NETL celebrated new and revamped facilities that expand the Lab’s robust research capabilities to develop efficient, affordable energy technology solutions at a special ceremony Friday, June 14.

NETL welcomed U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Representative David McKinley , Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg and regional media to the Lab’s Morgantown, West Virginia, site to dedicate a new Reaction Analysis and Chemical Transformation (ReACT) facility and showcase a $16.5 million upgrade to the Joule supercomputer. A representative from U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s office also participated.

“The ReACT facility pushes the boundaries of reaction science to boost efficiency, while Joule 2.0 enhances our computational work to deliver innovative energy technologies more quickly and at a reduced cost,” NETL Director Brian J. Anderson, Ph.D., said. “Collectively, these facilities offer greater capabilities in support of NETL’s work to create technologies that enable efficient, affordable energy production from our vast domestic resources, while ensuring responsible stewardship of the environment.”

The ReACT facility supports NETL’s energy conversion engineering work, offering researchers innovative tools to advance the science of chemical reactions and energy conversion. The ReACT facility’s capabilities enable research work to optimize chemical reactor designs for specific chemical transformations. This includes investigating novel approaches utilizing electromagnetic energy, such as microwaves, to selectively energize chemical reactions. No other known facility in the world has this unique set of capabilities. The ReACT facility’s capabilities are leading to efficiencies that increase power production, reduce overall costs, reduce targeted emissions, and provide for product generation from abundant fossil fuels. Click here to learn more about ReACT.

Joule 2.0 is among the fastest, largest and most energy-efficient supercomputers in the world following an upgrade that boosted its computational speed eight-fold. The high-performance system allows researchers to model energy technologies, simulate challenging phenomena and solve complex problems as they seek to make efficient use of the nation’s fossil fuel resources. Joule also supports effective collaboration among researchers at NETL and with external research partners in a virtual environment. Ultimately, Joule’s advanced computational tools save time and money by accelerating energy technology development. Click here to learn more about Joule.

NETL’s world-class facilities, such as Joule and ReACT, offer state-of-the-art capabilities that support the timely development of next-generation technologies to meet America’s growing demand for clean, reliable and affordable energy.