Since 2016, the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center (MKOPSC) and the Texas A&M Energy Institute (TAMEI) have joined forces to offers cutting-edge Safety in Energy Systems educational courses as part of the Master of Science in Energy program. The partnership was solidified with a formal agreement in 2022, enhancing joint efforts in research, education, and outreach.
The MKOPSC is a beacon of safety in the processing industry, serving industry, government, academia, and the public. The center is committed to developing safer processes, equipment, procedures, and management strategies to minimize losses. The MKOPSC academic program in Safety Engineering offers a multi-disciplinary masters degree and process safety certificates for undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students as well as a process safety practice certificate to meet the professional education needs of industry practitioners.
Together, MKOPSC and TAMEI administer a TAMEI Masters of Science in Energy module on safety in energy systems. This module equips students with the skills to ensure safety performance in energy systems. Students learn to take a systems approach to safety management, lifecycle analysis, energy supply chain, and the application of engineering principles of process safety and hazards analysis. Additionally, the partnership has resulted in shared students from the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University who are jointly supervised by MKOPSC and TAMEI faculty, fostering research at the intersection of energy systems and safety to prepare students to become future leaders in energy disciplines.
“Safety is a critical element of energy systems,” explains Dr. Faisal Khan, Interim Department Head in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering, Mike O’Connor Chair, Director of the MKOPSC and Director of the Ocean Energy Safety Institute. “This collaboration strengthens the ongoing efforts to ensure the safe and sustainable development of a new energy system and secure energy transition.”
Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center and the Texas A&M Energy Institute
“The partnership between the MKOPSC and TAMEI provides a unique opportunity to jointly explore innovations in sustainable energy transition focusing on safety, resilience, and security perspectives,” states Prof. Stratos Pistikopoulos, University Distinguished Professor, Dow Chemical Chair, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, and Director of TAMEI. “Together, we bring interdisciplinary expertise that is required to address these forthcoming challenges.”
MKOPSC and TAMEI have collaborated on research efforts totaling almost $6.7M to enable operational efficiencies for shale gas production, eliminate carbon emissions through electric heating processes, and offer educational courses on process intensification.
Together, MKOPSC and TAMEI administer a TAMEI Masters of Science in Energy module on safety in energy systems. This module, led by Dr. Faisal Khan, equips students with the skills to ensure safety performance in energy systems. Students learn to take a systems approach to safety management, lifecycle analysis, energy supply chain, and the application of engineering principles of process safety and hazards analysis.
The following provides details on these collaborative initiatives:
Research Collaborations
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers RAPID Deploying Intensified, Automated, Mobile, Operable, and Novel Designs “DIAMOND” For Treating Shale Gas Wastewater, led by Prof. Mahmoud El-Halwagi, Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, Bryan Research and Engineering Chair, and Managing Director of the TEES Gas and Fuels Research Center. The project developed integrated design and operating approaches for modular systems that can be deployed in the treatment of flowback and produced water resulting from shale gas production. (2019-2021)
- Department of Energy “COMPLETE” – COMPuter-aided, model-based process intensification LEarning, Training, and Education, led by Prof. Faruque Hasan, Assistant Director of Decarbonization at TAMEI, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, and the Kim Tompkins McDivitt ’88 and Phillip McDivitt ’87 Faculty Fellow. Project outcomes included a comprehensive educational and workforce-development training course in the area of modeling and simulation for process intensification and modular chemical process intensification. (2020)
- Department of Energy Electrified Processes for Industry without Carbon (EPIXC), TAMU lead is Dr. Mark Barteau, TAMEI Strategy and Initiatives Advisor, C. D. Holland ‘53 Chair in Engineering; and Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at Texas A&M University. The project is a public-private partnership aimed at securing U.S. manufacturing competitiveness in a global economic environment that increasingly demands eliminating carbon emissions by developing the technologies and workforce required to replace fossil fuel-based heating with electric heating. (2023-2028)
Educational Collaborations
- TAMEI Masters of Science in Energy Faculty – Dr. Faisal Khan: ICPE 626 Safety in Energy Systems – Focus on leadership and development of management systems to ensure safety performance in energy systems, a systems approach to safety management for energy systems, lifecycle analysis and the energy supply chain, and applications of engineering principles of process safety and hazards analysis.
- Joint Ph.D. Students – Currently, four doctoral students are shared between the MSOPSC and TAMEI and participate in joint research collaborations.
Outreach and Engagement
- TAMEI Distinguished Lecture Series in Energy Speaker: Dr. M. Sam Mannan, Regents Professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering and former director of the MKOPSC; Presentation title: Process Safety In Energy Systems to discuss liquified natural gas safety measures for dispersion and fire control and indicators for offshore well blowout incidents. (2016)
About Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center: MKOPSC is the world’s foremost university-based Process Safety Center. The Center serves industry, government, academia, and the public. It is a resource in education and research and provides service to all stakeholders. The mission of MKOPSC is to lead the integration of process safety through education, research, and service into learning and practice of all individuals and organizations. The center promotes process safety as a personal value that is second nature for all stakeholders through continuous progress toward zero injuries and elimination of adverse impacts on the community.