At the conclusion World War II, interest in producing synthetic fuels soared. In fact, the original mission of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown centered on finding better methods of gasifying coal to produce synthesis gas.

Through the years, NETL-Morgantown has continued to lead research that enables domestic coal, natural gas and oil to economically power homes, industries, businesses and transportation while protecting the environment and enhancing U.S. energy independence.

The recently created Reaction Analysis & Chemical Transformation or ReACT Laboratory stands out among the numerous projects and facilities at the Morgantown site. This facility supports NETL’s energy conversion engineering work, offering researchers innovative tools to advance the science of chemical reactions and energy conversion with the long-term goals of more efficient fuel use and lowering emissions.

NETL-Morgantown is also home to Joule 2.0, one of the fastest, largest and most energy-efficient supercomputers in the world. The high-performance system can perform more than 5 quadrillion calculations per second, allowing researchers to model energy technologies, simulate challenging phenomena and solve complex problems as they seek to make more efficient use of the nation’s fossil fuel resources.

Those are a few examples of the advanced research taking place at NETL-Morgantown to enhance the nation’s energy security. Check out this short video to learn more.

Watch for the next “Get to Know NETL” video as we highlight important work taking place at our facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.