NETL Director Marianne Walck, Ph.D., and researchers from the Lab will be presenting during the 2024 Digital Engineering Conference (DICE), a three-day event held at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) April 29. The focus of the event is fostering collaborations that will support the digital future of energy technology and projects. 

Director Walck will be on the Lab Leadership Panel during the opening keynote session. NETL researchers, Madison Wenzlick, William Epting, and Samuel Bayham, will be presenting during breakout sessions throughout the event.  

NETL’s Samuel Bayham will present during the Digital Thread and Computing breakout session. Bayham’s presentation will provide an in-depth understanding of dynamic issues related to the integration that is critical to design, demonstration, and deployment of hybrid energy systems. The presentation will review the High Efficiency Hybrid Power Systems or Hyper project.

The Hyper project is a multi-lab effort, involving NETL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and INL researchers working to develop a cyber-physical system that operates in a recuperated gas turbine environment. Given the advances in cyber-physical concepts, the scope of the Hyper project has been further expanded. It can emulate fossil, renewable, and nuclear components in a hybrid cycles, accelerating energy systems technology development and supporting U.S. power generation optimization critical needs. 

Wenzlick will share her team’s novel use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) approaches to improve materials modeling during the Applications in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning breakout session. This presentation will highlight AI/ML work underway for modeling and predicting materials properties that are important for materials design and development, including creep and tensile properties. ML is a good option for capturing these complex relationships, which are challenging to model. 

During the Model Based System Engineering breakout session, Epting will talk on a convolutional neural network model developed to predict microstructures properties from low-resolution microstructural data. Using the wealth of high-quality 3-D data at NETL, this AI/ML informed, high-fidelity analysis and modeling approach can predict key properties such as materials performance and durability.  

As the use of big data and data computing continues to grow, the Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI) at NETL aims to strategically implement AI/ML across teams and directorates - serving as a catalyst for using science-based models, AI/ML methods, data analytics, and high-performance computing to accelerate technology development for clean, efficient, and affordable energy production and utilization. SAMI operates to strategically implement AI/ML across NETL teams and directorates. SAMI serves as an institute for using 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. 

By expanding partnerships and fostering AI workforce development, SAMI enables the development and adoption of AI-driven solutions that are compliant, secure, and trustworthy, in alignment with the White House's AI Executive Order. SAMI ensures that AI innovations from applied energy are safe, explainable, and effective, thus amplifying NETL's mission to drive innovation and deliver technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable energy future.

Participation in DICE showcases this work by NETL’s researchers, offers peer-review to build trust in these novel solutions, and sets the stage for further collaboration to advance the mission of NETL and demonstrate SAMI’s mission to accelerate innovation at NETL. 

The presentation schedule is available on the event website.

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.