Articles from Southwest Research Institute

Southwest Research Institute’s advisory trustees, board of directors and guests gathered at SwRI’s headquarters today in San Antonio for the Institute’s 78th Annual Meeting.

Southwest Research Institute’s advisory trustees, board of directors and guests gathered at SwRI’s main campus in San Antonio for the Institute’s 77th Annual Meeting. The event featured technical presentations, a business meeting and a campus tour.

Southwest Research Institute’s advisory trustees, board of directors and special guests gathered at the SwRI campus in San Antonio for the Institute’s 76th Annual Meeting. The event featured presentations on six of the thousands of technical projects conducted annually and also included a presentation on capital improvements underway.

Southwest Research Institute’s Advisory Trustees, Board of Directors and special guests gathered at SwRI’s main campus in San Antonio to mark the Institute’s 75th Annual Meeting, featuring technical presentations highlighting several innovative research and development programs under way.

Dr. Joe McDonough has been named vice president of Southwest Research Institute’s Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division. McDonough previously served as director of the division’s Pharmaceuticals and Bioengineering Department.

Southwest Research Institute is testing the durability of valves on fuel tanks for hydrogen-powered vehicles. Hydrogen is increasingly being considered as an alternative to fossil fuels in the transportation sector. The work is being completed as part of an effort with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to evaluate current testing standards for pressurized hydrogen tank valves.

Southwest Research Institute announced a 2021 research volume of nearly $726 million, up more than 4% from 2020 and the highest recorded by the Institute. Capital expenditures were up 21%, exceeding $71 million for the first time.

Southwest Research Institute is now home to a field emission scanning electron microscope, a powerful materials characterization tool that will aid in the research and development of a wide range of materials systems, including thin films and nanomaterials. The microscope’s powerful magnification capabilities can produce clear, sharp images of objects magnified over 1,000,000 times. Additionally, the instrument’s onboard energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer enables localized chemical analysis of the materials being imaged.

Southwest Research Institute has received the IEEE Region 5 2021 Outstanding Large Company Award. SwRI Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Walt Downing, P.E., and Defense and Intelligence Solutions Division Vice President Nils Smith, P.E., accepted the award at the region’s annual meeting in Houston on April 2.

James R. Keys Jr. has been named vice president of Southwest Research Institute’s Applied Power Division. Keys previously served as the division’s executive director.

Dr. Ben Thacker, P.E., has been named vice president of Southwest Research Institute’s Mechanical Engineering Division. Thacker previously served as executive director of the division’s Materials and Fluids Engineering Departments.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is helping a client develop a simple post-refinery treatment process that reduces exhaust emissions from diesel engines by overcoming the soot/nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction trade-off that has plagued engine researchers for decades. The result is a modified fuel that potentially could replace today’s ultra-low sulfur diesel, biodiesel and other renewable diesel fuels.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists and engineers used internal research funding to develop “EZ Flow,” an innovative process for treating heavy crude oils, making pipeline transportation more cost-effective and less energy intensive than current techniques.