CERAWeek Stanford Drop-in: Meet Faculty, Staff, and Students

Henry Moise

Process Intensification & Domestic Graphite Production Via Autothermal Methane Pyrolysis

A key limitation in scaling methane pyrolysis is the efficient delivery of high-grade heat into the reactor, which we demonstrate can be addressed through autothermal operation using hydrogen combustion. Coupling kinetic measurements with heat transfer models reveals up to 100x in reactor throughput at 1000°C. The carbon co-product exhibits a 96.0% degree of graphitization, consistent with pre-processed graphite precursors and achieved using low-cost iron oxide catalysts. Suppression of combustion-driven carbon gasification was demonstrated in a lab-scale fluidized bed, with syngas ratios (H2:CO) as high as 19 and a life cycle assessment estimating carbon intensities as low as 1.9 kg CO2,eq /kg H2.

Zhengji Yang

MVDC Transmission, SSTs, and Batteries for AI Data Centers

AI data centers are rapidly increasing power density, with next-generation GPU clusters potentially exceeding 1 MW per rack. This work proposes a battery-integrated medium-voltage direct-current (MVDC) power architecture using solid-state transformers (SSTs) to connect an MVDC backbone to 800 V DC distribution for AI computing facilities. The architecture reduces conversion losses, improves reliability, and enables flexible grid interaction while supporting scalable deployment of next-generation AI infrastructure.

Sarah Saltzer

Incident Analysis of CO2 Pipeline Failures: Patterns, Detection, and Risks

CO₂ transport, mainly via pipelines, has supported EOR for 50+ years and CCS projects for ~25 years. With CCS scale-up, ensuring transport safety is critical. This analysis integrates the US Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Distribution, Transmission & Gathering, LNG, and Liquid Accident and Incident Data with US CO₂ pipeline infrastructure records, covering all reported accidents through 2024. In total, 121 CO₂ pipeline accidents were reported, resulting in approximately 19,700 tons of released CO₂ and US$6.96 million in damage costs, with no reported fatalities. The study quantifies the current safety of CO₂ transport and outlines findings and opportunities for improvement in support of the global scale-up of CCS.

Daniela Marin

Turning Seawater into Green Hydrogen with Bipolar Membrane Electrolyzers

Producing low-carbon hydrogen directly from seawater could broaden accessibility to, and reduce pressure on, purified water sources. Our bipolar membrane electrolyzer architecture addresses a key barrier to seawater electrolysis: the generation of corrosive chlorine byproducts that rapidly degrade conventional devices. By leveraging ion-selective membranes to control the electrochemical environment, our devices suppress chlorine byproducts to near-zero levels and operate continuously on real seawater for over 140x longer than standard proton exchange membrane electrolyzers.