Since beginning his federal service at NETL 11 years ago, Justin Weber has worked on projects that span both the computational and experimental research domains, with the study of multiphase flow as the thread that ties them all together. “Multiphase flows are observable throughout advanced energy systems,” Weber said. “Anywhere you have solids, liquids or gases interacting with each other, you will have a multiphase flow. Understanding this flow is key to designing and optimizing next generation power generation technologies.”

NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI), the Tri State Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (TEAM) Consortium and leadership from the Tri State Shale Coalition will explore what the future holds for workforce training during a special webinar from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. This event will feature a multi-panel online discussion on workforce issues related to energy and advanced manufacturing activities and programs, including discussions on strategy and activities in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic with respect to job recovery.

In an effort that could lead to accelerated design and deployment of advanced energy systems, NETL researchers have added a valuable new capability to the Lab’s world-renowned Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges (MFiX) modeling software suite. Rather than modeling particles as spheres, as is the case with most discrete element modeling (DEM) techniques, NETL researchers have developed and validated an algorithm to simulate non-spherical shapes that better approximates real-world particles, significantly increasing modeling accuracy.

Photo Credit: Southern Company Photo The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and NETL have renewed an agreement with Southern Company to operate the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC), setting the stage for expansion at the DOE-sponsored facility into new areas of research to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants, and to advance carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization and direct air capture (DAC) solutions.

NETL will demonstrate how local business partners and educational institutions throughout the Mountain State can connect with the Lab’s various resources and programs during the 2020 West Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit, which has the theme of “Connecting Communities Through Energy.”

NETL is marking National Energy Awareness Month this October by recognizing the Lab’s contributions to the critical role of energy production in national prosperity and security, especially during the national challenges this year. Electricity is a crucial element of the nation’s coronavirus pandemic response, fueling emergency medical care, sanitation and clean water systems, manufacturing sectors, intranet infrastructure and many other areas.  

Next week’s DOE-NETL 2020 Virtual Integrated Project Review Meeting will feature the nation’s leading experts in the field of developing cost-effective carbon capture technologies for the fossil energy power-generation sector.

NETL’s Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES), a center of excellence for the identification, synthesis, optimization and analysis of innovations to meet the nation’s growing energy needs, is the winner of the prestigious 2020 R&D 100 award, which recognizes the developers of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace in the last year.

NETL will soon share its analyses and insights regarding the increasing use of the nation’s natural gas resources with the Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management (CEPM). CEPM has invited the NETL Systems Engineering and Analysis directorate to participate in a webinar to provide a technical discussion on the increasing use of natural gas in energy generation, which was largely made possible by the Shale Revolution of the past decade that saw the United States undergo a transition from a primarily coal-based to natural gas-based power system.

A ground-breaking NETL project that converts feedstocks of domestic coal into graphene, a material that can be used to build stronger roads and bridges and manufacture various high-tech products, received a prestigious R&D 100 award for being among the 100 most technologically significant innovations introduced into the marketplace in the last year.