Geothermal energy comes from heated water or steam within the earth and provides a renewable source of energy to heat buildings and generate electricity. But many geothermal reservoirs also have an inherent problem – geological fractures that allow water to divert into other areas, cooling the water and the surrounding rock and limiting the efficiency of heat extraction from underground reservoirs. Researchers at Missouri S&T are working on a solution.
Read More »Dr. Baojun Bai has spent more than 20 years working to refine a particle gel he hopes could significantly reduce the amount of wasted water generated in oil production. But when it comes to describing the super-absorbent polymer, he reverts to an analogy that instantly resonates with anyone who’s had to wrangle a fussy newborn. The Missouri S&T researcher’s quest for a superior preformed particle gel that can be injected into oil reservoirs has the financial support of industry heavyweights such as ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum and Daqing Wantong Chemical (DQWT) in China.
Read More »