Technology Showcase

Keynote

Patty Horvatich
Senior Vice President, Business Investment, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance

Presenting Companies

In a format similar to that of a venture capital fair, the following selected suppliers will deliver an 8-minute presentation followed by a 2-minute Q&A session.

Espiku, Inc.

Mathew Smith
Principal Engineer

At the core of Espiku’s flagship system, Scepter, is a novel Horizontal Channel Evaporator that allows for lower latency control and direct observation of potential fouling (salt build-up). While many thermal systems, especially falling film, avoid supersaturation and resulting precipitation of salts to prevent fouling, our technology can supersaturate, optimizing for higher heat efficiency and water recovery (evaporation). In this horizontal channel, salts in water supersaturate, get carried upward by boiling bubble movement, and continue floating out of the channel due to operation with semi-laminar flow regimes. Directly modulating temperature during the evaporation phase allows for increased water flow while preventing dry spots and thermal or flow instabilities. This precise heat transfer and flow regime control with innovative management of precipitates means Espiku can achieve a broader operational window without fouling, which translates to more robust, maintenance-free, continuous operations.

The Horizontal Channel Evaporator employs a simpler, more direct, lower-latency control while encouraging supersaturation of salts. Operators and customers can confidently treat water with:

• A design that eliminates most fouling drivers.
• Controls that respond more quickly to fouling.
• The ability to precipitate salts without fouling.
• Continuous operation at highest possible heat input and flow rate.

H Quest

George Skoptsov
Founder and Chief Executive Officer

H Quest’s microwave plasma pyrolysis process converts natural gas into hydrogen and carbon black without combustion, water, or CO₂ emissions. The process is designed to be modular and for on-site deployment directly at the well pad. It can operate on dry or rich gas, including unprocessed field gas, and start or stop instantly, enabling flexible integration with power and gas supply.

Each system would provide 1 ton of hydrogen per day, available to power the system and other on-site applications. The solid product capacity will be 1,000 tons of high-quality tire- and battery-grade carbon black per year ($30B market, $1.5 – $40 / kg price point) — offering 5,000 tons of CO2 annual emissions reduction.

H Quest conducted application tests with customers and third-party laboratories to demonstrate competitive performance for both battery and tire applications. These resulted in strategic investments from the tire manufacturer and the local natural gas utility Peoples Gas, and in the joint development project with a Japan-based producer of high-performance battery carbons.

Peak Values Consulting

Edward Krueger
Principal Data Scientist and Founder

The technology uses AI to extract and structure information from two key unstructured data streams in the energy industry: real-time chat messages and lab-generated gas analysis documents. Our system applies prompt engineering and API-based classification to assign downtime messages to a list of defined categories (e.g., maintenance, emergency shut-in, plunger related) with high precision and recall. This turns informal chat logs into structured inputs for dashboards, performance models, and root cause analysis. In parallel, we use foundational models to parse gas analysis PDFs, converting lab data into standardized files. Our approach evaluates multiple model configurations (GPT-4o, GPT-4, o3) and input formats (image DPI, OCR techniques, prompt structure) to find the optimal balance of accuracy, cost, and latency. The technology is lightweight, cloud-native, and secure, leveraging AI with enterprise-grade data protection. No specialized hardware or training data is required. The result is a practical AI solution that converts previously ignored or underutilized operational data into structured intelligence for production optimization, compliance, and forecasting.

PipeSense

Josh Holmes
Vice President, Business Development

Operators have long struggled with leak detection systems that cry wolf—triggering costly shutdowns and pressure tests for false positives, while still missing real leaks. PipeSense’s PipeGuard, a non-invasive, real-time leak detection solution engineered to restore confidence in pipeline integrity.

Unlike conventional systems that rely on complex combinations of flow, pressure and temperature, PipeGuard focuses on what really matters – pipeline pressure. Using proprietary edge and cloud data processing and machine learning techniques, PipeGuard filters out the noise and zeroes in on the pressure signatures that matter. The result? Fewer false positives, faster response times, and the ability to detect small leaks that others miss.

We’ll showcase how PipeGuard is already transforming pipeline operations across North America. We’ll walk through how it installs without shutdowns, operating independently or integrating into client’s SCADA, and provides precise event detection in real time, even in the most remote or complex systems.

Whether you’re managing aging infrastructure or high-consequence areas, PipeGuard offers a smarter, more reliable path forward.

Safety Radar

Matt Weis
Chief Operating Officer/Co-founder

Safety Radar’s technology is powered by its proprietary, patent-pending AI engine called the Safety Analysis Framework Engine (SAFE), deployed commercially since late 2022. SAFE ingests and evaluates large volumes of safety and incident reports to deliver intelligent, real-time safety insights. The platform can consume a variety of data sources including safety reports, JSAs, Operational Data, etc. Safety Radar assesses both actual and potential severity of events, the likelihood of severe outcomes, and causal factors based on the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers’ framework. Additionally, it quantifies workers’ exposure to serious injuries or fatalities (pSIF) through a methodology inspired by the Campbell Institute. By transforming unstructured field data into actionable analysis, SAFE enables organizations to prioritize safety interventions with precision and scale.

SLB

Tanveer Shahid
Product Engineer – Smith Bits

The CenterFlow™ PDC bit represents a significant advancement in drilling technology, engineered to meet the growing demands of deeper, faster, and more efficient drilling operations. This innovative bit design incorporates a unique centralized hydraulic port architecture combined with a robust Stinger element to deliver superior fluid distribution, optimized bit face cooling, and enhanced cuttings evacuation.

As drilling environments become more complex, varied lithologies and extended intervals—bit performance must remain consistent and reliable. CenterFlow™ addresses these challenges with a design that eliminates low-circulation zones, enabling consistent cleaning and sustained drilling efficiency. The centralized nozzles focuses hydraulic energy across the bit face rather than vertically into the formation, significantly improving removal of cuttings from the bit center and enhancing blade cleaning even and sticky and balling prone formations.

The integrated Stinger element plays a dual role, allowing the formation of a stress-relieved core for more efficient rock failure while also supporting balanced hydraulic flow across the bit structure. This combination enables the CenterFlow™ bit to perform across a broad spectrum of formations, from soft to hard rock, delivering durability, versatility, and optimized downhole dynamics for today’s high-performance drilling needs.