NETL experts used a suite of sophisticated data-gathering instruments at the Marcellus Shale Energy Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL) near Morgantown, West Virginia, to secure a greater understanding of emissions and dispersion rates of various compounds — geological and environmental systems research that could help avoid future adverse impacts on local and regional air quality where unconventional oil and gas activities are underway.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)  and NETL have announced up to $30 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development (R&D) for front-end engineering design (FEED) studies for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture systems. The projects, funded by the Office of Fossil Energy’s Carbon Capture program will support FEED studies for CO2 systems on both coal and natural gas power plants.

Two of NETL’s innovative technological achievements have been selected to receive prestigious awards from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center. NETL’s global oil and gas infrastructure (GOGI) database won in the Innovation in Energy category, while the Lab’s permeability engineering through strain annealing technology won in the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials category. The honorees were announced at a VIP reception March 12, and the awards will be presented at a May 10 celebration.

NETL Director Brian Anderson joined a prestigious panel this week at CERAWeek, the world’s premier energy event, in Houston, Texas. Anderson spoke alongside three other national laboratory leaders at the five-day conference, which brought together 4,000 global industry leaders and policymakers from more than 75 countries to discuss a range of energy-related topics.

A recent NETL study demonstrated that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology can provide a cost-effective, rapid and precise method for determining the elemental composition of organic-rich shales like the Marcellus Shale formation, the largest reservoir of natural gas in the Appalachian basin. This characterization work is paving the way for producers to begin rapidly targeting resources with greater accuracy.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Regional Workforce Initiative will present a free Energy 101 Webinar at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 28. The on-line event is designed to inform participants about evolving technology solutions related to rare earth elements (REEs) and advanced composites/materials and manufacturing and their potential economic development impact on the Appalachian Region.

Photos courtesy of Brookhaven National Laboratory.NETL researchers studying the chemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful products are using powerful X-rays available at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities to shed light on the process.

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) researchers developed a new catalyst that can selectively convert syngas into light hydrocarbon compounds called olefins for application in a $200 billion per year chemical industry market. The work has been detailed in ChemCatChem, a premier catalysis journal.

North Allegheny Senior High School Team 1 (Wexford), and Marshall Middle School (Wexford) claimed victory at the 28th annual Western Pennsylvania Regional Science Bowl (WPASB), organized and co-sponsored by NETL. The high school and middle school events were held Feb. 23 and March 2, 2019, respectively, at the Community College of Allegheny County’s (CCAC) South Campus, in West Mifflin, Pa. About 40 teams from high schools and 32 teams from middle schools in 19 regional counties throughout western Pennsylvania participated in the competition.

NETL experts who specialize in water management issues are attending the North American Shale Water Management Conference in Houston, Texas, this week to exchange ideas and focus on the conference topic of “Reducing the Cost of Water Recycling and Reuse” in energy production. The conference, which runs through Friday, presents an opportunity for leading water management experts and key regulators to meet with shale operators and service companies to explore new cost-effective water treatment, sourcing, disposal, and storage solutions for North American shale plays.