Walt Trybula

Meeting the challenges of oilfield exploration using intelligent micro and nano-scale sensors

This paper describes the challenges of nano-scale sensor development for very harsh downhole oilfield conditions and provides an overview of the operational requirements necessary to survive and directly measure the desired subsurface data. One of the significant challenges is maintaining sensor accuracy and sensitivity as devices are miniaturized into the micron scale and below. The goal is to develop subsurface nanosensors that can be injected into oil and gas well bores to gather and report data, providing an unparalleled level of reservoir characterization.

Empowering academia to look into the future: Nanotechnology safety education-creating the workforce that you will need

Nanotechnology is a broad, emerging area of technology development that cuts across nearly every sector of the economy and is gaining ground in the marketplace. During the last ten years, health safety personnel have been studying the effects of nanoparticles on human health. As nanotechnology gains momentum on the global market, there are some safety issues that must be explored and resolved before assuring a safe working environment. Workers need to be trained in sustainable and safe manufacturing practices. To have the greatest impact, safety training should be incorporated into two-year post-secondary and workforce education programs so that graduates enter the workforce with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to maintain a safe workplace from the outset of their careers. A number of professional organizations such as CDC, NIOSH, and ICON have begun collaboration efforts to establish a foundation to help define the fundamentals of nano-EHS safety content.

Chapter 14 – Nanotechnology Risk Assessment

Nanotechnology has been promoted as the “next big thing” that will transform everyday life through the creation of numerous new products and enhanced materials for improved quality of life. Numerous applications that incorporate lighter-weight but stronger materials have been in such everyday products as golf clubs and structural elements. Medical applications of nanotechnology promise to yield medical solutions that provide for improved disease control and improved biocompatible materials. However, there is a need to consider the potential risk of using materials where their potential impact on both people and the environment may be unknown. As with working with any unknowns, a risk assessment needs to be employed. This chapter provides basic considerations for risk management, an overview of regulations that can impact nanotechnology efforts, and a short list of various Website references that are pertinent to the overall subject of nanotechnology risk efforts.

Nanotechnology Health, Safety, and Environment Overview

This chapter focuses on the environmental, health, and safety (HSE) aspects of nanotechnology and nanomaterials. The HSE aspect of nanomaterials is gaining more visibility, and organizations will be required to address the needs of both people and the environment. The fact that various nanomaterials are more reactive than their bulk counterparts creates a need to address the possible effects, which are typically unknown, in working with, handling, storing, applying, manufacturing, and creating novel combinations of nanomaterials. This chapter provides an overview of some of the characteristics of known nanomaterials, identifies known effects on people and the environment, and addresses the need and method of proper handling of nanomaterials. There are methods to be implemented to address current and possible future concerns. Education is critical to the proper and safe handling of nanomaterials.

Nanotechnology Safety Education

The topic of nanotechnology safety has been the subject of many discussions. Starting in 2006, a focus was started at Texas State University to develop an educational process to train workers and students in the elements of nanotechnology safety. The progress was slow and had many setbacks, which took 8 years to overcome. This chapter presents the path to the creation of and details about the two courses in nanotechnology safety education and the coming nanotechnology safety certification.

Autonomous micro and nano sensors for upstream oil and gas

This paper describes the development of autonomous electronic micro and nanoscale sensor systems for very harsh downhole oilfield conditions and provides an overview of the operational requirements necessary to survive and make direct measurements of subsurface conditions. One of several significant developmental challenges is selecting appropriate technologies that are simultaneously miniaturize-able, integrate-able, harsh environment capable, and economically viable. The Advanced Energy Consortium (AEC) is employing a platform approach to developing and testing multi-chip, millimeter and micron-scale systems in a package at elevated temperature and pressure in API brine and oil analogs, with the future goal of miniaturized systems that enable the collection of previously unattainable data. The ultimate goal is to develop subsurface nanosensor systems that can be injected into oil and gas well bores, to gather and record data, providing an unparalleled level of direct reservoir characterization. This paper provides a status update on the research efforts and developmental successes at the AEC.

Fostering ethical, social, Environmental, Health, and Safety Awareness in Tomorrow's Engineers and Technologists

This paper reports on our work developing a set of modular courses to intended to help foster Ethical, Social, Environmental, Health, and Safety Awareness in Tomorrow’s Engineers and Technologists. We focus on emerging technologies, and especially nanotechnology. In the last decade nanotechnology has made myriad inroads into mainstream society. It is merely one of many exciting new ways that science and technology are changing how we live and think. Along with these developments in science and technology come new industries, and new challenges. This requires heightened awareness of health and safety risks, ethical and social considerations, and environmental implications of their work. This need is not limited to nanotechnologies, nor revolutionary technologies, but should be an integral part of all engineering work.Our NSF-funded project is developing and introducing introductory and advanced curricula for online and face-to-face course modules taught as full courses or infused into existing courses. The courses and modules are being developed and piloted with the guidance of an advisory council made up of nanotechnology leaders from academia and industry. One important goal of the project is to recruit, engage, prepare, and encourage students from traditionally underrepresented groups to careers in Science and Engineering, with a focus on Nanotechnology.In this paper we explain the origin of the project and how we developed the course modules, review the first semesters teaching from these modules, and examine our initial results and evaluations.Copyright

A multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional approach to teaching ethical, social, health, safety, and environmental issues in nanotechnology

The paper reports on our work developing a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional approach to teaching Ethical, Social, Safety, Health, and Environmental Issues in Nanotechnology. Under a grant from NSF, we are developing, implementing, and assessing two modular courses that include societal, ethical, environmental, health, and safety issues related to nanotechnology for undergraduates in engineering and engineering technology. It is a collaborative project between Texas State University, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and the University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler), whose student population is 60 percent women. The work is being conducted by a highly interdisciplinary team of faculty who bring to the project expertise from mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial education and technology, physics, biology, philosophy, and ethics. Here we explain the origin of the project, explicate how we have developed the course modules, review the first two semesters (Summer and Fall 2013) teaching from these modules, and examine our initial results and evaluations.