You keep hearing about all of the energy research going on around Texas A&M University but do you know who is doing the research? That information, and more, can be found on the Energy Institute's web site at our new web address:  energy.tamu.edu.

Currently, there are nearly 150 faculty researchers listed by research area - Bioenergy, Electric Power, Energy Efficiency, Geothermal, Nuclear, Oil & Gas, Solar and Wind. Clicking on the desired research area will take you to a page specific to that area. Once there, click on the "Faculty Expertise" tab which will direct you to a listing of all of the faculty members doing research in that area and their areas of expertise.

If you are involved in energy research at TAMU and are not listed on the EI web site but would like to be, please contact Robyn Pearson at rlpearson@tamu.edu or 979-458-1685.

This conference, hosted by the Texas A&M Energy Institute and the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), will highlight many of the cutting-edge research programs at Texas A&M University that explore the challenges and opportunities of conventional and emerging energy technologies that rely on the use and reuse of water. Student research will also be showcased during a reception where students will exhibit posters and answer questions about their current energy projects.

WHEN:     October 3-4, 2012

WHERE:    Hilton College Station & Conference Center

With participants from state agencies, multiple departments and other Texas A&M University System components, this conference will be of interest to faculty, students, community leaders, economic development professionals, and industry stakeholders throughout Texas.

Online registration will be available soon. Early-bird registration is $95.00 until September 21. After September 21, registration is $125.00. Registration includes continental breakfast both days, lunch and a reception.

Registration is free of charge to TAMU (College Station) faculty, staff and students but everyone must register to attend. There is no charge for non-TAMU students to attend.

For more information, visit our web site at energy.tamu.edu. 

Air emissions from oil and gas activities, particularly in south Texas, are becoming a critical issue. EPA AP-42 emissions factors have long been used as a cost-effective means of estimating emissions over large geographic areas containing many individual facilities and operations. However, this "one-size-fits-all" approach does not accurately fit oil and gas activities since the AP-42 emission factors assume uncontrolled engines.

The Texas A&M Energy Institute and the Texas Center for Applied Technology (TCAT) are working together to form an Industry Research Partnership that addresses oil and gas environmental issues accurately.

The four main research objectives of this partnership are:

• To develop an Emission and Load Factor Test Bed Facility specific to the needs of the O&G industry. The facility will improve, refine, modify or create emission factors and load factors that accurately reflect oil and gas activity.
• Compare emissions from oil and gas activities to other industrial activities resulting from economic growth in the surrounding areas. It is our hypothesis that emissions from oil and gas activity are going to be less than surrounding economic development of restaurants, hotels, utilities, military bases, etc.
• Test and evaluate air emission reduction technology such as mobile microgrid trailers that will not only save costs in fuel, but will reduce air emissions and can be used as an emission reduction credit.
• Develop policy recommendation that ensures use of emission factors that take into account emission controls on engines and load factors that take into account activity data.

Currently, the regulators are developing emissions estimates based on load factor assumptions at 100% and emission factors that assume uncontrolled engines.  The regulators recognize that these numbers are significantly inaccurate and dramatically overestimate emissions but claim there are no good data that support better accuracy for load factors or emission factors. 

This Industry Research Partnership will provide the accurate measurement of engine fuel rate for load factors, as well as the development of an emission factor database for industry engines.  

For more information about becoming a sponsor, click here.

The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), Texas A&M GPRI collaborator in Environmentally Friendly Drilling, has signed a contract with the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) for field testing of new technology to reduce the environmental footprint of oil and gas activities.

The three-year Technology Integration Program (EFD-TIP) will represent almost $10 million in funding from RPSEA, industry sponsors and EFD consortium members. The project includes planning and implementing field tests that demonstrate technologies to reduce the environmental footprint of O&G operations. The TIP funds will be used to field test identified technologies and further the research of new technologies. All plans will be vetted and prioritized by the EFD TIP Advisory Committee prior to implementation.

For more information about this agreement, click here.

PROCESS SAFETY RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE 21st CENTURY is a policy document developed by a representation of the global process safety academia following the unprecedented workshop held on October 21-22, 2011, at the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.

Dr. Sam Mannan says, "I firmly believe this document will shape the research and academic activities related to process safety in the 21st century." The research agenda is available to view on-line at http://psc.tamu.edu/library/center-publications.

MOU signing to Establish a Process Safety Program and Facility

TEES Engineering News - Representatives from the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center and the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology(RGIPT) Rae Bareli, India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on campus June 18. The MOU established a joint collaboration between the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) on behalf of the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center.  

The Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center, in conjunction with GexCon, will be hosting a course on Gas Explosion Hazards on Offshore Facilities on August 20 - 21, 2012 at Texas A&M University.  The course will feature a live large-scale demonstration.

Those interested in attending may register at http://engrevent.tamu.edu/event/100859 or call 979-458-1863. 

For detailed information, see the course announcement.

There are four internship positions open at the AgriLife facility in Pecos for undergraduates, graduate students, and those with completed college degrees. The $9-per-hour student positions are one or two semesters in duration, and housing is provided.

For the full job description, go to http://apps.system.tamus.edu/jobsearch/Default.aspx. Applicants may contact Lou Brown, project manager, at 432.445.5050 or lrbrown@ag.tamu.edu.