challenges. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
January 11, 2021
NETL scientists are advancing the development of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) that can withstand significantly higher temperatures and extreme stress to enable gas turbines to run with greater efficiency. The development of these durable materials will not only enable industrial gas turbines to generate cleaner electricity using abundant domestic energy sources, they also may be used to manufacture the stronger components needed to build next-generation aviation turbines (jet engines) that require less fuel and produce fewer emissions.
As part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Ultrahigh Temperature Impervious Materials Advancing Turbine Efficiency (ULTIMATE) program, NETL is partnering with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University to advance the development of structural materials that can withstand the highest temperatures in a turbine, as well as the extreme stresses imposed on turbine blades. The work could dramatically improve U.S. energy security. According to ARPA-E, a federal agency that advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies, a 7% improvement in efficiency in natural gas turbines used for electricity generation represents an opportunity to save up to 15-16 quads of energy by 2050. One quad represents 293 billion kilowatt-hours, or the energy of 183 million barrels of petroleum, 38.5 million tons of coal or 980 billion cubic feet of natural gas. ARPA-E estimates that improvements in turbines used for civilian aircraft represents another 3-4 quads of potential energy savings for U.S. air travel over the same time span.
NETL has focused on the development of HEAs — alloys that are constructed with equal or nearly equal molar quantities of five or more metals, combining the characteristics of individual elements into a superior substance. HEAs exhibit unique properties when compared to traditional alloys, including increased strength, wear-resistance, and corrosion- and oxidation-resistance — properties that increase the effectiveness of turbine hardware. “HEAs can be used to manufacture more durable blades, vanes, nozzles, shrouds and other components so that natural gas-burning turbines can run at considerably higher temperatures while using less fuel to create more electricity and fewer emissions,” said Michael Gao, Ph.D., senior materials scientist, NETL. “In the aviation industry, there is critical need for more efficient turbines using components manufactured with superior materials to achieve similar efficiencies and reduce fuel costs,” Gao said. Temperature capability of turbine blade materials has improved steadily to 1100 ºC. At completion, the ULTIMATE project is expected to demonstrate a disruptive alloy and its advanced manufacturing for potential use in turbine blades for service at temperatures greater than 1300 °C (2372 °F).
NETL is advancing the use of an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach in developing cost-effective HEAs for extreme environments. This approach and multiscale computational modeling and machine learning (ML) will help accelerate the design of new alloy compositions. Ground-breaking research at NETL validated the use of ML and data analytics to design next-generation alloys beyond the reach of experiments alone, saving time, money and materials. In the first phase of the ULTIMATE program, which is scheduled to run for a maximum of 18 months, project teams will demonstrate proofs of concept for their alloy compositions, coatings and manufacturing processes through modeling and laboratory scale tensile coupon (sample) testing of basic properties. In the second phase, to be conducted over a period of up to 24 months, approved project teams will investigate selected alloy compositions and coatings to evaluate a comprehensive suite of physical, chemical and mechanical properties, as well as produce generic small-scale turbine blades to demonstrate manufacturability.
NETL is well-positioned to serve as a leader in the ULIMATE program. The Lab maintains a complete alloy development research facility in Albany, Oregon, which includes a fabrication laboratory for prototyping alloy manufacturing. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory develops and commercializes advanced technologies that provide reliable and affordable solutions to America’s energy challenges. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States.
Source
NETL scientists are advancing the development of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) that can withstand significantly higher temperatures and extreme stress to enable gas turbines to run with greater efficiency. The development of these durable materials will not only enable industrial gas turbines to generate cleaner electricity using abundant domestic energy sources, they also may be used to manufacture the stronger components needed to build next-generation aviation turbines (jet engines) that require less fuel and produce fewer emissions.
As part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Ultrahigh Temperature Impervious Materials Advancing Turbine Efficiency (ULTIMATE) program, NETL is partnering with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University to advance the development of structural materials that can withstand the highest temperatures in a turbine, as well as the extreme stresses imposed on turbine blades. The work could dramatically improve U.S. energy security. According to ARPA-E, a federal agency that advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies, a 7% improvement in efficiency in natural gas turbines used for electricity generation represents an opportunity to save up to 15-16 quads of energy by 2050. One quad represents 293 billion kilowatt-hours, or the energy of 183 million barrels of petroleum, 38.5 million tons of coal or 980 billion cubic feet of natural gas. ARPA-E estimates that improvements in turbines used for civilian aircraft represents another 3-4 quads of potential energy savings for U.S. air travel over the same time span.
NETL has focused on the development of HEAs — alloys that are constructed with equal or nearly equal molar quantities of five or more metals, combining the characteristics of individual elements into a superior substance. HEAs exhibit unique properties when compared to traditional alloys, including increased strength, wear-resistance, and corrosion- and oxidation-resistance — properties that increase the effectiveness of turbine hardware. “HEAs can be used to manufacture more durable blades, vanes, nozzles, shrouds and other components so that natural gas-burning turbines can run at considerably higher temperatures while using less fuel to create more electricity and fewer emissions,” said Michael Gao, Ph.D., senior materials scientist, NETL. “In the aviation industry, there is critical need for more efficient turbines using components manufactured with superior materials to achieve similar efficiencies and reduce fuel costs,” Gao said. Temperature capability of turbine blade materials has improved steadily to 1100 ºC. At completion, the ULTIMATE project is expected to demonstrate a disruptive alloy and its advanced manufacturing for potential use in turbine blades for service at temperatures greater than 1300 °C (2372 °F).
NETL is advancing the use of an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach in developing cost-effective HEAs for extreme environments. This approach and multiscale computational modeling and machine learning (ML) will help accelerate the design of new alloy compositions. Ground-breaking research at NETL validated the use of ML and data analytics to design next-generation alloys beyond the reach of experiments alone, saving time, money and materials. In the first phase of the ULTIMATE program, which is scheduled to run for a maximum of 18 months, project teams will demonstrate proofs of concept for their alloy compositions, coatings and manufacturing processes through modeling and laboratory scale tensile coupon (sample) testing of basic properties. In the second phase, to be conducted over a period of up to 24 months, approved project teams will investigate selected alloy compositions and coatings to evaluate a comprehensive suite of physical, chemical and mechanical properties, as well as produce generic small-scale turbine blades to demonstrate manufacturability.
NETL is well-positioned to serve as a leader in the ULIMATE program. The Lab maintains a complete alloy development research facility in Albany, Oregon, which includes a fabrication laboratory for prototyping alloy manufacturing. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory develops and commercializes advanced technologies that provide reliable and affordable solutions to America’s energy challenges. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States.
Source
The January 4, 2021 issue of Power Magazine featured the advanced alloy development and manufacturing research at NETL Albany.
Right now more than ever, our community needs us during this pandemic. AFGE is proud to support FISH of Albany where donations go to assist with medicine, food, and shelter. FISH helps nearly 300 families a week with their food pantry and provides snack packs for the Greater Albany Public School weekend programs.
December 04, 2020
NETL is home to some of the most talented scientists in the world, which was recently highlighted in an analysis published by the journal PLOS Biology naming several NETL researchers as among the top 2% of scientists in the world based on their career-long citation impact up until the end of 2019.
Reviewing the databases of standardized citation metrics across a variety of scientific fields, a PLOS Biology article provided updated analyses assessing scientists for career-long citation impact up until the end of 2019. The data includes all scientists who, according to a composite index, are among the top 2% of scientists within their main subfield discipline (considering those that have published at least five papers) leading to a total of 6,880,389 scientists being assessed.
NETL researchers identified in the PLOS Biology article are the current employees David E. Alman, Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Yuhua Duan, Michael Gao, Randall S. Gemmen, Angela L. Goodman, Evan Granite, Mehrdad Massoudi, Ranjani V. Siriwardane, Dan Sorescu and Phuoc X. Tran, along with former employees David Maurice, Paul Ohodnicki, James Rawers, D.H. Smith and C.M. White.
“Whenever our scientists are described as ‘top tier’ or ‘world-class’ it’s no exaggeration, and the publication by PLOS Biology demonstrates NETL’s immense contributions in the research community,” said NETL Director Brian Anderson. “From their work to craft next-generation alloys, to developing cost-effective technologies that enabling power plants to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas, we’ve seen firsthand what the bright minds at NETL can do, and these are just a few examples. Our researchers have more than earned their place among the world’s top scientists.”
Many of the scientists who made PLOS Biology’s list often contribute to the greater research community in addition to their hands-on work at NETL.
For example, Gao is among the pioneering scientists in the world in the field of high entropy alloys research. His research at NETL focuses on accelerating high-performance materials development for extreme environments by integrating multi-scale computational modeling with critical experiments. Gao has organized or co-organized a variety of symposia and special topics on high entropy alloys at conferences and journals. He is a principal editor for the Journal of Materials Research. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal papers and five book chapters. He also co-edited the book “High Entropy Alloys: Fundamental and Applications.”
More information about PLOS Biology and its selection of top scientists can be viewed here.
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
NETL is home to some of the most talented scientists in the world, which was recently highlighted in an analysis published by the journal PLOS Biology naming several NETL researchers as among the top 2% of scientists in the world based on their career-long citation impact up until the end of 2019.
Reviewing the databases of standardized citation metrics across a variety of scientific fields, a PLOS Biology article provided updated analyses assessing scientists for career-long citation impact up until the end of 2019. The data includes all scientists who, according to a composite index, are among the top 2% of scientists within their main subfield discipline (considering those that have published at least five papers) leading to a total of 6,880,389 scientists being assessed.
NETL researchers identified in the PLOS Biology article are the current employees David E. Alman, Sofiane Benyahia, Ray Boswell, Yuhua Duan, Michael Gao, Randall S. Gemmen, Angela L. Goodman, Evan Granite, Mehrdad Massoudi, Ranjani V. Siriwardane, Dan Sorescu and Phuoc X. Tran, along with former employees David Maurice, Paul Ohodnicki, James Rawers, D.H. Smith and C.M. White.
“Whenever our scientists are described as ‘top tier’ or ‘world-class’ it’s no exaggeration, and the publication by PLOS Biology demonstrates NETL’s immense contributions in the research community,” said NETL Director Brian Anderson. “From their work to craft next-generation alloys, to developing cost-effective technologies that enabling power plants to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas, we’ve seen firsthand what the bright minds at NETL can do, and these are just a few examples. Our researchers have more than earned their place among the world’s top scientists.”
Many of the scientists who made PLOS Biology’s list often contribute to the greater research community in addition to their hands-on work at NETL.
For example, Gao is among the pioneering scientists in the world in the field of high entropy alloys research. His research at NETL focuses on accelerating high-performance materials development for extreme environments by integrating multi-scale computational modeling with critical experiments. Gao has organized or co-organized a variety of symposia and special topics on high entropy alloys at conferences and journals. He is a principal editor for the Journal of Materials Research. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal papers and five book chapters. He also co-edited the book “High Entropy Alloys: Fundamental and Applications.”
More information about PLOS Biology and its selection of top scientists can be viewed here.
Source (bold added for ARC researchers)
NASA Aqua Satellite, Sept 10, 2020 (click on image for more information about the image)
West Coast Wildfire Relief (Message from the National AFGE, Sept 17, 2020)
AFGE Family,
We know that we can count on each other for help when we most need it. As wildfires continue to rage on the west coast we know some in our union family may need some extra help as they recover.
If you have been affected by the wildfires and are in need of financial assistance click here to apply for a grant from the AFGE Disaster Relief Fund.
The AFGE Disaster Relief Fund partners with the Federal Employee Education and Assistance (FEEA) Fund, which has helped government workers with disaster relief and scholarship funds since 1986. AFGE will continue to do everything we can to support our members and get our communities back on their feet. Thank you for all that you do.
In solidarity,
AFGE
P.S. If you're able to help, please consider clicking here and donating to FEEA so that they can continue assisting other AFGE members!
Local Assistance Provided to the Evacuation Center at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center by NETL's Community Emergency Response Team/CERT by Donating Time to the Effort
Local new coverage from Sept 8 and Sept 15 describes the Evacuation Center and other local assistance to those who had to evacuate their homes.
AFGE Family,
We know that we can count on each other for help when we most need it. As wildfires continue to rage on the west coast we know some in our union family may need some extra help as they recover.
If you have been affected by the wildfires and are in need of financial assistance click here to apply for a grant from the AFGE Disaster Relief Fund.
The AFGE Disaster Relief Fund partners with the Federal Employee Education and Assistance (FEEA) Fund, which has helped government workers with disaster relief and scholarship funds since 1986. AFGE will continue to do everything we can to support our members and get our communities back on their feet. Thank you for all that you do.
In solidarity,
AFGE
P.S. If you're able to help, please consider clicking here and donating to FEEA so that they can continue assisting other AFGE members!
Local Assistance Provided to the Evacuation Center at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center by NETL's Community Emergency Response Team/CERT by Donating Time to the Effort
Local new coverage from Sept 8 and Sept 15 describes the Evacuation Center and other local assistance to those who had to evacuate their homes.
COVID-19 Data Visualization Tools
Like millions of others across the country who strive in their own ways to support the fight against COVID-19, NETL researchers have contributed to this fight using technology and science-driven capabilities of the lab. One of those efforts involves adapting data-driven analytical tools invented by NETL that are being adapted to provide information to decision makers at the local, state, and federal level.
A decade ago, the nation needed data-driven analytics at a big scale to tackle the unprecedented, world’s biggest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Decision makers at all levels, federal, state and local, wanted to know how to act, how to respond, what to do, and they needed data and models to drive those insights. DOE’s NETL’s award winning (RD100) Offshore Risk Modeling platform was the product of that need, developed from the lessons learned that responders and the nation needed big-data, spatial models and tools to help inform how to decide, act, and mitigate economic, social, and environmental aspects of that situation.
Almost a decade later, the COVID-19 pandemic, represents a very different threat to our nation, but there remains the need to drive big socio-economic decisions, such as when and where it is safe to reopen communities and business resources, with big data, models, and tools. In this effort, big-data driven, spatio-temporal decision support models built by NETL following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are being adapted and paired with a commercial epidemiological model, FRED, that can be used for neighborhood and household scale simulation of pandemic illnesses and policy impacts. NETL's tools can help visualize FRED simulations, making them more consumable and user-friendly to offer decision makers with tools and information to assess, “what if” for different locations, different times (forecasts), different types of scenarios.
Like millions of others across the country who strive in their own ways to support the fight against COVID-19, NETL researchers have contributed to this fight using technology and science-driven capabilities of the lab. One of those efforts involves adapting data-driven analytical tools invented by NETL that are being adapted to provide information to decision makers at the local, state, and federal level.
A decade ago, the nation needed data-driven analytics at a big scale to tackle the unprecedented, world’s biggest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Decision makers at all levels, federal, state and local, wanted to know how to act, how to respond, what to do, and they needed data and models to drive those insights. DOE’s NETL’s award winning (RD100) Offshore Risk Modeling platform was the product of that need, developed from the lessons learned that responders and the nation needed big-data, spatial models and tools to help inform how to decide, act, and mitigate economic, social, and environmental aspects of that situation.
Almost a decade later, the COVID-19 pandemic, represents a very different threat to our nation, but there remains the need to drive big socio-economic decisions, such as when and where it is safe to reopen communities and business resources, with big data, models, and tools. In this effort, big-data driven, spatio-temporal decision support models built by NETL following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are being adapted and paired with a commercial epidemiological model, FRED, that can be used for neighborhood and household scale simulation of pandemic illnesses and policy impacts. NETL's tools can help visualize FRED simulations, making them more consumable and user-friendly to offer decision makers with tools and information to assess, “what if” for different locations, different times (forecasts), different types of scenarios.
AFGE Announces ‘Full Support and Solidarity’ for Black Lives Matter Cause
March 16, 2020
As a testament to his hard work and achievements, NETL’s Richard Oleksak was selected to receive the Young Leaders Professional Development Award within the Structural Materials Division of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS).
The Young Leaders Professional Development Award recognizes early career professionals who show promise for an exceptional career and who have demonstrated leadership within TMS. Candidates for the award are chosen among the technical divisions of Extraction & Processing, Functional Materials, Light Metals, Materials Processing & Manufacturing and Structural Materials.
Oleksak earned his award in the Structural Materials Division. As part of his selection, Oleksak received financial assistance to attend the TMS 2020 Annual Meeting in San Diego, Cal. where he presented NETL research and participated in several TMS related leadership activities.
Richard Oleksak, a Battelle employee on the Leidos Research Support team, is a contract research scientist working with the Structural Materials Team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Albany, Ore. He received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in chemical engineering in 2015, where his research focused on synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for microelectronics applications.
Upon joining NETL in 2015, his focus shifted to addressing corrosion issues in current and future power plants, with an emphasis on evaluating materials for next-generation supercritical CO2 power cycles. His efforts in this area have been summarized in ten peer-reviewed journal publications since 2017.
“After changing research focuses early in my career, I have found TMS to be a very welcoming organization and the perfect segue into the structural materials community,” Oleksak said. “TMS has been instrumental in connecting me with leaders in my research area and in serving as an excellent forum for the presentation and discussion of research. I am confident that the TMS annual meeting will remain a premier venue throughout my career for sharing research, forming collaborations, and fostering relationships in the materials community.”
Oleksak is now an active member in the high-temperature corrosion community. He hopes to continue research in this area to advance fundamental understanding and inform the selection and design of corrosion-resistant structural materials to enable future high-efficiency power systems.
Source
As a testament to his hard work and achievements, NETL’s Richard Oleksak was selected to receive the Young Leaders Professional Development Award within the Structural Materials Division of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS).
The Young Leaders Professional Development Award recognizes early career professionals who show promise for an exceptional career and who have demonstrated leadership within TMS. Candidates for the award are chosen among the technical divisions of Extraction & Processing, Functional Materials, Light Metals, Materials Processing & Manufacturing and Structural Materials.
Oleksak earned his award in the Structural Materials Division. As part of his selection, Oleksak received financial assistance to attend the TMS 2020 Annual Meeting in San Diego, Cal. where he presented NETL research and participated in several TMS related leadership activities.
Richard Oleksak, a Battelle employee on the Leidos Research Support team, is a contract research scientist working with the Structural Materials Team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Albany, Ore. He received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in chemical engineering in 2015, where his research focused on synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for microelectronics applications.
Upon joining NETL in 2015, his focus shifted to addressing corrosion issues in current and future power plants, with an emphasis on evaluating materials for next-generation supercritical CO2 power cycles. His efforts in this area have been summarized in ten peer-reviewed journal publications since 2017.
“After changing research focuses early in my career, I have found TMS to be a very welcoming organization and the perfect segue into the structural materials community,” Oleksak said. “TMS has been instrumental in connecting me with leaders in my research area and in serving as an excellent forum for the presentation and discussion of research. I am confident that the TMS annual meeting will remain a premier venue throughout my career for sharing research, forming collaborations, and fostering relationships in the materials community.”
Oleksak is now an active member in the high-temperature corrosion community. He hopes to continue research in this area to advance fundamental understanding and inform the selection and design of corrosion-resistant structural materials to enable future high-efficiency power systems.
Source
R&D 100 Award for Offshore Risk Modeling suite of computational tools
A flexible set of custom data, tools, and models that integrate innovative spatio-temporal analytics, machine learning, big data, and advanced visualization technologies to support DOE's offshore spill prevention, operational efficiency, and safety goals.
A flexible set of custom data, tools, and models that integrate innovative spatio-temporal analytics, machine learning, big data, and advanced visualization technologies to support DOE's offshore spill prevention, operational efficiency, and safety goals.
