Number of Projects	Total Value* (Million $)	DOE Share (Million $)	Job Benefits**
Coal & Power Projects	9	$16.91	$15.33	482
Oil & Gas Projects	17	$17.02	$12.06	458

*Includes DOE and private sector cost-sharing

**An average of 28.5 direct and indirect jobs per $1 million in R&D funding is used based on the Department of Commerce's Regional Input-Output Modeling System II formula.

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Studying Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) Techniques, Greenhouse Gas Removal, Separation Membranes, Fuel Cells, Emissions Issues

• Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL, is conducting 5 research projects, each fully-funded by DOE, with a total combined value of $12.14 million.

  • Evaluating CO2 Sequestration Technologies - Concerns over possible global climate changes due to increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as CO2 is placing greater emphasis on the development of highly efficient, coal-based power plants and CO2 capture and sequestration. In this fully DOE-funded $1.02 million project, ANL researchers are evaluating CO2 capture and sequestration technologies for integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) technology. The project researchers will compare new CO2 sequestration technologies against currently available technologies.

  • Ceramic Membranes for Hydrogen Separation - In the long term, hydrogen is expected to be the energy carrier of choice for both stationary power and transportation applications. To realize this potential future, cost-effective hydrogen separation membrane technologies need to be developed for successful application to fossil fuel-based hydrogen production. In this fully DOE-funded $4.04 million project, ANL researchers are developing ceramic membranes to separate hydrogen containing gaseous mixtures from the products of coal gasification, natural gas partial oxidation, and the water-gas shift reaction. The researchers will identify suitable materials for the membranes, fabricate them, and study and evaluate their performance.

  • SOFC Research and Development - Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer an efficient, clean approach to generating electricity. However, their high operating temperatures and low sulfur tolerance reduce the economics and longevity of their materials. In this $5.38 million project, fully-funded by DOE, ANL scientists are researching strategies to decrease the operating temperature and develop materials that can resist sulfur-containing contaminants. In addition, ANL will also analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different SOFC designs and systems that have been proposed.

  • Support of SECA: Converting Diesel Fuel into Gas - ANL is also conducting a fully-funded $800,000 project to perform catalyst development for auto-thermal reforming of diesel fuel into hydrogen-rich gas and provide independent expertise for program management support. ANL will explore new catalysts that are more stable under diesel reforming conditions.

  • Hydrogen Production by Water Dissociation Using Ceramic Membranes - ANL is conducting a fully-funded $900,000 project which will attempt to develop a mixed-conducting dense ceramic membrane that can be used to generate hydrogen by water dissociation at moderate temperatures.

Universities Investigating Fuel Cell Development

• Interaction Between Fuel Cell, Power Conditioning System and Application Load - University of Illinois, Chicago IL, is working on a $1.12 million project (DOE share: $652,000) to investigate through means of computer simulation the interactions between the fuel cell, the power conditioning system and application loads.

• Novel Alloys for Fuel Cells - Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL, is investigating novel alloys (eg., TiC-Ni-Ni3Al) for solid oxide fuel cell interconnect applications. DOE is contributing $283,000 to this $356,000 project.

Illinois Nonprofit Developing Emissions Controls

• Ultra-Low NOx System - Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL, is developing an ultra-low NOx pulverized coal boiler system to help meet more stringent power plant emissions standards in the future. The system preheats pulverized coal to elevated temperatures before feeding it into the furnace chamber. At the elevated temperatures, coal volatiles are released, creating a reducing environment in the chamber that converts nitrogen compounds into molecular nitrogen. The project has a total value of $2.95 million (DOE share: $2.00 million).

Illinois Company Involved in Mercury Control R&D Project

• Fate of Mercury in Byproduct Gypsum - USG Corporation, Chicago, IL will determine what happens to mercury in byproduct gypsum produced via flue gas desulfurization systems at coal-fired plants when that gypsum is used to produce wallboard in commercial manufacturing facilities. This research will investigate the susceptibility of mercury to leaching into groundwater when the wallboard is placed into landfills at the end of its life cycle. Total project cost is $346,000 with DOE contributing $259,000.

National Laboratory Boosting Oil Production, Protecting the Environment

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL, is the site of seven projects. The projects have a combined value of $2.85 million and are improving exploration and reservoir characterization methods, improving processing technology, and disseminating information to industry.

• Ceramic Borehole Sealants - This $50,000 DOE-funded project focuses on development of novel Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramic borehole sealants based on a technology developed by ANL. Realizing the importance of these novel sealants in the oil drilling and completions industry, LANL joined with ANL to tailor the sealants for subsurface engineering applications in the oil and gas industries. This project will meet a need for a versatile sealing material for use in the drilling and completion of multilateral, horizontal, and deviated wells that current cement formulations do not meet or cannot achieve.

• Water and Waste Regulatory Analysis - The purpose of this $1.30 million DOE-funded project is to review EPA general NPDES permits for offshore gas and oil activities. ANL will provide assistance to DOE and EPA during development of new regulations for synthetic-based drilling fluids. They will evaluate regulatory barriers impeding a pilot project to use drill cuttings to restore wetlands, and track developments in the LEAF v. EPA court decision concerning hydraulic fracturing of coal bed methane wells. ANL also will assist states with their salt cavern wastes disposal programs, and provide assistance to the State and foreign governments on E&P waste management practices.

• Office Support for Natural Gas and Oil Technology Partnerships - The objective of this $152,000 DOE-funded project is to provide office support for the Natural Gas & Oil Technology Partnerships program.

• Application of High-Powered Lasers - The conceptual design of a laser-based drilling system will be initiated. If this technology can be developed to cost-effectively drill deep wells, it could cause a revolution in the drilling industry on the same scale of changing from cable tool to rotary drilling rigs a century ago. DOE is contributing the entire $935,000 for this project.

• Life Cycle Assessment - In this $250,000 DOE-funded project, ANL will provide life cycle analyses on several projects that were recommended as being valuable to the oil and natural gas industries by the Petroleum Environmental Research Forum. The projects will develop tools and data that the industry can use to improve environmental protection and interaction with regulatory agencies.

• Ceramic Borehole Sealants for Arctic Environment - ANL will transfer their chemically bonded phosphate ceramic borehole sealants technology to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.  ANL will also participate in field tests of this technology in Alaska.  DOE is contributing the entire $50,000 for this project.

• Super Cement for Wells - In this $117,000 DOE-funded project, Argonne National Lab will develop novel super cements for hot and deep wells. These cements will be phosphate-based and will exhibit superior performance, especially in very deep wells where conventional drilling cements fail.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) Studying Ways to Upgrade Low-Quality Gas, Apply Biotechnology to Clean Environment

• Eight projects at GTI, Des Plaines, IL, are valued at a combined total of $12.12 million and are currently receiving $7.97 million in funding from DOE.

  • Laser Drilling - In a $4.55 million project (DOE share: $3.13 million), GTI researchers are investigating the technical and economic feasibility of using laser tools to drill natural gas wells.

  • Control Internal Pipeline Corrosion - In this $784,000 project (DOE share: $509,000) GTI proposes to conduct an experimental program to analyze the environmental conditions associated with the interior of iron and steel pipelines used for the transmission and storage of natural gas, and how microbial influenced corrosion forms inside these structures. Once a laboratory simulation system has been constructed and operated, GTI will evaluate the components or constituents of pepper extracts.

  • Gas Liquid Membranes for Natural Gas Upgrading - The purpose of this $1.9 million project, for which DOE contributes $858,000, is to develop gas/liquid membrane contractors for natural gas applications.

  • Selective Cleavage of Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds - The goal of this project is to develop biochemical pathways for the selective cleavage of C-N bonds in molecules found in petroleum. DOE is contributing $867,000 of the $1.08 million total for this project.

  • Sealing Large Diameter Cast-Iron Pipe Joints - The objective of this $650,000 project (DOE share: $520,000) is to design, test, and commercialize a robotic system capable of sealing multiple cast iron bell and spigot joints from a single pipe entry point. The proposed system will effect repairs while the pipe remains in service by traveling through the pipe, cleaning each joint surface, and attaching a stainless steel sleeve lined with epoxy-impregnated felt across the joint. Coiled tubing equipment will be designed to optimize the push distance from a single pipe entry point.

  • Modeling Accidental LNG Releases - In partnership with the Chemical Hazards Research Center at the University of Arkansas, GTI researchers are using a unique test facility and specialized modeling tools to evaluate the potential consequences of accidental releases of LNG. DOE is contributing $438,000 to this $547,000 project.

  • Plastic Pipe Repair Sleeve - This objective of this $298,000 project (DOE Share: 149,000) is to develop a plastic pipe repair sleeve; a simple, mechanical device that can be installed on a 4-inch polyethylene pipe under system operating pressure.

  • Pipeline Inspection Technology - The goal of this project is to develop, construct, integrate and demonstrate an accurate and dependable in-line pipeline inspection tool for currently unpiggable transmission pipelines and distribution mains and the required supporting technologies. The work will integrate a remote field eddy current sensor with a robotic platform and demonstrate the ability to detect pipeline defects in a live gas pipeline. DOE is contributing $1.5 million to this $2.3 million project.

University to Study Local Oil Development Prospects

• Development Opportunities in the Illinois Basin - The University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, is taking a systems approach to identifying exploration and development opportunities in the Illinois Basin. Researchers will develop a digital portfolio of oil plays in the under-explored Lower Paleozoic rocks of the Illinois Basin. DOE is contributing $800,000 to this $1.2 million project.

State Agency to Prepare to Easily Identify Oil Fields in Illinois

• Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL, will provide the data, data access, and data management to enable industry to more quickly and easily identify and drill areas with high potential for increased oil production in and around existing oil fields in Illinois. DOE is contributing $431,000 to this $857,000 project.