What is GTI?
Gas Technology Institute (GTI) is the leading research, development and training organization serving energy markets. GTI is meeting the nation’s energy and environmental challenges by developing solutions for consumers, industry, and government. GTI works with its customers to find, produce, move, store and use natural gas. Together, we develop 21st-century, technology-based solutions that are reliable, affordable, safe and clean. Customers include energy industry companies, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, and other organizations.
GTI is an independent technology organization, established as an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. GTI is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Where is GTI located?
GTI’s headquarters facility is located on an 18-acre campus at 1700 South Mount Prospect Road, in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, IL. GTI also operates the following offices and facilities:
- GTI Washington Operations Office
- GTI Catoosa Test Facility (near Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- Houston Office in Sugar Land, TX
- Sacramento, CA Office
- Process Research and Evaluation Group in Birmingham, AL for gasification research
What services and products does GTI provide?
GTI provides products, services and information that help customers solve problems or capitalize on opportunities related to finding, producing, delivering and using natural gas. More specifically, GTI:
- Performs contract research, development and demonstration projects (field and laboratory)
- Provides technical services in areas related to energy and the environment
- Commercializes new energy-related technology, directly and through subsidiaries
- Plans and manages technology development programs for the gas industry and other clients
- Aggregates funding for collaborative R&D programs of interest to individual companies, consortia, and government agencies
- Provides education and training on technical and business topics related to energy and natural gas.
(See ‘Who can I contact...’ to request details).
What capabilities does GTI offer for technology development?
The GTI staff includes more than 175 highly trained scientists and engineers as well as other professionals skilled in program planning, project management, and training.
GTI’s
Research and Deployment Division offers expertise in four major areas:
- Gas Supply (including technology for: finding, assessing and producing unconventional gas resources and hydrates; gas processing; and liquefied natural gas delivery and use)
- Gas Pipeline Systems (including nondestructive evaluation, right-of-way monitoring, infrastructure surety, and corrosion control)
- Gas Distribution Systems (including no-dig technologies, innovative excavation and restoration systems, leak detection, pipe maintenance, and pipe location).
- Gas Utilization Efficiency and Environmental Issues [including product development (e.g., appliances, boilers, furnaces, cooling systems, distributed power generation systems, and vehicle-related technologies), sensors/controls, burners/combustors, emissions reduction, soil/water clean-up, hydrogen production/use, and fuel cell systems].
What unique facilities does GTI make available to customers?
GTI has established several specialized facilities for focused technology development.
Several key laboratories are noted below. (All are in Des Plaines, IL, unless otherwise noted).
For more detailed information, visit GTI's individual
Research Centers.
- Gas Operations Laboratories: Piping, electronics, corrosion, coatings, soils/pavement, calibration gases, failure analysis, materials testing.
Contact: Edward Johnston, 847-768-0889
- GTI Catoosa Test Facility, Inc. (Catoosa, OK): Gas-well technology evaluation.
Contact: Scott Randolph or Ron Bray, Toll-free 1-877-477-1910
- Industrial Combustion Laboratory: Clean and efficient burners and thermal systems development. Contact: Dan Willems, 847-768-0877
- Residential/Commercial Appliances Laboratory: Gas-fueled appliances for homes and businesses. Contact: Tim Cole, 847-768-0854
- Gas Hydrates Research Facilities: Study of hydrates as a resource and from a flow-assurance viewpoint. Contact: Iraj Salehi, 847-768-0902
- Flex-Fuel Gasification Test Facility: Gasification of coal, biomass.
Contact: Bruce Bryan, 847-768-0591
- Laser Laboratory: Laser use for well construction, completion, or other gas industry applications. Contact: Iraj Salehi, 847-768-0902
What are GTI's sources of revenue?
GTI revenues come from several sources:
- Contracts from customers for research, program management, technical services, technology development and education programs
- Royalty and license fees from GTI technologies incorporated into commercial products/services
- The Sustaining Membership Program (SMP), by which its investors support collaborative, mid-term technology development
- Returns from the activities of GTI’s subsidiaries and other technology investments.
How do the gas industry and gas consumers help to shape the GTI program?
GTI is guided by a Board of Directors with 14 members representing the natural gas industry and consumer interests. The CEO of GTI is also a member of the Board.
Input is solicited from the
Public Interest Advisory Committee (PIAC). The PIAC provides public and gas consumer interest guidance to GTI and its Board. The PIAC is made up of public utility commissioners, consumer advocates, and environmental, economic, and university-based experts.
In addition, member companies and other partners provide technical guidance to GTI on program content and priorities. GTI also formally surveys its research customers regularly. This satisfaction survey helps to ensure that GTI's products and services meet customer needs and identifies areas for performance improvement.
Who are the members of GTI's senior management team?
The President and CEO is David C. Carroll.
The Vice President of Corporate Development is Ronald Snedic.
The Vice President and Chief Technology Officer is Jack Lewnard.
The Vice President of Finance, Treasurer, and CFO is Chris Herman.
The General Counsel and Secretary is Paul Chromek.
The Executive Director of Human Resources is Barbara Weber.
The Executive Director of Washington Operations is Daniel LeFevers.
The Executive Director of Business Development and Education is Rodney Rinholm.
The Managing Director of Supply—Exploration & Production is Guy Lewis.
The Managing Director of Supply—Gasification is Vann Bush.
The Managing Director of Delivery is Edward Johnston.
The Managing Director of End Use Solutions is Bill Liss.
What are some of the major accomplishments of GTI?
More than 1000 patents and nearly 500 products have resulted from GTI-led technology developments. Representative technology developments that have had major market impact include the following:
Gas Supply
- Hydraulic fracture mapping through use of microseisms (Fracseis SM)
- Diagnostic tools and technologies to exploit coal gas, shale gas, and low-permeability formations
- Non-aqueous sulfur removal process for direct and tail-gas treatment (CrystaSulfSM)
- Freeze/thaw evaporation process for treating produced waters (FTE® Process)
- Crosswell seismic imaging systems for more detailed views of subsurface formations
- Processes for gasification of coal (U-GAS®) and biomass (RENUGAS®)
- Solvent to remove acid gases from raw natural gas (MorphySorb®)
Gas Distribution
- Plastic pipe performance testing, installation guides, field-failure catalog
- Steerable, horizontal ground-piercing device (Guided Mole)
- Software for planning guided-boring operations (DrillPath®)
- Optical methane detector for rapid, vehicle-based leak surveys (OMD®)
- Automated district pressure regulator (GridBossSM)
- Systems for renewing gas service lines (RENU®; starline®)
- Gas storage-field damage prevention and remediation tools (DamageExpert®)
- Tools to detect microbiological corrosion in piping systems
Gas Transmission
- Low-cost retrofit NOx controls/combustors for piston and turbine engines
that drive gas compressors
- Composite pipeline repair material (ClockSpring®)
- Ultrasonic and electromagnetic/ acoustic systems for in-line detection of stress-corrosion cracking
- Ultrasonic meter performance and calibration standards
- Methods for evaluating lost and unaccounted-for gas
- Improved magnetic-flux-leakage tool for in-line pipeline inspection
- Pipeline risk-management tools and models
Environmental
- Guidebook for remediation and management of former MGP sites
- Chemical-biological treatments for contaminated soil (MGP-REM; PCB-REM)
- Guidebook to determine environmentally acceptable end-points for soil remediation
- Instrument for direct measurement of fugitive-emission leak rates (Hi-Flow™ Sampler)
- Tools to estimate/analyze emissions from a range of gas-industry operations
(GHGCalc®, GRI-HAPCalc®, GRI-GLYCalc®)
- Guidelines on pipeline routing through wetlands to minimize impact
Gas Use
- Residential furnaces using modulation and pulse combustion for high efficiency
- Venting and installation guidelines for residential and commercial gas equipment
- Method to evaluate gas water heater designs to reduce accidental ignition
of flammable vapors
- Engine-driven and absorption chillers for space cooling, refrigeration
- Software to assess energy-equipment economics and applications (Desi-Calc®, kitchenCost™, Gas Cooling Guide, BinMaker)
- Advanced commercial food service equipment (AutoFry™, Steam Combination Oven, Steam Cooker)
- Process for burning gas with coal, biomass, or solid wastes to reduce emissions
(METHANE de-NOX®)
- Emission control technique for glass melters and other industrial furnaces
(Oxygen-Enriched Air Staging)
- Industrial burners using innovative methods (e.g., oscillating or cyclonic combustion, forced internal flue-gas recirculation) to cut emissions and increase heat transfer
- Application guidelines for high-performance infrared burners
- Industrial furnaces for glass tempering and heat-treating
- Software to evaluate the benefits of distributed power generation systems (D-Gen Pro™)
- Engines and other components for natural gas vehicles and fueling systems
What education and training resources are available from GTI?
GTI helps strengthen the gas industry through its education and training programs. Both seasoned and new gas-industry professionals can learn about technologies, operations, and related business topics. Educational options include the following:
- eLearning through the Internet
- Open-enrollment classroom courses
- Onsite, tailored courses at a client's facility
- CD-ROM and print self-study materials
- Training modules for a client's intranet.
See
‘Who can I contact...’ for information about these education and training resources.
What information resources are available from GTI?
An excellent starting point is this GTI web site. It contains thousands of pages of authoritative technical documents as well as information about GTI's structure, products, and services. GTI also produces three publications:
- Gas Operations News, a newsletter that provides information related to GTI's Distribution & Pipeline Technology developments, services, and research opportunities
- End-Use Solutions, a newsletter that provides information on technology developments, services, and research opportunities for residential, commercial, industrial and power generation markets.
- Education eNews, a monthly update on GTI's classroom courses, online courses, and new certification programs.
- GasTIPS, a quarterly magazine highlighting E&P-related research.
GTI’s Technical Information Center houses one of the world’s leading gas technology libraries and an extensive historical database of gas-related information. See ‘Who can I contact...’ for information on how to access these resources.
Who can I contact for more information about GTI and its programs?
GTI Headquarters
1700 S. Mount Prospect Road
Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804
Phone: 847-768-0500; FAX: 847-768-0501
Corporate e-mail:
publicrelations@gastechnology.org
Technical Programs and Services
Education Group
Rod Rinholm
847-768-0868
E-mail:
education@gastechnology.org
Commercialization and Investment
E-mail:
commercialization@gastechnology.org
Sustaining Membership Program (SMP)
and other Collaborative Programs
Ron Snedic, Vice President, Business Development
847-768-0572
E-mail:
ron.snedic@gastechnology.org
Other Contacts
General Information and Media Contact
E-mail:
publicrelations@gastechnology.org
GTI Membership, Proposals, and Partnering
Rod Rinholm, Director
847-768-0868
E-mail: <
membership@gastechnology.org
GTI Washington Office
Daniel LeFevers, Executive Director, Washington Operations
655 15th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
202-661-8650
E-mail:
washingtonops@gastechnology.org
State Regulatory Funding Initiatives
Ron Edelstein, Director, Regulatory Affairs
202-661-8644
E-mail:
businessdevelopmentinfo@gastechnology.org
Technical Information Center (Library)
Carol Worster, Supervisor
847-768-0664
E-mail:
publications@gastechnology.org
Reports and Other Documents
Here on the GTI website, you can use the "Search" function to find and purchase a wide range of GTI documents. Another resource for older (pre-1990) GTI documents is the
Technical Information Center (see contact information above).
