For the foreseeable future, clean oil and gas (O&G) is likely to remain the largest and the most economical source of energy. The advent of unconventional (shale) energy sources during the past decade offers an unprecedented opportunity to promote manufacturing resurgence, which in turn is essential to absorb the projected abundance of energy (45 quadrillion BTUs of annual production) and chemical feedstock. Recent advances in manufacturing technologies (e.g., additive, ultraprecision, and nano-manufacturing) offer a mostly untapped opportunity to create high value products (e.g., nanowire thermoelectrics) out of byproducts (e.g., sulfuric compounds) that are generally treated as waste in O&G value chains. These technologies can lead to an exciting possibility of transforming the O&G sector into a net-zero material footprint industry. Additionally, fundamental research that addresses key scientific and technological challenges in processing (e.g., drilling, and coating) complex and advanced materials (e.g., shale rock and alloy steel) pertinent to the O&G energy industry will also be beneficial to other industries in the country.
The workshop will be held in Houston, which is considered as the nation's hub for the O&G energy industry, in November 2014. This workshop brings together a team of invited speakers to identify research and education needs in advanced manufacturing for the O&G energy industry. The invited speakers bring distinct and complementary expertise in O&G practice, materials processing (e.g., nano-manufacturing technologies, rock drilling process), manufacturing machines and tools (e.g., precision machines, diamond bits for horizontal drilling), enterprise systems (e.g., energy supply chains, transport and storage), and public policy (e.g., environmental and workforce related). The main objectives of the workshop are as follows: (1) Examine the state-of-the-art in manufacturing process technologies, automation methods and equipment, and systems-level research for the O&G energy industry taking place in academia, industry, and research labs; (2) Assess future prospects and outlook, including the growth in energy supply and the demand for advanced machinery and processes; (3) Gather the O&G industry perspective of the short-term (1-3 year ahead) and long-term (3-10 years ahead) research issues; (4) Identify and formulate specific needs, gaps and challenges, especially in the upstream (extraction of oil and gas) and the midstream (storage and transport) of the O&G value stream; (5) Formulate recommendations for research and education programs to advance manufacturing technologies and systems for the O&G energy industry.
