Technical Sessions at the Texas A&M Conference on Energy

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1. Agricultural Economics in Energy
   This session focuses the agricultural economics research in energy-related topics. The session topics cover energy economics related with climate change, agricultural development, biofuels production, and water policies.

2. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery Design
   This session focuses on the thermochemical, catalytic, and/or biological production of fuels, chemicals, and/or other valuable products from biomass. Increased focus on the development of a sustainable energy economy requires continued growth in renewable energy, especially that originating from biomass. Studies that focus on the computational design of biorefineries and experimental studies that focus on the biological, catalytic, and/or thermochemical conversion of biomass into fuels, chemicals, and/or other valuable products are invited.

3. Catalysis and Reaction Engineering for Energy Applications
   This session focuses on the catalysis and reaction engineering with respect to energy applications. Invited papers will investigate the design of reactors by accounting for kinetics and transport phenomena. Catalysis plays a significant role in many of these reactors, leading to more efficient and greener processing routes. Integrated approaches of catalysis science and chemical reaction engineering are encouraged.

4. Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Storage
   This session covers the recent developments in the capture, utilization, and sequestration of CO2, including the advances in novel materials and technologies for CO2 storage and conversion into value-added chemicals. Contributed papers will examine the current research and outline the future trends in all the relevant fields associated with the handling of carbon dioxide emitted from stationary sources.

5. Combustion Science and Technology
   This session covers developments in combustion science and technology focused on improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions from energy conversion. Subjects covered include but are not limited to: reaction kinetics; solid fuel combustion; detonations, explosions and supersonic combustion; spray, droplet and supercritical combustion; stationary combustion systems; internal combustion engines; gas turbine combustion; formation and control of pollutants, and novel combustion concepts, technologies and systems.

6. Data Science and Analytics in Energy Applications
   The session focuses on the emerging data science methods and data-mining techniques and their applications in energy applications. Studies with an emphasis on use of data analytics in smart manufacturing, process safety, energy security, data-driven modeling, and industrial applications are invited to this session.

7. Energy Policy, Law, Security, and Societal Impact
   This session discusses the approaches to spur energy technology development and adoption, to maintain and increase living standards through regulation, and to minimize adverse societal effects dependent on energy use. Submissions that explore approaches pertaining to these and investigate effects of the current policies are encouraged.

8. Energy Storage Technologies
   Worldwide energy consumption keeps growing at a steady pace due to the growing world population. The current energy consumption and usage scenarios have prompted the search of technologies that would open room for future opportunities in the energy sector. In this respect, electrochemical energy storage systems (EESS) such as batteries and supercapacitors are devices that offer a promising solution. This session seeks contributions in all areas where electrochemical energy devices are being investigated. Particular interest is placed on contributions that deal with development, modeling, synthesis, characterization and use of batteries and supercapacitors as electrochemical power sources.

9. Energy Use in Transportation and Urban Systems
   This session addresses the shift in energy usage in the transportation sector including marine, aviation, rail, light duty vehicles and heavy duty vehicles. Invited abstracts will explore fuel efficiency improvement and explore the shift of current transportation fuels to more environmentally friendly and renewable fuels. This session also discusses the approaches to meet the strong growth in electricity demand in commercial and residential areas. Papers are sought out for the discussion for improving the standard of living while maintaining sustainability through the improvement of building designs and energy consuming technologies such as water heaters, air conditioners, appliances, computers, and smart devices.

10. Environmental Impacts of Energy Production
    Increasing world population coupled with increasing energy demand will place significant burdens on the environment. This session is focused on the environmental implications as associated with climate change from the use of natural resources. Discussions on environmental policy and law are also invited.

11. Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Fuel Cell Technologies
    This session covers technologies for the production of hydrogen such as reforming of natural gas, gasification of coal and biomass, and the splitting of water via water-electrolysis, photo-electrolysis, photo-biological production, and high temperature decomposition. The discussions also include include materials and technologies developed for the economical storage of the produced hydrogen. Studies focusing on recent theoretical and practical developments in fuel cell design are invited to this session. Topics include novel fuel cell materials, catalysts, and energy efficiency. Abstracts on the design and modeling of fuel cell systems at different levels, applications and markets in electric vehicles, power systems, co-generation systems are also encouraged.

12. Modeling, Simulation, and Design of Energy Systems
    This session focuses on computational efforts towards the modeling and simulation of upstream and downstream processes in the oil & gas, renewables, nuclear and coal industries. The design, modeling, and simulation of energy systems for the production of high-value products is a key component of demonstrating the technical feasibility of a process. Novel studies characterizing mechanistic and chemical properties related to equipment, reactors, and other novel components of energy systems are invited. Studies featuring optimization-based design strategies or process intensification techniques are also invited to this session.

13. Multifunctional Materials for Energy Applications
    Multifunctional materials are those that exhibit specific desirable properties. They are usually synthesized as composites by carefully selecting different materials and using a rational design approach. The use of such materials in energy applications include, but are not limited to, separations and light-weight strong materials for mechanical applications. Papers related to the design, synthesis, characterization, modeling, testing, scalability, implementation and use of these materials in all areas relevant to energy and process efficiency are invited.

14. Natural Gas Production and Supply Chain
    This session covers the production of natural gas and the related supply chains. Contributed papers will examine the current research and outline the future trends in all the relevant fields associated with the circuit of natural gas from well-pads (including shale reservoirs) to the consumers.

15. Nuclear, Geothermal, and Hydroelectric Energy Technologies
    This session brings together state of the art research on alternative energy applications to strengthen knowledge in the following topics: nuclear, geothermal, and hydroelectric technologies. The authors are encouraged to submit abstracts on various stages of the following: nuclear equipment; nuclear plant planning, operation, sustainability, and life-cycle assessments; hydroelectric power production efficiency; and enhanced geothermal systems. Contributions on engineering technologies and empirical methods applied to the aforementioned alternative sources of energy are welcome.

16. Oil & Gas Exploration and Production
    This session covers the exploration and production of petroleum, including discussions on conventional or unconventional reservoirs and drilling technologies. Contributed papers will examine the current research and outline the future trends in all the relevant fields associated with the exploitation of petroleum deposits.

17. Optimization and Control of Multi-Scale Energy Systems
    This session covers mainly optimal planning, scheduling, and control of multi-scale energy systems. Successful operation of an energy system requires efficient resource management and applications ranging from enterprise-wide supply chain optimization or strategic planning to optimization and control of smaller-scale energy production systems are invited to this session. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, production of fuels and chemicals starting with carbonaceous feedstock or renewables. (For works focusing specifically on natural gas applications, please see Natural Gas Production and Supply Chain session).

18. Outlook, Planning, Operation, and Impacts of Renewables
    The session aims to address various aspects of the renewable energy sources. Topics include forecasting techniques and uncertainty modeling of various sources of renewable energy, the outlook of the future of renewables, as well as research focusing operation and impact of renewable energy sources. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts on wind, solar, biofuels, and photovoltaic energy production methods.

19. Process Safety Management and Risk Assessment
    The session emphasizes on research needs driven by industrial accidents with focus on emerging process safety technologies. The session welcomes the contributions on reactive chemical hazards, probabilistic safety and risk assessment methods, advanced risk models, control systems, equipment integrity and reliability analysis, resilient/sustainable methods in chemical, onshore and offshore industry.

20. Smart Electricity Grids
    The session addresses various energy-related topics on smart electricity grids from theory to practice. The contributions are expected to disseminate results of research on smart grid that relates to, arises from, or deliberately influences energy generation, transmission, distribution and delivery. The topics will include the research on big data analytics, asset and outage management, cyber-security issues, energy storages, substation automation, demand side management, electricity markets, synchrophasor technology, and micro grids.

21. The Water-Energy-Food Nexus
    Actions taken in either the energy, food, or water sector have important and sometimes detrimental consequences in the other sectors. These sectors are undoubtedly linked and a holistic viewpoint must be taken in order to simultaneously improve synergies between the three components. This session invites studies focused on the analysis of the energy-food-water nexus.