First speakers for hydrogen summit announced

Speakers at COMPRESSORtech2’s Hydrogen Summit include a representative from the U.S. Department of Energy and a top researcher into hydrogen blending in compressors.

The Hydrogen Summit, a unique one-day event with keynote speakers and multiple seminars from leaders in hydrogen technology, will be held April 17 at the Hyatt Regency Houston West in the Energy Corridor.

The quest for clean energy solutions has never been greater from stakeholders at every level, and the U.S government alone has given hydrogen production a massive boost through unprecedented tax credits. Investment in hydrogen-related projects across the USA is in the billions. Hydrogen is seen by many as a key component needed to decarbonize segments of the economy ranging from power generation to shipping.

Compressortech2’s Hydrogen Summit in 2023 brought more than 150 industry insiders together to learn about the challenges and opportunities of hydrogen.

But there are many technical challenges that need to be addressed—not only with the production of hydrogen, but its transportation as well. The blending and compression of hydrogen safely and efficiently presents big challenges to equipment manufacturers, midstream operators, producers and packagers. The goal of the COMPRESSORtech2 Hydrogen Summit is to bring leaders together to network and share knowledge, successes and challenges relating to hydrogen blending, equipment and compression.

Last year’s inaugural event had more than 150 attendees from across the industry.

First speakers announced

While the speaker lineup for next year’s even is still being finalized, a few presenters are confirmed.

Dr. Nikkia McDonald is a materials scientist by training with experience investigating the performance and properties of materials for use in energy conversion applications. In her current role as a support contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Technologies office, McDonald supports the planning, execution and management of federally funded energy projects that advance agency mission and facilitate a healthy transition to a more sustainable clean energy economy. She will discuss the agency’s programming activities.

She has conducted research in England, Turkey and Ukraine, and facilitated collaborations with scientists in Czech Republic, Russia and Brazil in support of international science diplomacy initiatives. This international experience shaped her global perspective towards capacity building and strengthened her desire to collaborate with international partner countries to develop policy frameworks anchored in science diplomacy and clean energy technology innovation. Dr. McDonald is also committed to broadening the participation and strengthening the success of underrepresented groups in STEM. Nikkia serves on several advisory boards and maintains membership in professional societies.

Ben White is manager for the Fluid Machinery Systems Section at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio.

White will present findings of SwRI research into full scale natural gas compressor loop testing with blended hydrogen.

Given the current industry and government interest regarding the use of hydrogen and natural gas blends in existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure, there are a number of questions and concerns regarding equipment compatibility and safety. SwRI has recently kicked off a 2-year project, funded by the US Department of Energy, and co-funded by the Gas Machinery Research Council, to perform a series of full-scale experimental tests with up to 20% hydrogen blended with natural gas using SwRI’s Ariel JGT/4 compressor loop. This presentation will provide an update of this on-going project.

He is a 1995 graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has over 20 years of experience in the fields of mechanical vibrations, compressor and piping system design, finite element analysis, thermal piping stress and acoustics.

Composite research

Also speaking at the summit is Travis Mease, thermoplastics product manager for Greene Tweed.

Mease is currently in a leadership position responsible for developing product strategies, path to market methods and the execution of technology portfolio roadmaps. His 15-year tenure at Greene Tweed initially focused on designing composite aerospace components, primarily discontinuous carbon fiber thermoplastics. He now contributes by driving the proliferation of thermoplastic composites into new and underserved markets such as hydrogen compression. Through the use of novel thermoplastic manufacturing techniques, his work has helped to develop a non-metallic compressor impeller capable of spinning at the rotational speeds required to compress light-weight gases such as hydrogen.

Travis holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineer, with a concentration in Aerospace from the University of Delaware. While at Delaware, he worked at the Center for Composite Materials supporting Defense projects through the design and creation of fiber-epoxy based structures.

His presentation will discuss a composite impeller for centrifugal compressors. Compressor performance is currently limited by the maximum rotating speed that a metallic impeller can sustain, as there is a direct relationship between the rotating speed of a compressor stage and the pressure ratio that can be achieved.

Summit Information

COMPRESSORtech2 Hydrogen Summit

April 17, 2024

Hyatt Regency Hotel West, 13210 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas

Cost: $464 (Early Bird rate available until Dec. 31)

$580 (Standard rate)

Online registration: Ct2summit.com