Session Descriptions

Water for the Power Sector: Managing Water Demand for the Production of Power

• Advanced cooling technologies (including air and wet-dry hybrid systems),
• Water source switching for cooling (effluent, brackish, etc.),
• Heat exchanger design,
• Rugged materials for efficient cooling,
• Avoiding corrosion or scaling,
• Advanced cooling system monitoring systems,
• Software for modeling cooling systems,
• Integrated thermoeconomic analysis,
• Integrating smart grid with smart water and smart gas,
• Decision-making tools for water resource management, and
• Predicting and monitoring thermal pollution.

Water for Fuels Production: Managing Water Demand for the Production of Fuels

• Waterless hydraulic fracturing techniques,
• Water reuse for unconventional oil and gas production,
• Water source switching for hydraulic fracturing (effluent, brackish, re-use, etc.),
• Distributed on-site wastewater treatment systems,
• Advanced biofuels that are not as freshwater-intensive (algae, cellulosics, etc.),
• Techniques for waterless separation of mined materials,
• Decision-making tools for water resource management, and
• Analyzing the potential for water and energy markets to collaborate

Energy for Water: Managing the Energy Demands of Extracting, Treating, and Transporting Water

• Better membranes that don’t foul and have reduced energy requirements
• VFD water pumps,
• Integrated appliance design for using waste heat for water heating
• Smart grid, smart water and smart gas,
• Advanced greywater reuse systems for irrigation and cooling,
• Advanced water meters,
• Water source switching for hydraulic fracturing (effluent, brackish, re-use, etc.),
• Integrated rooftop harvesting, treatment and heating systems,
• Combined renewables and water treatment systems, and
• Decision-making tools for water resource management.

Managing Social, Behavioral, Policy, and Economic Structures to Enhance Water and Energy Use Efficiences

• Policy and regulatory issues and drivers
• Social science applications to energy water efficiency improvements
• Economic issues, incentives or disincentives that should be pursues or addressed
• Improved energy water decision management to better improve policies and regulations
• Urban and rural planning research to support and drive energy and water and other resource sustainability