An innovative computational toolkit developed by the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in collaboration with a team from other national laboratories, has been recognized by R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace in the past year.

The award-winning National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) Toolset is a software package that includes 10 science-based computational tools that predict environmental risk performance of geologic carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage sites. NRAP, led by NETL, brings together expertise from other contributing Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The computational tools in the NARP Toolset represent the most complete suite of models ever assembled to assess the geological integrity and environmental risk performance of CO₂ storage sites related to potential fluid leakage and ground motion. These tools support industry and provide technical insight to regulatory stakeholders as they design and implement effective geologic carbon storage projects to sequester large volumes of CO₂. 

Known as “the Oscars of Innovation,” the R&D 100 Awards recognize 100 of the brightest and boldest technologies and services of the year across nine categories. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards program has identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market. Past winners have included sophisticated testing equipment, innovative new materials, chemistry breakthroughs, biomedical products, consumer items, and high-energy physics spanning industry, academia, and government-sponsored research.

A full list of the 2017 award winners is available at the R&D 100 Conference website.