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Jesse Hensley, Ph.D.

Photo of Jesse Hensley

Jesse Hensley joined NREL in 2009 as a chemical engineer in the Thermochemical Process R&D division of the National Bioenergy Center. 

Jesse currently serves as the principal investigator for two core DOE projects with a research budget in excess of $1 million per year.

Since joining NREL, he has designed and built three state-of-the-art reactor systems for characterization of heterogeneous gas-to-liquids catalysts, and he collaborates with several industrial partners to advance the state of the art in mixed alcohol catalysis. He also has designed and managed the construction of a pilot-scale biomass syngas cleanup system and pilot-scale gas-to-alcohol reactor system.

Jesse works alongside other task leaders, is mentoring a graduate student and an undergraduate intern, and serves as a point of contact on NREL's pressure safety panel. At present, Jesse is developing opportunities for next-generation catalysis research, such as hydrocarbon gasoline substitutes from syngas and syngas intermediates.

Research Interests

  • Renewable and sustainable energy
  • Materials for improved efficiency
  • Catalysis
  • Kinetic modeling
  • Transport modeling
  • Composite and nanostructured materials
  • Energy storage
  • Biofuels
  • Zeolite materials
  • Complex membrane separations

Education

  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering
    Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 2007
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering; concentration in Environmental Studies
    University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 2003
  • University of Western Australia, Study abroad program, 2001

Professional Experience

Jesse's professional experience includes the following:

  • Development of kinetic models for gas-to-alcohol synthesis over heterogeneous catalysts
  • Collaboration with senior researchers across national labs, industry, and academia
  • Invention and patenting
  • Design of computer tools to streamline data collection and analysis from complex experimental setups
  • Design of pilot-scale equipment from bench-scale data
  • Drafting of P&IDs, HAZOP reviews of pilot and commercial processes, and generation of professional operating manuals and safety procedures
  • Programming, wiring, and troubleshooting of process control systems using Opto22
  • Basic process modeling in Aspen Plus
  • Design and validation of bench-scale reactor systems and associated analysis tools
  • Instrumental analysis techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography (GC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), impedance spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), small angle X-Ray scattering (SAXS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) pore size analysis.

Professional Affiliations

  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)

Patents and Publications

Patents

  • Alsum, P.J.; Wilcox, E.M.; Hensley, J.E.; Kharas, K., 2009 WO 2010036846 (A2). "Methods for Improving Syngas-to-Alcohol Catalyst Activity and Selectivity."
  • Hensley, J.E., 2009 WO 2009075942 (A2). "Methods and Apparatus for Continuous Removal of Carbon Dioxide from a Mixture of Reacting Gases."

Manuscripts

Abstracts

  • Hensley, J.E. (November 2010). "Effective Limits of CO2 and Methane Recycle to Mixed Alcohol Reactors Operated with Metal Sulfide Catalysts." AIChE Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Hensley, J.E.; Way, J.D. (September 2006). "Relationship Between Proton Conductivity and Water Permeability in Perfluorinated Ionomer Membranes." ACS International Meeting Fuel Division.

Contact Information

Jesse Hensley
Engineer III
Thermochemical Process R&D
National Bioenergy Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
15013 Denver West Parkway, MS 3317
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-384-7914
E-mail: jesse.hensley@nrel.gov