OSU Cowboy Innovations and Baker Hughes select Decarbonization Contest Winners
Friday, January 14, 2022
Media Contact: Kim Mullins | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-3546 | kim.mullins@okstate.edu
In an effort to create an environment for student collaboration on the Oklahoma State University campus, OSU Cowboy Innovations and Baker Hughes created the Decarbonization Competition late last year. After judging the entries, the winners have been selected.
The Decarbonization Contest provided students with an opportunity to present new technologies developed at OSU to advance the ideas into energy solutions.
Improving the impact of power technologies while reducing carbon footprint was the focus of the Fall 2021 Decarbonization Competition. Baker Hughes and OSU Cowboy Innovations invited OSU students and professors to the team competition with the promise of cash awards. The panel of judges selected the top two innovations.
Doctoral candidates Andrew Williamson, Michael Costa and Dr. Khaled Sallam — an associate professor of mechanical & aerospace engineering — secured first place with their plans to improve the efficiency of power technologies and turbine compressors.
“It is always a great experience for the students when they work on real life problems outside their textbooks. We are grateful for Cowboy Innovation and Baker Hughes for trusting and challenging our students to solve a problem with a global-scale like decarbonization,” Sallam said. “Competitions like this one bring out the best in our students, sharpen their creativity, and prepare them for their life after graduation. We hope that Cowboy Innovation continues to strengthen the interaction between our students and multiple industrial partners in the coming years.”
Doctoral Candidates Ross Cao, Estefanny D. Elizondo and Conn Wethington of the OSU Geology Department investigated rejuvenation through decarbonization with enhanced oil recovery, CO2 based geothermal systems, and green hydrogen generation.
“The Sequestrians team believes there is a strong case for repurposing unconventional reservoirs for sequestration potential and low enthalpy geothermal energy production that could be used for green Hydrogen production,” Wethington said.
With the success of the inaugural competition in the fall, Baker Hughes and Cowboy Innovations plan to host the competition again this spring, said Zach Miles, Cowboy Innovations director.
“This was a great opportunity for us to highlight the creativity of our students and researchers," Miles said. "This research is happening in our own backyard,”
Baker Hughes and OSU Cowboy Innovations look forward to the spring 2022 innovation competition, he added.
"I look forward to seeing the novel solutions these students develop for current global issues," Miles said.
