Many utilities are considering new roles for traditional energy generation plants, such as converting coal plants to natural gas or blending hydrogen in natural gas combined cycle plants. Others are examining how to prolong the functional life of plants, inquiring about appropriate investment, plant maintenance, assessing the remaining life of critical systems, and safety. As the energy generation landscape becomes increasingly complex, EPRI’s laboratories serve as the technical backbone of research supporting the industry’s transition to a reliable, resilient, and decarbonized future. These world-class labs provide specific data informing critical run-repair-replace-retire decisions, inform economic models, and execute cutting-edge research to inform the future of energy supply.
This December, in a publicly available, four-part webinar series Lab Chronicles: EPRI’s Edge in Energy Research, EPRI will offer an in-depth look at four research domains—cybersecurity, structural integrity testing, materials characterization, and chemistry—each playing an essential role in enhancing the reliability and safety of generation assets.
EPRI’s labs offer unique, highly specialized capabilities designed to tackle emerging challenges within power systems. From advanced cybersecurity simulations to rigorous materials science testing, EPRI’s labs contribute to developing, validating, and deploying innovative strategies that address core industry needs for enhanced performance, durability, and safety.
EPRI staff will detail recent and relevant case studies detailing how stakeholders in the energy industry have leveraged and benefited from the research outcomes generated by a diverse set of research projects. Designed for utility professionals, engineers, researchers, and policymakers, these sessions provide a closer look at the innovative tools and methodologies advancing the performance and resilience of power generation systems.
Lab Chronicles: EPRI’s Edge in Energy Research Topics, Schedule, and Registration:
Monday, December 9 – Cyber and Digitalization
This session will explore EPRI’s comprehensive research into operational technology (OT) cybersecurity, addressing an industry-wide need for resilient digital infrastructure. EPRI’s cybersecurity lab conducts live, interactive simulations of cyber-attacks on OT systems, allowing researchers to evaluate the impacts of various hardening and mitigation techniques. Learn more about this high-fidelity approach to cybersecurity research, supported by advanced instrumentation and process control capabilities that allow EPRI to develop holistic digital strategies that enhance security, situational awareness, and system reliability.
Tuesday, December 10 – Destructive Testing
In EPRI’s destructive testing lab, researchers conduct high-temperature creep and fatigue testing to understand material behavior under prolonged stress, a critical aspect of the durability of power plant components. This session will highlight the lab’s unique multiaxial vessel tests, which simulate field conditions to validate weldment performance and assess structural repairs. The insights gained directly inform non-destructive examination (NDE) advancements, improving predictive maintenance approaches and asset management strategies essential to generation reliability.
Wednesday, December 11 – Materials Characterization
EPRI’s materials characterization lab leverages advanced microscopy and spectroscopy tools to analyze the microstructure of critical components. This session will demonstrate how EPRI researchers link microstructural features to temperature effects, processing phenomena, and degradation mechanisms over time, contributing essential data to material performance models. The webinar will show how these efforts enable more accurate predictions of component lifespan and resilience, supporting utility decision-making for asset replacement and upgrade cycles.
Thursday, December 12 – Chemistry
In the chemistry lab, EPRI researchers examine water chemistry, corrosion resistance, and the impacts of environmental degradation on both metallic and non-metallic materials. This final session will showcase tools for precise corrosion and chemical composition analysis, as well as advanced techniques for evaluating electrolysis applications. Companies seeking to shift towards more sustainable models, such as hydrogen production, will learn how EPRI’s research on electrolysis chemistry supports the development of efficient, durable systems crucial to energy transition goals.
Visit EPRI’s Generation Labs to explore more and register for the Lab Chronicles series.
