Energi Simulation, a Calgary-based not-for-profit organization, has committed an investment of $540,000 Canadian dollars over the next three years to support research on “Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)” at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). This program will serve as a vehicle for interdisciplinary collaboration among UT Austin faculty that enables them to address strategic areas of CCUS research.
This investment establishes the “Energi Simulation Industrial Affiliate Program on Carbon Utilization and Storage,” which will substantially facilitate the enhancement of CCUS technologies through collaborations among faculty and partners from industry and other research institutions
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At the Energi Simulation Industrial Affiliate Program on Carbon Utilization and Storage, the primary investigator, Dr. Ryosuke Okuno from the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at UT Austin, will lead strategic research and development efforts focused on the energy transition, including areas such as carbon capture/conversion/utilization/storage/transportation, hydrogen generation/storage/transportation, and renewable energy resources. This research program started in 2021 by integrating Dr. Okuno’s expertise in thermodynamics, chemistry, transport in porous media, and numerical simulation with technical needs from industry partners. As of October 2022, the program is supported by five industry partners along with Energi Simulation. Current projects in the program include:
a) Novel carbon carriers, such as formate species and CO2 nanobubble dispersion
b) Integrated CO2 capture/conversion
c) Electrification of CO2 conversion processes
d) Economic analysis of potential value chains in the energy transition
e) Hydrogen production/storage/transportation,
f) Advanced numerical simulation techniques and experimental studies for CO2 storage in conventional and tight formations
g) Carbon emission reduction in heavy-oil/bitumen production.
The Energi Simulation Industrial Affiliate Program on Carbon Utilization and Storage is expected to train at least one research associate, 19 PhD students, and nine MS students over the next three years, while raising $2,340,000 Canadian dollars of matching funds from industry and government.
“Practical solutions to technical challenges in the energy transition require a wide variety of expertise, highly qualified researchers, synergistic academic environment, and close collaboration with the energy industry, and we are well-positioned to serve as a premier research center toward sustainable development of energy resources,” says Dr. Okuno.“I am grateful for the generous support from Energi Simulation and their active involvement in our research program. Mr. Duke Anderson (President of Energi Simulation) and Mr. Andrew Seto (VP Technology of Energi Simulation) have been mentors for me over the past years, and I am excited to have this collaboration opportunity with them.”
