The Inaugural Issue
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The Texas A&M Energy Institute’s inaugural issue of Energy Matters is now available. This publication features 10 proposals that were selected for funding under the Texas A&M Energy Institute’s First Proposal Call in January 2015. The objective of this effort was to encourage innovative interdisciplinary energy research collaborations and to support groups of researchers working on important energy-related topics. Each proposal, led by an Energy Institute Faculty Affiliate, received a $50,000 seed grant and will be part of a competitive group proposal to be submitted to government agencies.
The publication is available for download. We hope you enjoy reading more about new frontiers in energy-related research here at Texas A&M University.
Kim: Ocean Renewable Energy Station
“Development of Synergetic/Mobile Multi-source Multi-purpose Ocean Renewable Energy Station”
Combining the broad knowledge and experience within a team of experts, Dr. Moo-Hyun Kim, a professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, is working to develop a synergistic and mobile ocean renewable energy station.
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Nasrabadi: Nanochannel Confinement of CO2 in Shale Reservoirs
“Exploring the Effect of Oil Swelling due to Nanochannel Confinement of CO2 for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Unconventional Reservoirs (Shale)”
Dr. Hadi Nasrabadi, an assistant professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, along with Dr. Debjyoti Banerjee, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, will perform theoretical and experimental studies to evaluate the confinement effects that shale reservoirs may present to change our understanding of CO2-oil interactions.
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Rediniotis: A Novel Wind Turbine
“Zephyrgy, A Novel Wind Turbine”
Dr. Othon Rediniotis, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Dr. Jorge L. Alvarado, an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution, are addressing the challenges of wind energy generation with a new small wind turbine called Zephyrgy.
Gibson: Common-Grid Models for Subsurface Fluid Flow
“Integrated Common-Grid Multiscale Models for Seismic Imaging of Subsurface Fluid Flow”
Dr. Richard Gibson, the Francesco Paolo di Gangi/Heep Endowed Professorship and professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, is leading a project to combine seismic wave data with flow data to create a simulator that is built on a common computational grid.
Mukherjee: Mesoscale Interactions in Li-Air Batteries
“Mesoscale Interactions in the Air Electrode for Li-Air Batteries”
Dr. Partha Mukherjee, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is investigating the multiscale electrode physics of energy storage within Li-ion batteries – analyzing electrochemical-thermal-mechanical interactions and physicochemical processes in battery electrodes, which he calls “electrodics.”
Wilhite: Computer-Aided Design and Discovery of Energy Materials
“Demonstration of Computer-Aided Design and Discovery of Materials for Energy Applications”
Dr. B.A. Wilhite, an associate professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, along with Dr. Tahir Cagin, a professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, are working to demonstrate that ab initio materials simulations are capable of providing an understanding of the chemistry, structure, and properties relationships for electroceramics.
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Mohtar: Water-Energy-Food Nexus
“Energy Development under Water Scarcity and Climate Change: A Case Study in the San Antonio, TX Region”
Dr. Rabi H. Mohtar, a TEES Endowed Professor in the Departments of Biological & Agricultural Engineering and Civil Engineering, along with Dr. Bruce A. McCarl, a Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics, are studying the interrelations of water, food, and energy, and the potential benefits for regional planning and coordination.
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McCarl: Logistics of Agricultural Feedstocks for Liquid Fuel Production
“Production/Logistics/Processing Design for the Use of Agricultural Feedstocks for Liquid Fuel Production: Case Studies in Two Regions”
Dr. Bruce A. McCarl, a Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics, is leading a team of engineers and supply chain experts that will prepare two case studies on a broad range of logistics issues related to cellulosic biofuel production.
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Han: Microalgae Domestication
“Domestication of Microalgae – From Natural Diversity to Synthetic Biology”
Dr. Arum Han, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, together with Dr. Timothy Devarenne, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, is working to develop an algal domestication program – a true paradigm shift in the biofuels area.
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Hasan: Separation and Storage of Methane
“A Single-Step Separation and Storage of Methane from Conventional and Unconventional Sources”
Dr. M. M. Faruque Hasan, an assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, is developing a way to simultaneously separate and store methane in the same vessel and use that vessel to transport the methane for processing using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
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