TUESDAY, MARCH 26
The University of Texas at Austin
Robert B. Rowling Hall (RRH), 300 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78705
Engineering Education & Research Center (EER), 2501 Speedway, Austin, TX 78705
8:00 – 8:30
Registration & Breakfast – Crum Auditorium Foyer, RRH 1.400FTexas Nuclear Symposium: Day 2
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Engineering Education & Research Center (EER), Room 3.646
7:00 a.m.Breakfast8:00 a.m.Welcome Remarks8:15 a.m.–Nuclear Robotics
–Robots in Dangerous Environments
–Robots & Humans9:15 a.m.–Defense & Nonproliferation
– Safeguards & Security
– Radiochemistry/ORNL
–Nuclear Test Detection10:00 a.m.Break10:15 a.m.–Medical/Health Physics & Medical Detectors
–Radiation Physics/Health Physics
-Medical Isotopes11:15 a.m.Stewardship (Radiation Effects)11:30 a.m.Future Vision & Closing Remarks
8:30 – 8:45
Opening Remarks – Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Brian Korgel, Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin
8:45 – 9:45
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS: PART 1
Carbon Management, CCUS
– Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Computational Design and Engineering of Biocatalysts for CO2 Conversion
Yi Lu (Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences) and Narayana Aluru (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)Combining Quantitative Leakage Risk Assessment with Financial Liability for CO2 Geologic Storage
Sahar Bakhshian and Susan Hovorka (Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences) and James Dyer (Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management; McCombs School of Business)Self-Sealing Capacity of Wellbore Cement Under Geologic CO2 Storage
Charles Werth and Maria Juenger (Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering; Cockrell School of Engineering) and Sahar Bakhshian (Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences)Carbon Dioxide Hydrates-Based Carbon Sequestration on the Seabed
Vaibhav Bahadur (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Yingda Lu (Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)Impacts of Geochemistry on Carbon Dioxide Adsorption in Organic-Rich Mudrocks
Zoya Heidari and Nicolas Espinoza (Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)Laboratory experiments and modeling to accurately evaluate critical CO2 saturation for geologic carbon storage
Hailun Ni and Sahar Bakhshian (Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences) and David DiCarlo (Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)Long-term Surveillance of Plugged and Abandoned Wells for Immediate Detection of CO2 Leakage in Geologic Carbon Storage Sites
Sahar Bakhshian, Susan Hovorka and Michael H. Young (Jackson School of Geosciences – Bureau of Economic Geology)Enabling Zero Carbon Emission by Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Technology
Guihua Yu, Jamie Warner and Yuanyue Liu (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute)Study CO2 foams in an effort to improve long-term
Angel Wileman and Sarah Stuart (Southwest Research Institute – SwRI); David DiCarlo and Masa Prodanovic (Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering)Study CO2 pipeline flow behaviors as part of a larger effort to facilitate large-scale carbon capture utilization
and storage (CCUS)
Kevin Supak and Kelsi Katcher (Southwest Research Institute – SwRI); Yingda Lu (Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)
9:45 – 10:30
Clean Hydrogen
Hydrogen Production at Natural Gas Wellheads
Yingda Lu and Kishore Mohanty (Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)
Controlling Intrinsic Defects in Metal Oxides for High-Performance, Low-Cost Green Hydrogen Production
Delia Milliron, Joaquin Resasco and Wennie Wang (McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)
Integrated Computational and Experimental Microscopic Elucidation of Amorphous Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting
Wennie Wang, Joaquin Resasco and C. Buddie Mullins (McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering)
Ammonia Reforming to Hydrogen Using Non-Equilibrium Plasma Discharges
Fabrizio Bisetti and Thomas Underwood (Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Cockrell School of Engineering)
Develop and evaluate an enhanced turbine cooling method to facilitate the use of cleaner hydrogen fuel engine applications
David Bogard (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Ellen Smith (Southwest Research Institute – SwRI)
Create a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for producing hydrogen fuel
Thomas C. Underwood (Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics), Fabrizio Bisetti (Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics | Oden Institute), Graeme Henkelman (Department of Chemistry | Oden Institute), C. Buddie Mullins and Michael Miller (Southwest Research Institute – SwRI)
Leveraging Permian Basin Assets for the Emerging Clean Hydrogen Energy Economy in Texas
Michael C. Lewis (Center for Electromechanics, Cockrell School of Engineering) and Ning Lin (Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences)
10:30 – 10:45
Break
10:45 – 11:30
BETWEEN TWO CACTI WITH BRIAN KORGEL
The Case for Collaboration: Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Academia to Advance Energy Research – Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Haibin Xu (Shell) and Dominic Clausi (ExxonMobil), in conversation with Brian Korgel (Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin)
11:30 – 12:30
Lunch | Research Poster Session for Morning Research Teams: Carbon Management, CCUS, and Clean Hydrogen
Rowling Hall Atrium, RRH 1.300 | Crum Auditorium Foyer, RRH 1.400FWorkshop: From Hydrogen Market Development to Project Development
Hosted in Partnership with the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN)
11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m
RRH 5.210 (5th Floor Special Events Room)
Hydrogen has been widely discussed as potentially playing a significant role in a decarbonized future. Sitting at the intersection of the “electron” and “molecule” sides of the energy industry, hydrogen has the potential to work in concert with other key energy vectors and decarbonization tools to aid in the push toward a cleaner future. This half-day workshop will explore the potential role hydrogen could play in the broader economy and highlight challenges associated with growing the global market.
The workshop will feature three key segments:
Hydrogen Market (11-11:45am): An overview of the global hydrogen market, including a view of foundational supply and demand dynamics.
Amy Herbert, CEO, Arcadia Fuels
Ryan Eslicker, Business Development Director, EDF
Ryan Macaluso, Manager of New Energies & Carbon, Motiva Enterprise
Moderator: TBA
Hydrogen and Geopolitics (12:30-1:15pm): The interplay of national and regional actors in driving demand and supply for clean hydrogen globally.
Chris Hardy, Hydrogen Origination, Chevron
Lindsey Bok, Lower Carbon Manager, Equinor
Dickson Chin, Partner, Jones Day
Moderator: Michael Webber, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Hydrogen Project Commercialization (1:30-2:15pm): Navigating the project commercialization process and assessing new commercial models required to make hydrogen projects bankable.
Abby Spring-Mann, Managing Partner, Société General
Marc Van Den Boom, Senior Vice President of Operations US Gulf Coast, Worley
Kyle Doherty, Senior Associate, Baker Botts LLP
Moderator: Drake Hernandez, Hydrogen and Low-Carbon Fuels, Charles River Associates
12:30 – 1:30
UT ENERGY SYMPOSIUM: Can Business Models Accelerate Sustainable Energy Transitions in the Commercial Sector Without the Need for Government & Utility Incentives or Feed-In Tariffs? The Budderfly Case Study
Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Matthew Nemerson
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Budderfly
1:30 – 2:15
Panel Discussion
Getting a Head Start on Innovation: Insights from Student Energy Startup Founders – Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Joshua Ammon Johnson (A&M Prairie View, senior)
Founder, Horizon
Jack Phillips (University of Texas at Austin, graduated 2023)
CEO, MACH Transit
Sajana Raj (University of Texas at Austin, sophomore)
Founder and CEO, Energy Umbrella
Jeremy Pitts (Moderator)
Managing Director, Activate Houston
2:15 – 3:00
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS: PART 2
Environmental Monitoring, Supply Chain, Circular Economy and Policy
– Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Uncertainty Quantification for Circular Economies and Supply Chains
Michael Baldea (Oden Institute and McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering) and Erhan Kutanoglu (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Developing a Network of Ecological Sensors for Analysis of Long-Term Acoustic and Environmental Data
Timothy Keitt and Andrea Contina (Department of Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences)
Go Clean Fast: The Political Economy of Green Industrial Policy
Joshua W. Busby and Nathan Jenson (Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs)
Industrial Decarbonization
Breaking the Hydrocarbon Cascade in Electric Process Heating: Strategies for Upgrading Fuel Gas Streams
Michael Baldea, Thomas C. Underwood and Buddie Mullins (McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)
Modernizing Brownfield Electric Power System Reliability and Quality to Support the Electrification of Industrial Processes
Surya Santoso and Brian Johnson (Chandra Family Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Water Use & Conservation
The Effects of Surfactants, Salt Concentration and Suspended Solids on Selective Oil Permeation
Lynn Katz and Frank Seibert (Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, Center for Energy and Environmental Resources)
3:00 – 3:30
Break
3:30 – 4:30
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS: PART 3
Power Grid and E-Mobility; Low/Zero-Carbon Fuels and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)
– Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
The Future of Geothermal in Texas: Exploring Technology Breakthroughs & Policy Solutions
Hosted by PowerHouse Texas and the Texas Energy & Climate Caucus
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Texas State Capitol Extension Hearing Room E2.030
(See page 5 of the Capitol visitor map here.)
This Energy Innovation Forum brings together leading experts to discuss the latest geothermal technology breakthroughs, the status of implementing geothermal-related legislation from last session, and what more the legislature can do to support this rapidly growing industry.
Senator Brian Birdwell, District 22
Jennifer Bremer, Executive Director, Texas Land & Mineral Owner Association
Cindy D. Taff, CEO, Sage Geosystems
Dr. Ken Wisian, Associate Director, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin
Jason Sorter, Community Engagement and Policy Director, Geothermal Rising
Moderator: Matt Welch, Executive Vice President, Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance
You may register here for this affiliated event.
Lower Grid Emissions and Better Grid Performance
Kara Kockelman (Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering) and Benjamin Leibowicz (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering)
Toward Equitable Transportation Electrification in Austin, TX
Junfeng Jiao, Kijin Seong and Abigail Johnson (Community and Regional Planning, School of Architecture)
Advanced Algorithms for Optimizing Electricity Demand of Electric Vehicle Fleets in Texas to Support the Grid and Local Communities
Javad Mohammadi and Sergio Castellanos (Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering; Cockrell School of Engineering)
A Modular and Flexible DC-AC Converter Cell for Future Grid Systems
Brian Johnson and Alex Hanson (Chandra Family Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Manufacturing of High-Strength Nanolattice Coating for Cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Storage
Chih-Hao Chang and Li Shi (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Analysis of Permian Basin Clean Ammonia Production, Distribution, and Market Demand
Michael Lewis (Center for Electromechanics), Ning Lin (Bureau of Economic Geology) and Vaibhav Bahadur (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Microbial Reactions during Underground Hydrogen Storage
Kishore Mohanty and Wen Song (Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering)
4:30 – 5:15 p.m.
Startup Night Keynote Address – Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Nicole Iseppi
Director, Global Energy Innovation, Bezos Earth Fund
5:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Startup Night: Energy Startup Spotlight Presentations – Crum Auditorium, RRH 1.400
Jhana Porter
Founder, CEO, Frakktal
Joselyn Lai
Co-Founder, CEO, Bedrock Energy
5:30 – 7:30
Startup Night: Evening Reception – RRH 5.210 (5th Floor Special Events Room)
Energy Startup Showcase & Mixer (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)
Featured guests:
• Activate Houston
• Austin Urban Technology Movement
• Bedrock Energy
• Capital Factory
• Energy Umbrella
• Frakktal
• Genesis UT
• Horizon
• IC2 Institute
• MACH Transit
• Launchpad UT
• Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E)
• Texas Venture Labs
• Tech Ranch
• UT Inclusive Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Verified Carbon
Research Poster Session for Afternoon Teams (5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
Topics: Environmental Monitoring, Supply Chain, Circular Economy, Policy, Industrial Decarbonization, Water Use & Conservation, Power Grid & E-Mobility, Low/Zero-Carbon Fuels and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)
Energy Venture Practicum: Elevator Pitches (6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)