LSU Civil Engineering Professor Aims to Create Offshore Energy Infrastructures That Resist Hurricanes, Aging
June 29, 2023
While oil and gas rigs are built to withstand the elements, some storms in the Gulf
of Mexico are just too strong for the aging platforms and pipelines. LSU Civil and
Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Chao Sun is researching how to create
resilient offshore energy infrastructure under extreme tropical cyclones and aging
issues.
“Thanks to a $76,000 Early-Career Research Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, my long-term research goals are to create safe, multi-hazard resilient offshore energy infrastructure, such as offshore wind farms, oil/gas pipelines, offshore platforms, and other civil infrastructure, such as buildings, bridges, and power transmission/distribution systems threatened by extreme windstorms and structural aging issues,” Sun said.
This research project is the latest initiative in the university's goal of strengthening and improving Louisiana's coastal infrastructure as part of the Scholarship First Agenda.