Coal powered the industries that created and transported products used by millions all over the world before other fuel options became more prevalent. By working on ways to extract rare earth elements (REEs) from coal and its by-products, NETL researchers are unlocking innovations that could once again make one of America’s most abundant natural resources part of the products people use every day.

NETL researchers are studying supercritical CO2 power cycles to improve thermal efficiency and alleviate adverse environmental impacts of using fossil fuels to generate power—work they hope will someday result in zero emissions and record-breaking efficiencies. This work features a special type of combustion known as oxyfuel combustion (or oxycombustion), in which oxygen rather than ambient air is used to combust fuel. The resulting flue gas is composed of highly concentrated, or supercritical, CO2.

Researchers and engineers from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will join turbomachinery colleagues from around the world at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Turbo Expo, presented by the ASME International Gas Turbine Institute, to be held June 26–29, 2017, in Charlotte, N.C. This international conference and exposition brings together thousands of experts each year to share the latest in turbine technology, research, development, and application.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the availability of $20 million for cost-shared oil and gas research projects to increase recovery efficiency from unconventional oil and gas wells and to prevent offshore spills and leaks.  This new funding opportunity seeks projects that will advance DOE’s objective to support a more environmentally responsible, secure, and resilient U.S. energy infrastructure, while enhancing economic competitiveness and national security.

The Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) – a ministerial-level initiative focused on the development of improved, cost-effective technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS) – has recognized two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects led by the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

While gas turbines are integral to the propulsion of ships across the oceans and jets streaking through sky, many may not realize that these devices are responsible for producing vital electricity that helps powers our Nation. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is dedicated to ensuring our energy security, and developing and improving novel energy technology is part and parcel to its mission.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and National Energy Technology Laboratory today announced the availability of $12 million to advance new geological carbon storage projects that enable safe, cost-effective, and permanent geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2).  Two funding opportunity announcements (FOA), under FE’s Carbon Storage Program, will advance the development and validation of storage technologies associated with enhanced oil recovery operations or injection into a saline reservoir.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and National Energy Technology Laboratory today announced up to a $12.3 million for a new funding opportunity to advance crosscutting research that enhances fossil energy power system efficiency.  As part of FE’s Crosscutting Research Program, research and development efforts are intended to create cost-effective progress toward achieving benefits for electric generating units and industrial plants that use fossil fuel. The five focus areas are as follows:

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and National Energy Technology Laboratory have selected seven colleges and universities to receive $2.4 million for projects that advance fossil fuel technologies and also provide educational and research training opportunities. The projects were selected through the University Coal Research (UCR) Program and the Historically Black Colleges & Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU/OMI) Program. 

The Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF), an international, ministerial-level organization focused on the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, has selected the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP), as a CSLF-recognized project. The CSLF chooses projects that contribute sufficiently to the advancement of CCS technology deployment. The organization has only recognized about 50 projects worldwide over the past decade.