Following up on its success and interest previously in the summer, NETL will feature top-tier researchers and industry professionals in “Downstream Opportunities and Advancements,” the second entry in the Lab’s CarbonX Virtual Series.

Scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, from 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET, this webinar will highlight what happens when the best and brightest in America’s energy industries and its national laboratories focus their assets in the same direction.

“Downstream Opportunities and Advancements” will feature success stories from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and their respective partners, Cimarex and SoCalGas. The webinar will focus on the value of industry-lab collaborations focused on downstream technologies that are reducing the cost — and improving the performance — of many energy applications. The webinar will also feature a prominent executive consultant from professional services network Deloitte who will share valuable information about the current direction of the chemical industry under the umbrella of a circular economy.

Scheduled speakers for the event are:

• Edgar Lara-Curzio, Leader for Mechanical Properties, ORNL
• Sha-Chelle Manning, Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Cimarex
• David Heldebrant, Chief Scientist, PNNL
• Ron Kent, Advanced Technologies Development Manager for Major
• Bob Kumpf, Executive Specialist, Deloitte

“As we face the unprecedented challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that the Lab continue its mission of providing safe and affordable energy supplies,” noted Michael Knaggs, NETL’s Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships. “These webinars are one the avenues by which we can do just that by showing to the energy community what fruits can blossom when national laboratories and industry march in step.”

“Downstream Opportunities and Advancements” and the entire CarbonX Virtual Seriesserve the duel purposes of informing its attendees while providing a glimpse of what can be expected for the upcoming 2020 DOE CarbonX Summit, hosted by NETL as part of the Department’s InnovationXLab program.

The third and final webinar in the series, “Carbon Lifecycle and American Energy Policy,” is under development and event date will be announced later. The first webinar, “The Future of Carbon: Conversion Engineering,” featured speakers Randall W. Adkins, CEO of Ramaco Coal LLC, Steve Oldham CEO of Carbon Engineering Ltd., and Dr. Vijay Swarup Vice President of Research and Development for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.

“Our first webinar in this series was a huge success and was attended by more than 450 people,” NETL Director Brian Anderson said. “With so much interest garnered, we at NETL are very encouraged and greatly anticipate what’s to come as we move closer to our summit this fall. I hope that many of those who joined us earlier this summer will do so again.”

​More information on the summit itself and the webinar series can be viewed here. For more information regarding this event please e-mail all inquiries to InnovationXLab@netl.doe.gov.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory develops and commercializes advanced technologies that provide reliable and affordable solutions to America's energy challenges. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.