Researchers from NETL, Blacksand Technologies LLC and the University of Utah are collaborating on a project to develop improved and low-cost manufacturing of ultralow oxygen reactive metal powders, which are used to create alloys needed for harsh energy-related environments.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has announced that a NETL-led project focused on accelerating and de-risking critical minerals and materials (CMMs) technology development and commercialization will receive $75 million to develop the Critical Materials Supply Chain Research Facility (METALLIC), bringing the expertise of nine national laboratories to bear on the nation’s critical materials challenges.

Through the development, validation and application of a suite of multiphase flow tools, NETL has established itself as a leader in applying high-performance computing (HPC) to computationally demanding multiphase flow problems — research that is critical for designing next-generation energy systems that will meet the nation’s decarbonization goals.

Technology transfer officials from 13 Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories converged on NETL in Morgantown, West Virginia to exchange ideas, share successes related to efforts to move new energy technologies from laboratories to the marketplace, and meet with key NETL leaders.

Martin Webler, a business management specialist within NETL’s Technology Development Center (TDC), will retire at the end of March. During his 14-year tenure with the Lab he worked by the creed “People make jobs,” helping NETL grow, expand and change with the times.

By using software tools developed at the Lab, NETL helped co-author “Modeling Framework for Cost Optimization of Process-Scale Desalination Systems with Mineral Scaling and Precipitation,” which was recently published in the journal ACS ES&T Engineering.

NETL researchers have completed some of the first in-situ measurements of ammonia-fueled flames. The foundational combustion research will be used to validate computer models needed to design next-generation energy systems using ammonia as a carbon-free fuel.

NETL will showcase ongoing work by researchers from the public and private sectors to identify and address the nation’s greatest energy, environmental and economic challenges during the 2024 NETL Resource Sustainability Project Review Meeting, scheduled for April 2-4 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

NETL experts in the field of carbon management participated in the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) conference this week in Houston, Texas, where leaders from research institutions, universities and industry demonstrated the ongoing need for skilled petroleum geologists, geophysicists and engineers to help define the future of carbon management.

GE Vernova’s Gas Power business, under a cooperative agreement with NETL, has successfully tested an advanced cooling architecture enabled by additive manufacturing (AM) to produce turbine components that can deliver improved performance under higher operating pressures and temperatures — crucial factors for increasing turbine efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.