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Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, WVU research group will receive up to $26 million to design cleaner, more efficient uses of fossil fuels
Three-University Consortium Receives Funding for Fossil Energy Research
A consortium of three universities—Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and West Virginia University—will receive up to $26 million in funding over the next two years to develop clean and efficient technologies for the use of fossil fuels. The results of its work could reduce regional as well as national dependence on foreign oil.
The partnership, called CWP Inc., will receive the funding through a subcontract with RDS Inc., an onsite contractor at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). NETL is the national laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy with facilities in five states, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. More than 75 scientists—with student researchers—at the three universities will work with more than 150 NETL scientists and researchers to address key areas of fossil fuel research.
Speaking on behalf of CWP Inc., Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, who also chairs the group’s board, said, "The three university members of this consortium have distinguished records of research, as well as a proud tradition of effective partnering. We are excited by the opportunities presented by the work to be done through this consortium. Our researchers are positioned to have a significant and positive impact on the economy, the environment, and national security, while further establishing our home region as a leader in energy research. We also are proud to have formalized this new relationship with NETL, which is a national resource and which has been an important research partner for all three of our universities for many years."
Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon and WVU President Mike Garrison also are members of the board.
"Joining this consortium is a natural outgrowth of West Virginia University's research focus on energy," said Garrison. "The economic future of our state and our region depends upon our ability to continue to develop dependable and affordable energy for the nation. Linking our research power with our sister universities in Pittsburgh for this project makes us all stronger."
"Developing clean and efficient technologies for the use of fossil fuels is a national priority," he added. "WVU faculty members will take a leading role in addressing some crucial energy research questions. The strong ties that our researchers already have with the National Energy Technology Laboratory will allow to move forward quickly."
Carnegie Mellon Chemical Engineering Professor Andrew Gellman has been appointed research director for the consortium. Under his direction, the university team will engage in a portfolio of research programs aimed at developing new technologies for fossil fuel utilization, reducing the environmental impact of fossil energy use, and optimizing the efficiency of energy production from fossil fuel sources. The combined capabilities and resources of the three universities and NETL create an energy research enterprise with unique capabilities and breadth of scope, Gellman said.
Pennsylvania and West Virginia hold millions of tons of coal, a fuel that can meet the country’s energy needs far into the future. Policymakers are calling on the region and the nation to use more of its plentiful coal reserves to increase the nation’s energy security. Scientists can advance research into better ways to use coal and convert it into cleaner-burning fuels, Gellman said.
"We need to develop improved turbine generators and new fuel cell technologies that use coal-derived synthetic fuels, along with new ways to capture and store greenhouse gases instead of releasing them into the atmosphere," Gellman said.
"The National Energy Technology Laboratory is encouraged and proud to work with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and West Virginia University," said NETL Director Carl Bauer. "By advancing science and technology in the region and the nation, this collaboration will provide clean, affordable energy for many generations of Americans and help secure national energy security."
The consortium will address these needs by focusing its research within eight program areas:
- Materials for energy technologies;
- Process and dynamic systems modeling;
- Catalyst and reactor development;
- Carbon management;
- Sensor systems and diagnostics;
- Energy conversion devices;
- Gas hydrates; and
- Ultradeep and unconventional oil and gas production technology.
March 24, 2008
Press Release from News and Information Services - WVU Today
WVU Environmental Program Wins $3 Million EPA Award
Source Water Protection Project Will Help Small Communities Address Water Quality
Morgantown, W.Va. — A West Virginia University environmental program won a $3 million, 18-month award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help very small communities learn how to protect their sources of drinking water.
The National Environmental Services Center (NESC) at WVU and its collaborator, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), will train and directly assist small drinking water system personnel and state and community officials across the country through the SMART About Water program. The program will focus on how to develop source water protection plans, a initiative of the EPA.
According to EPA reports, the leading polluter of small drinking water systems is untreated wastewater from failing septic tanks and small sewer systems.
"Source water protection involves a wide array of technologies, resources, and management options that for very small communities span from wastewater treatment to drinking water delivery," said Richard Bajura, program leader and director of the WVU National Research Center for Coal and Energy where NESC is housed.
SMART About Water stands for 'Strategic Management, and Available Resources and Technology.' "How people choose to fund and manage their water infrastructure is as a big a factor as the technology they use," Bajura said.
Plans will include ways that community leaders and homeowners can make sure wastewater systems are properly installed, maintained, and working over the long-term. "Septic systems and other small wastewater systems can in fact be the best choice for wastewater treatment in small communities, if they're properly maintained," said Bajura.
SMART About Water builds on the 30-year history of NESC's National Small Flows Clearinghouse, National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, and National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities, whose technical experts provide the latest information about small community water and wastewater systems. RCAP brings a 30-year history of offering assistance to small communities through its nearly 200 specialists in all 50 states.
"We think that NESC's university-based expertise coupled with RCAP's on-the-ground network is an exciting partnership that will deliver results," said Bajura.
The National Environmental Services Center (NESC) helps small and rural communities with their drinking water, wastewater, management, infrastructure security, and solid waste challenges. NESC is a program of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy at West Virginia University. To learn more, call (800) 624-8301 or visit www.NESC.wvu.edu.
WVU Training Holds Key to $ Billions in Natural Gas
Morgantown, W.Va.—West Virginia University's National Research Center for Coal and Energy is playing host to a packed house of geologists and engineers eager to learn more about how to tap the riches in Devonian Black Shale. The geological formation lays 4,000 to 8,000 feet below Appalachia spanning New York to Kentucky and holds an estimated $12 billion to $150 billion worth of natural gas.
Douglas Patchen, director of the NRCCE's Petroleum Technology Transfer Center which is conducting the two-day workshop this week, said that geologists and petroleum engineers are here to understand the natural fractures in the Devonian. Fractures play a critical role in recovering the most natural gas possible.
"Fracture formation in any geological basin is a complex process. It's pretty esoteric, but understanding it is what helps geologists and engineers find the resources we need to keep our homes warm at reasonable prices," said Patchen.
Depending on the weather, the average U.S. household uses between 82 to 86 thousand cubic feet, or Mcf, of natural gas each year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that residential consumers in the southeast and northeast tend to pay the most, with prices ranging from $17 to more than $20 per Mcf, or $1,394 to $1,720 per year. But states in which natural gas is produced or who have major gas distribution lines tend to pay between $10 and $15 per Mcf. West Virginians pay about $15 per Mcf.
"Demand from the east coast markets keeps our prices on the higher side," said Patchen. "To give you some idea how prices have changed, I paid 66 cents per Mcf for natural gas when I moved to Morgantown in 1966," said Patchen. "Resources are getting harder to retrieve making drilling and production for a single well more expensive, which is why learning how to get the most gas per well really does matter to the consumer," he said.
The instructor for the workshop, Terry Engelder, is a professor of geoscience at The Pennsylvania State University and the leading expert in fracture behavior in formations worldwide.
The 175 participants are from all the big oil and gas states in the U.S., including Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and many of the Appalachian states. "Companies such as Chesapeake and Dominion from the east, Range Resources and Ansbro from the west, and multinationals such as BP and Halliburton are interested in West Virginia and this particular play because of the money that can be made," said Patchen. "We turned away a couple dozen very unhappy people because we had a capacity audience," he said.
The WVU NRCCE's Petroleum Technology Transfer Center is one of six regional centers across the nation managed by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists dedicated to provide world class information about plays of greatest interest to the industry in each region.
a fuel they call Coal-ahol
In May, 2007, NRCCE and the WVU Department of Chemical Engineering exhibited at the Southern States Energy Board (www.sseb.org) American Energy Security Summit in Alexandria, VA. The Summit was lead by Gov. Joe Manchin (D-WV), current chair of the SSEB. (See the SSEB website for a FOX news clip featuring the Governor.) This WBOY news report features the work of West Virginia University as represented by the NRCCE and the Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Femi Olajide, research associate with the Department of Chemical Engineering, describes the research he and Dr. Elliot Kennel are conducting on a blended fuel that combines coal-to-liquid fuel with ethanol--a fuel they call Coal-ahol. The blend plays up the strengths of each fuel while downplaying the downside of each fuel alone. The clip also features Governor's representative to the SSEB, Patrick Esposito, Sr., who describes the importance of the energy summit.
NRCCE at the State Fair
NRCCE's Paul Crumrine explains the Chocolate Chip Cookie Mining game to WVU President David Hardesty at the 2007 West Virginia State Fair. The game is much like Monopoly in that each player buys "property" with money to make a profit and win. But this game is much more interactive (and messy) in that the property is a real chocolate chip cookie that kids must mine for chips using toothpicks or paperclips and then sell the chips to the power company. The game gives kids an introduction to the economics and importance of coal mining and is always a big hit. It includes lessons in mining operations, stewardship, and the reclamation process.
NESC Seeking New Director
Director, National Environmental Services Center at West Virginia University
The West Virginia University Research Corporation (WVURC) seeks to hire a Director to lead the National Environmental Services Center (NESC). The Director will provide visionary leadership to formulate, determine, and oversee execution of broad policies for overall direction and program development in direct service & research for the NESC. The Director will report to the Director of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy (NRCCE) which provides administrative oversight. This is a lead management role that plans, directs, and coordinates operational activities with the help of subordinate managers, including but not limited to professional management of NESC staff, programs, financial resources, and IT resources. The incumbent needs to be a proven leader with a strong work ethic who is qualified to lead a large organization that includes multiple areas of focus, including: technology assessment and development; the development of curricula and training programs; the distribution of program information; personnel and fiscal management; program development; and understanding and contributing to national policy affecting small communities. Requirements include a bachelor's degree, (master's or Ph.D. preferred) in a relevant field such as Technology, Engineering, Science, Education, Public Administration, Public Health, or Business and 7-10 years of related experience with at least two of the following kinds of organizations: federal, state, or local agencies; industry; not-for-profit; and/or academic institutions. The experience should include: fiscal management and development; strategic planning and execution; program development and accountability; effective selection, development, evaluation of, and delegation to employees; organizational growth, networking and partnership building, and contract and budget formulation, review, and negotiation. An equivalent amount of experience and education will be considered. Competitive salary & benefits package offered. Review of applications will begin by May 1 and will continue until the position is filled. For a detailed position description, see Web site: www.nesc.wvu.edu/nesc/jobs.htm
To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to: WVURC Department of Human Resources, P.O. Box 6221, Morgantown, WV 26506; or, by email to WVURCHR@mail.wvu.edu. The WVURC is an EEO employer. Additional information about the WVURC Department of Human Resources is available at: http://hr.research.wvu.edu/
WVU Minute Video 
The West Virginia University National Research Center for Coal and Energy, or NRCCE, is conducting programs to secure our nation's energy and protect our environment. View the NRCCE WVU Minute
Industries of the Future-West Virginia, a partnership between WVU's National Research Center for Coal & Energy and the West Virginia Development Office, is helping state industries become more efficient. View IOF-WV WVU Minute
Part of WVU's National Research Center for Coal and Energy, the West Virginia Water Research Institute is developing treatment technologies to restore waterways damaged by early mining operations. View WVWRI WVU Minute
Currents Newsletter
To view opportunities for conferences, seminars, workshops, calls for papers and the occasional RFP view the latest Currents Newsletter. [MSWord Doc] For past issues view the Currents Newsletter archives.