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| | Terra Watts Inc. | Kaitlyn Suarez | Dr. |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Underground wireless power and data transmission for buried sensor networks to increase resource recovery |
| TN |
| | MantleIQ Incorporated | RJ McIntosh | Founder & CEO |
Small Business
|
Other Energy Technologies
| MantleIQ is developing an AI-powered Subsurface Characterization and Geological Intelligence platform that integrates geological, geophysical, environmental, infrastructure, and regulatory datasets into decision-ready intelligence for complex subsurface energy systems.
The platform supports reservoir characterization, site screening, resource system evaluation, and development planning through advanced data integration, machine learning, geospatial analytics, and predictive modeling. MantleIQ combines geological surveys, well logs, gravity and magnetic data, seismic interpretation support, remote sensing, environmental information, and infrastructure intelligence within a unified analytical environment.
Core capabilities include subsurface characterization, reservoir intelligence, geological data harmonization, numerical modeling support, knowledge graph development, AI/ML-enabled decision support, and multi-source data fusion. The platform is designed to reduce uncertainty, accelerate technical assessments, and improve decision-making across multidisciplinary teams working in low-permeability subsurface environments.
MantleIQ seeks collaboration opportunities supporting reservoir characterization, stimulation technologies, enhanced recovery programs, monitoring and verification systems, geothermal development, carbon storage, natural hydrogen assessment, and related subsurface energy applications.
The company has partnered with the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) under a CRADA pursuit and is further interested in teaming with national laboratories, universities, reservoir engineering organizations, geomechanics specialists, sensor developers, modeling and simulation teams, and energy technology developers. |
| DE |
| | Frosch Advanced Technologies | Matthew Frosch | CEO |
Small Business
|
Other Energy Technologies
| Extraction and purification of REE from industrial process byproduct with focus on recovery and purification (6N) of gallium. |
| AZ |
| | University of Houston | Harish S Krishnamoorthy | Associate Professor |
Academic
|
Other Energy Technologies
| ARPA-E Open 2021 Awardee: Mini-PulPS project. Specific interests on this possible FoA are as follows.
- High temperature (>>150 degC) electronics and critical power system design
- Pulsed power supplies for electrical stimulation and plasma drilling
- In-situ Prognostic Health Management (PHM) and reliability enhancement
- https://pemsec.ece.uh.edu/researchprojects/ |
| TX |
| | Idaho National Laboratory | Ram Kumar | Staff Scientist |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Other Energy Technologies
| Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a DOE national laboratory with deep experience in subsurface modeling, geochemistry, instrumentation, and field‑scale technology deployment, is well aligned with ARPA‑E’s emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration for advanced stimulation and enhanced recovery technologies. INL is interested in teaming under this opportunity, which encourages cross‑sector partnerships to achieve breakthroughs in low‑permeability resource recovery using laboratory and field‑validated approaches. The lab brings strong capabilities in reservoir engineering, numerical modeling, sensors, and technoeconomic analysis—areas specifically highlighted as useful for this program. INL is also seeking operators or industry partners who can host Phase 1 testing and support scale‑up and deployment into Phase 2 field validations to accelerate real‑world impact. |
| ID |
| | The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology | Shuvajit Bhattacharya | Research Associate Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Expertise and Interests in Unconventional O&G, Next-generation geothermal (EGS, Closed-loop, and Energy Storage), High P/T lab tests, Fracture Imaging and Analysis, and Completions Optimization. I lead the HotRock consortium at the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin, focusing on geothermal resource assessment and recovery, integrating geosciences, engineering, lab experiments, and techno-economics. We have developed workflows and tools for accurate targeting and advanced recovery of resources from shale formations across the US and geothermal (granites and sedimentary rocks).
Looking for an industry partner for collaboration.
Established in 1909, the Bureau of Economic Geology is the oldest research unit of The University of Texas at Austin. The Bureau is the State Geological Survey of Texas and has been an integral part of the development of the state’s economic success through the years. Our mission is to serve society by conducting objective, impactful, and integrated geoscience research on relevant energy, environmental, and economic issues. Our vision is to be a trusted scientific voice to academia, industry, government, and the public, whom we serve. |
| TX |
| | Loyola University Chicago | Gilbert Michaud | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation: Renewable
| I am a faculty member at Loyola University Chicago and lead the Michaud Energy Policy Research Group (MEPRG) within the School of Environmental Sustainability. My research focuses on the policy, planning, economic, and workforce implications of renewable and advanced energy deployment, with a particular expertise in solar and wind energy. While much of our work is centered in Chicago and the Midwest, we maintain collaborations and projects across the US and internationally.
Our group has extensive experience conducting economic impact analyses and workforce-related assessments for large-scale solar and other renewable energy developments nationwide. This includes evaluating job creation, regional supply chain effects, tax revenue impacts, local economic spillovers, and broader community and policy implications associated with clean energy investments. We have worked with utilities, nonprofit organizations, economic development entities, and public agencies on applied research projects related to the energy transition.
We have completed funded projects for organizations including American Electric Power (AEP), Dayton Power & Light, Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, Solar United Neighbors, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and several other regional development organizations. Additional applied research projects have been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and other federal and state agencies.
As a DOE teaming partner, I am particularly interested in collaborations focused on clean energy workforce development, regional economic analysis, energy planning, and the economic impacts of renewable and advanced energy technologies. Our group brings capabilities in mixed-methods policy research, stakeholder engagement, economic impact modeling, survey research, and program evaluation. |
| IL |
| | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory | Mohamed Othman | Staff Scientist |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Other Energy Technologies
| We have extensive expertise in three-dimensional finite-element electromagnetic simulation using SLAC’s ACE3P code suite on DOE leadership computing facilities, encompassing eigenmode, driven-response, time-domain, and particle-in-cell solvers for complex multi-physics problems across a broad range of frequencies and geometries. This high-fidelity simulation capability is paired with a mature machine learning and data-driven modeling infrastructure, including Graph Neural Network surrogates trained on large parametric FEM ensembles for fast and accurate forward evaluation, Gaussian Process surrogate models with calibrated uncertainty quantification, and Bayesian Optimization frameworks for data-efficient exploration of high-dimensional design spaces. The team is interested in applying these tools to geophysical inversion, coupling physics-accurate EM forward models to Bayesian inversion pipelines that return full posterior probability distributions over subsurface material properties enabling principled uncertainty quantification in applications ranging from rf sensing to subsurface critical mineral mapping and groundwater detection. |
| CA |
| | Uplift Geosystems | Han Zong | Lead Chemical Engineer |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Uplift Geosystems is developing advanced electrodialysis devices that reduce cost, minimize waste, and improve safety in metallurgical processes. We use cutting-edge bipolar membranes and innovative reactor designs to deliver electrodialysis devices that provide best-in-class output acid concentrations and energy efficiency. Our technology enables regeneration of acids and bases across a wide range of leaching and separation applications, including those for rare earth elements (REE), nickel, and magnesium. |
| MD |
| | Greater Offshore LLC | Dr. Nimi Abili | Founder & CEO |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Greater Offshore is an Energy and Digital Solutions Company. Dr Abili is Accomplished Globally, Experienced Digital Solutions and Technology Development Leader for over 25 years track record of delivering optimal outcomes in Techno-Economic Strategies, Digital Engineering, Manufacturing 4.0, Decarbonization, New Energies, Clean Technology, Electrification, Offshore Wind, LNG, and Execution of Capital Development Projects in Energy verticals, including with Shell, Eni, ExxonMobil, and Schlumberger. Strong Functional Expertise in Digital Engineering, Cloud/Edge Computing, Hybrid-Cloud Architecture, Agentic AI, Subsea, Marine Digital, Smart factory, Smart Grid, Battery Storage, Operations and Maintenance, Asset Risk Management, Early Engineering, Subsea Systems, Controls Systems, Productivity Improvements and Operational intelligence. Highly skilled in Program Management, Project Economics, Solutions Architect, Industry 4.0, HMI, PLC, ERP, MES, OEE, CMMS, AI, ML, Data Analytic, IT/OT, Automation, Digital Twin, IoT, Robotics, Edge Computing, SecOT, having overseen multiple CAPEX projects valued at over $12 billion in growth opportunities and cash flows.
Interest covers Fluid Dynamics Simulations, Subsea Processing for Enhanced Recovery, AI-Enabled Platform for Efficiency, Autonomous Self-Optimizing Energy Systems, Obsolescence Management.
Capabilities and accomplishment include:
(1) The first to develop an AI numerical subsea fluid sampling model to complement the physical fluid sampling and multiphase flow meter measurements, to reduce the operational cost of subsea intervention;
(2) Explored the application of mechanistic model to validate meter performance and to predict reliable reservoir performance to guarantee production volume is sustained in the life of field;
(3) The first to create a subsea concept strategy “Install-Produce-Retrieve-Refurbish” (IPRR) which can be applied to producing a group of marginal fields economically in the offshore industry;
(4) Established a proactive obsolescence management strategy, to leverage from the defense, aerospace and the tech industries to bridge technology gaps in the deep offshore industry;
(5) The first to bridge the gaps on subsea electronic components, by introducing a modular plug and play system, as the subsea industry is not a significant player in the electronic industry, where the electronic life cycle (5 years) is much shorter than the subsea control system life cycle (20 years). |
| TX |
| | Greyhorse Engineering and Technology, LLC | Robert Lestz | President |
Small Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Area of interest and expertise is innovations to upstream oil and gas including research, development, engineering for purpose (economical, safe, practical, and environmental sound), and ongoing operations. I have numerous patents in this field including ones commercialized and a company built to execute the technologies - a non-aqueous fracturing fluid.
I have been an early adaptor (including serial number 1) of technology for new tools, techniques, and technologies. One such was working with Pinnacle Technologies, run by Chris Wright, and the application of tiltmeters to identify fracture orientation and interactions with faults.
I have successfully managed large intellectually diverse and multifunctional teams from multiple national labs and universities to solve the largest challenges. I pride my company in bringing together highly competent experts and challenging them to develop alternative approaches to standard solutions in order to achieve disruptive breakthroughs. I also recognize the value in off ramps to technology development that will solve challenges outside the primary research as well as pulling in solutions from other industries and engineering them to solve our challenges. |
Website: NA
Email: rslestz@gmail.com
Phone: 2817950155
Address: 2910 Bluegrass Court, Missouri City, TX, 77459, United States
| TX |
| | Cortix Tech | Valmor F. de Almeida | Technical Lead |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Cortix Tech is an R&D company that provides technical support, integration, and simulation on top of the Cortix platform. We model complex systems, run scalable studies, and provide AI-ready scientific data for training and user consumption.
Areas of interest:
(Nuclear) chemical engineering (network modeling and simulation)
Social sciences
Training and Certification |
| MA |
| | ARI | Manoj Valluri | Vice President |
Small Business
|
Other Energy Technologies
| ARI is a globally renowned consulting and engineering firm with over 35 years of experience in enhanced oil and gas recovery, unconventional reservoirs, coalbed methane, tight reservoirs, chemically enhanced oil recovery, and CO2 utilization and storage. ARI has been at the forefront of pioneering industry innovation through sponsored research from the U.S. Department of Energy since early 2000s. ARI's experts have consulted on enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, CCUS, and critical minerals projects in all major continents across a clientele that ranges from small independents to multinational corporations. Our staff have consulted on or managed drilling, stimulation, and production campaigns for over 300 wells across varying geographies and geologies.
ARI produced the "World Shale Gas and Shale Oil Resource Assessment" report for the US DOE/Energy Information Administration that includes 42 countries, 95 individual shale basins with 137 individual shale gas and shale oil formations. ARI also conducts an annual survey of active CO₂ EOR projects in the U.S. This survey is provided as a public resource to tally the number of active CO₂ EOR projects, calculate total incremental oil production, and track CO₂ utilization.
ARI has over 20 years of experience serving as the primary contractor and a subrecipient on U.S. DOE-sponsored projects with deep contacts in industry and academia. We are interesting in teaming up with project developers, operators, service providers, or academic institutions and bring our deep expertise in managing DOE-sponsored research, development, and pilot projects in the hydrocarbon and critical minerals space. |
| VA |
| | Subsurface Energy Recovery and Storage (SERS) Center - Penn State | Hamid Emami-Meybodi | Director/Associate Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Our research program advances subsurface energy technologies that increase recovery, improve storage performance, and reduce the environmental footprint of geo-energy systems. We bring expertise in shale reservoirs, cyclic gas injection, CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and multicomponent, multiphase transport in porous media. This expertise aligns with ARPA-E’s mission to support high-risk, high-impact energy innovation.
The Center for Subsurface Energy Recovery and Storage (SERS) at Penn State provides an industry-engaged platform focused on energy recovery from geological reservoirs, improved hydrocarbon recovery, and geo-storage of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The Center integrates analytical, experimental, and numerical approaches across EOR, unconventional reservoirs, CO₂ and hydrogen storage, and geothermal energy. Through the SERS Joint Industry Partnership, we work with industry members to identify barriers, develop solutions, and train graduate students.
A key capability of our group is predictive modeling of complex subsurface processes. We developed PennShale+, an in-house, multi-scale, multi-component, multiphase compositional simulator for primary recovery and cyclic gas huff’n’puff in ultratight reservoirs. PennShale+ enables investigation of partially miscible transport, phase behavior, and diffusion-dominated mass transfer in nanoporous shale systems, supporting design and evaluation of gas-injection and CO₂-utilization strategies.
The Center has access to the Enhanced Recovery Laboratory (ERL), which supports fluid-property and phase-behavior measurements relevant to gas flooding, CO₂ EOR, and chemical EOR. ERL capabilities include high-pressure PVT testing, high-accuracy temperature control, viscosity measurement, and phase-behavior analysis. These resources allow us to calibrate and validate models under reservoir-relevant conditions and connect theory, simulation, and deployable technology.
Our interest in this ARPA-E proposal is to combine physics-based modeling, targeted laboratory measurements, and industry-informed problem selection to accelerate transformative subsurface energy solutions. We have a proven record of research funding, publications, graduate mentoring, and practical software development. This combination of technical expertise, laboratory infrastructure, computational capability, and industry engagement positions the Center to contribute effectively to the proposed effort. |
| PA |
| | BW&CO | Robert Wegner | CRO |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| BW&CO Consulting helps emerging technology companies secure and execute non-dilutive funding from federal agencies, state programs, foundations, and strategic public-sector partners. BW&CO supports clients across the full funding lifecycle, including opportunity identification, funding strategy, proposal development, stakeholder outreach, submission support, and post-award positioning.
BW&CO brings a systematic, data-informed approach. Rather than relying only on individual consultant experience, BW&CO applies lessons learned from 3,000+ funded proposals representing $3B+ in awards. This gives clients pattern recognition across agencies, technical domains, review criteria, and award pathways.
Services include identifying and prioritizing funding opportunities; proposal writing, review, and editing; technical and commercialization positioning; budget and milestone support; stakeholder outreach strategy; and monitoring across funding sources.
Key Differentiators
1. Unmatched Funding Experience
BW&CO applies lessons learned from 3,000+ funded proposals and $3B+ awarded to every engagement. While traditional consultants often rely on limited individual experience, BW&CO brings insight from thousands of successful funding efforts. One client with former senior defense leaders relies on BW&CO because the firm provides funding intelligence and competitive positioning they cannot replicate.
2. Front Door + Back Door Approach
Traditional consultants often focus only on the published solicitation. BW&CO also analyzes underlying funding dynamics, including agency priorities, stakeholder interests, direct outreach opportunities, and non-obvious pathways to award. This helped one client uncover a non-public fast-track pathway.
3. Broad Opportunity Coverage
Many firms focus narrowly on one funding stream. BW&CO monitors hundreds of opportunities daily and identifies pathways across agencies, programs, and strategic partners. This helped one client find an opportunity they did not know existed, leading to their first federal defense contract. |
| TX |
| | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | Bryan R Goldsmith | Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Goldsmith’s research group specializes in atomistic modeling and machine learning to design catalysts and materials (e.g., oxides or membranes) for fuel production and energy technologies. He serves as an Associate Editor of npj Computational Materials. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles on these topics. (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VAAnVN8AAAAJ&hl=en). He is also a co-author of Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (7th ed., Pearson Education), regarded as one of the most influential textbooks in the field of chemical reaction engineering. |
| MI |
| | Texas Tech University | James Sheng | Professor |
Academic
|
Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Shale EOR: Initiated and developed huff-n-puff gas injection EOR with 80+ papers, 5 US patents; One shale EOR book.
Chemical EOR: published one chemical EOR book and have chemical EOR project database.
Fracturing fluid: chemical additive design, CO2 pre-pad fracturing.
Modeling studies: Petrel geologic modeling and CMG (Eclipse) reservoir flow modeling.
Clean energy: CCUS, geothermal energy development, and hydrogen generation modeling.
Publication: 350+ papers, Google citations 17600+, h-index 65, i10-index 232, ranked 10,747th (Career) and 2735th (in Year 2024) in Stanford top 2% of global researchers in 2025.
Experimental and Test Facilities: On-site field-scale testing facilities, CT-core scanning, GC to measure hydrocarbon components, slimtube to measure MMP, Pulse decay permeameter, PoroMaster to measure pore size distribution, HPHT core flooding apparatus, Accererating Rate Calorimeter (ARC) to study combustion, Gemini Rheometer, micro-fludic device, imbibition cell, tensiometer to measure ultra-low IFT, etc. |
| TX |
| | Baker Hughes | Dr. Maruthi Devarakonda | Senior Technical Leader - Research and Technology |
Large Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Baker Hughes’ Oilfield and Industrial Chemicals (OIC) organization has a long history of innovation in the development and deployment of specialty chemistries for energy and industrial markets. Program specific technologies include proppants, liquid chemistries for stimulation, corroborated by modeling, sensing and AI based Leucipa capabilities. On the proppants side, SORB is a solid media delivery platform that enables the impregnation and controlled release of Baker Hughes’ most effective chemical technologies directly within the formation or fracture network. By embedding proven chemistries into engineered solid substrates, SORB allows long term, targeted treatment at the point where flow assurance, recovery, or extraction challenges originate. The platform’s flexibility allows tailoring of both the solid media and the embedded chemistry to specific reservoir, mineralogy, and operational requirements, enabling step change performance rather than incremental improvement. The liquid chemistries for stimualtion technologies integrates next generation microemulsion technologies that deliver ultra low interfacial tension, enabling spontaneous cleaning of organic and inorganic deposits and restoration of water wet surfaces. These chemistries penetrate the near wellbore region without mechanical energy, breaking emulsions, dispersing solids, and reversing wettability alterations that restrict flow. By combining proven stimulation practice with modern microemulsion science, the liquid chemistries stimulation technology has repeatedly demonstrated significant and sustained production increases across mature and unconventional assets. Baker Hughes brings integrated modeling, sensing, and digital execution capabilities through physics based subsurface modeling (e.g., JewelSuite™), advanced field sensing, and the Leucipa™ automated field production platform, Baker Hughes enables closed loop workflows that link real time measurements with validated digital twins and AI assisted decision making. Leucipa has been deployed across large, complex field portfolios to integrate data, predict system behavior, and optimize performance using a combination of domain physics and machine learning. Baker Hughes has extensive experience and expertise in H2S scavengers, corrosion inhibitors, and flow assurance chemicals for enhanced production, safety and assets management. |
| TX |
| | Eva Garland Consulting | Dr. Eva Garland | CEO |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Eva Garland Consulting (EGC) was established by Dr. Eva Garland in 2013 with a mission to advance science. Over the past decade, EGC has emerged as a global leader in securing non-dilutive funding and providing comprehensive accounting, compliance, tax, and advisory services.
EGC has successfully assisted clients in securing and managing hundreds of grants and contracts, including large DOE awards, totaling over $2 billion. EGC’s 3,000+ clients, spanning 50 states and 5 continents, include universities, startups, large companies, and government agencies. EGC is proud to have supported our clients in progressing technologies from concept to commercialization, contributing new tools to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Built on our principle of Excellence, EGC adopts a tailored and thorough strategy to assist every client in achieving their fundraising objectives.
Through our Proposal Support Services, clients collaborate directly with EGC’s Scientific Grants Experts, all of whom hold Ph.D.s and have deep experience securing funding from numerous government agencies and private foundations. Our services include:
• Writing and submitting proposals
• Support with registrations and budget preparation
• Critical scientific review and editing
• Strategies to increase the competitiveness of the grant applications
Our Experts also craft Strategic Non-Dilutive Funding Plans to meet the specific needs of each of our clients, which include:
• Identification and prioritization of non-dilutive funding opportunities
• Gantt chart of proposal preparation, submission, and funding timelines
• Resources required to support grant submissions
• Strategies to increase competitiveness of grant submissions
Our team’s expertise spans over 100 federal and state agencies and private foundations, which collectively provide over $1 trillion in funding opportunities each year |
| NC |
| | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Kayla Kroll | Subsurface Energy Associate Program Leader |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Other Energy Technologies
| Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) offers integrated capabilities in geothermal systems, oil and gas, enhanced oil recovery, geochemistry, geophysics, critical mineral and rare earth element identification and separation, advanced scientific computing, and ML/AI. We are interested in partnering with teams developing transformative approaches for subsurface stimulation, reservoir management, produced fluid utilization, and resource recovery. Our strength is in combining high-fidelity physics-based modeling, advanced characterization, geochemical and geophysical diagnostics, and data-driven methods to accelerate technology development from concept through field validation.
LLNL supports projects involving:
advanced stimulation and reservoir access in geothermal, unconventional oil and gas, and EOR settings
coupled fracture evolution, fluid flow, heat transfer, geomechanics, induced seismicity, and geochemical response
field and pilot-scale studies involving produced fluids, brines, residual solids, and subsurface process optimization
identification, extraction, and separation of critical minerals and REEs from unconventional feed streams
AI-enabled monitoring, prediction, and optimization for complex subsurface systems
Our capabilities include high-fidelity multiphysics simulation, including GEOS, for fracture initiation and propagation, reservoir stimulation, EOR, cyclic loading, and recovery optimization; geochemistry and reactive transport for aqueous speciation, mineral solubility, fluid-rock interaction, scaling, corrosion, precipitation, and treatment or reinjection strategies; geophysics and subsurface diagnostics for fracture characterization, reservoir heterogeneity assessment, monitoring integration, and stimulation evaluation; and critical mineral and REE process science for characterization of brines, produced waters, and residual solids, along with extraction and separation process development.
LLNL also brings advanced computing, machine learning, and AI for large-scale multiphysics simulation, surrogate modeling, rapid screening, data fusion, predictive analytics, and uncertainty reduction. We are well positioned to contribute across proposal phases, from concept definition and modeling through diagnostics, experimental support, data interpretation, and technical strategy, especially where success depends on integrating subsurface physics, chemistry, and computation to de-risk deployment and im |
| CA |
| | Ekion Pty Ltd | Henning Prommer | Director and CSO |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Ekion is an Australian company developing and commercializing EK-ISR (Electro-Kinetic In-Situ Recovery), a low-impact extractive technology that uses controlled electric fields to selectively mobilize and recover target metal ions directly from intact low-permeability ore bodies and tailings without excavation. EK-ISR has been demonstrated at bench and column scale for copper, rare earth element (REE) bearing materials, and other metals, showing selective metal recovery.
Ekion is actively seeking US-based partners — mining operators, site owners, National Laboratories, academic groups, and engineering service providers — that could help facilitate one or more EK-ISR field trials at suitable US sites. We are particularly interested in host sites offering (a) Cu- or REE-bearing tailings where residual metal value is economically stranded, and (b) in-situ hard rock ore bodies containing Cu or REEs that are potentially amenable to electrokinetic recovery, including fractured porphyry, sediment-hosted, and ion-adsorption clay deposits. We welcome teaming on ARPA-E's Advanced Stimulation and Enhanced Recovery Technologies initiatives.
Ekion brings a dedicated, highly qualified EK-ISR R&D team with world-class expertise in geochemistry, hydrogeology, electrochemistry, hydrometallurgy, reactive transport modeling, and field-electrode engineering. The company currently operates small- and medium-scale laboratory-based electrokinetic experiments and performs reactive transport and geochemical model simulations. Ekion also developed modular field hardware (power control, electrode arrays, electrolyte management) designed for deployment to remote sites. Ekion holds granted and pending patents on the core process and is currently planning and undertaking its first field-scale pilot activities in Australia. Ekion can contribute in-kind equipment, process design, operations support, and senior technical personnel to a US field trial. We intend to participate as Project Team member consistent with ARPA-E eligibility requirements and can provide TEA and LCA inputs aligned with the program's translational and commercialization objectives. |
| Western Australia |
| | Center for Subsurface Energy and the Environment, UT Austin | Hugh Daigle | Professor and Director |
Academic
|
Other Energy Technologies
| The Center for Subsurface Energy and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin seeks partners on advanced stimulation and enhanced recovery technologies. We are a group of 27 researchers with expertise in petrophysics, formation evaluation applied to unconventionals, digital rock physics, reservoir engineering, hydraulic fracturing, geochemical and reactive transport modeling, geomechanics, critical mineral extraction, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and machine learning applied to subsurface energy, high-performance computing, and enhanced oil recovery in unconventional resources using chemical and gas techniques.
Our facilities include world-class laboratories featuring medical-scale CT scanning and micro-CT; nuclear magnetic resonance; gas sorption; geomechanical testing; microfluidics; rheology, PVT, and other fluid analysis; and coreflooding. We have access to the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), one of the most advanced academic supercomputing facilities in the world.
Our researchers have been working on resource recovery from unconventionals for decades, with hundreds of patents, conference papers, and peer-reviewed publications. Our work has received substantial support from government, foundations, and private industry. We are open to collaborations that leverage our capabilities, facilities, and connections with the broader energy industry. |
| TX |
| | University of California, San Diego | Ingrid Tomac | Associate Professor |
Academic
|
Power Generation: Renewable
| My background is in geotechnical engineering and geomechanics. I graduated with a PhD degree in engineering from Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, with the thesis titled “Micromechanical Aspects of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation and Proppant Flow and Transport for Stimulation of Enhanced Geothermal Systems – A Discrete Element Study”. The study focuses on hydraulic fracture initiation, propagation, proppant flow, transport, and proppant settling during hydraulic fracturing of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The study developed, for the first time, a novel convective-conductive heat-transport Discrete Element Method (DEM) model to investigate hydro-thermo-mechanical fracturing processes and address current problems in hot-dry-rock fracturing. The new contributions were a micromechanical understanding of the coupling between fracturing fluid and rock behavior, the effects of fracturing fluid properties on fracture shape, branching, and secondary fracturing, and the relationship between tensile and shear microcracks. The study quantified the effects of the temperature difference between the fracturing fluid and the surrounding rock on fracture initiation and propagation, driven by the simultaneous heating of the fluid and cooling of the rock. The thesis also implemented new physics during particle collisions in the coupled Discrete Element Method with Computational Fluid Dynamics (DEM-CFD) to study horizontal proppant flow and transport in a narrow fracture zone and proppant settling in a narrow, rough granite fracture. A thin layer of fluid between two approaching particles yields the lubrication force that dissipates particle kinetic energy. As a result, in high-viscosity fluids, particles remain in proximity and begin to form agglomerates as the fluid flows around them. During my career in academia, I further refined the DEM models with my students and collaborators, which were published in top journals and conferences. My research interests remain in developing theoretical and numerical approaches in rock mechanics applicable to deep geothermal energy extraction, including hydro-thermo-chemo-mechanical processes in soils and rocks, inelastic fracture propagation in heterogeneous and fractured rock masses, and dense-phase particle-fluid interactions. |
| CA |
| | Uplift Geosystems LLC | Daniel Nothaft | CEO |
Small Business
|
Other Energy Technologies
| Uplift Geosystems is developing advanced electrodialysis devices that reduce cost, minimize waste, and improve safety in metallurgical processes. We use cutting-edge bipolar membranes and innovative reactor designs to deliver electrodialysis devices that provide best-in-class output acid concentrations and energy efficiency. Our technology enables regeneration of acids and bases across a wide range of leaching and separation applications, including those for rare earth elements (REE), nickel, and magnesium. |
| MD |
| | The University of Texas at Austin | Tongwei Zhang | Research Professor |
Academic
|
Other Energy Technologies
| Dr. Zhang, a research professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), The University of Texas at Austin, is an internationally recognized organic geochemist. His research primarily focuses on shale gas and oil storage mechanisms, hydrocarbon geochemistry and gas EOR in unconventional reservoirs, thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) mechanisms and kinetics, and gas isotopic geochemistry in sedimentary basins. Dr. Zhang established the Organic Geochemistry Laboratory at BEG, The University of Texas at Austin. He has authored over 90 papers, many of which are highly cited, including six that are among the top 1% most cited articles in geosciences. Dr. Zhang received the 2015 Wallace E. Pratt Memorial Award and the 2017 Hitchon Award from the International Association of Geochemistry.
Dr. Zhang forms a team of geologists, petroleum engineers, geoscientists and field operators for conducting a field gas-EOR pilot test. Currently, about 50% of US oil production comes from unconventional basins, where only around 10% of the mobile oil is recovered. Advanced technologies, such as gas-EOR, are essential to significantly increase recovery and achieve improved economic viability. Much of the work on EOR for unconventionals has focused on gas injection methods. We thoroughly reviewed the current understanding of gas Huff-n-Puff (HnP) technologies and found a lack of evaluation criteria for the success of HnP gas injection and its potential risks. Our goal in this study is to develop a criteria assessment workflow that combines laboratory simulation, reservoir modeling, and field pilot testing. Our plan for creating a gas HnP workflow includes three objectives: 1) to investigate new injectants that improve miscibility and sweep efficiency, 2) to identify optimal conditions for Huff-n-Puff injection, and 3) to trace oil contributions from the matrix versus the fractures during production.
A custom-built high-pressure and high-temperature gas adsorption apparatus enables us to simulate gas Huff-n-Puff injection. The gas intake experiment was conducted on 3/8” core plugs at high temperature. The process involves three steps: re-saturation of the core plugs with gas （up to 15,000 psia, rapid release of gas from the chamber, and degassing of the core plugs.
The integration of geology, engineering, modeling, and laboratory simulation ensures the objectives are practical and the completion of the key deliverables is likely to be successful. |
| TX |
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