Award Data

Millions of heat pumps are used to heat and cool homes and buildings year round. Continuous operation means that components wear out at a greater rate. As a result, maintenance of residential heat pumps is a major cost driver. Current methods focus on reduced use through control settings. Typically, demand has wide swings throughout the day and people are unable to customize controls. Inevitably, ...

HJ Science & Technology, Inc. proposes a portable microfluidic automation technology capable of rapid and real time detection and identification of microcystins and other toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria (cyanotoxins). During blooms, many cyanotoxins in freshwater are known to cause damage to liver or damage to nerve axons and synapses. Though not strictly regulated, the EPA recommends ...

Environmental Fuel Research, LLC, proposes to commercialize a grease trap waste to biofuel process based on process research from Drexel University. Grease trap waste is dirty and low-value material produced by the food service industry that is high in lipids that can be converted to biodiesel. The quantity of grease trap waste in the United States could produce one-half billion gallons of biodies ...

Environmental studies have proven that ammonia (NH3) presents a significant environmental hazard; therefore, accurate monitoring and control of NH3 concentration is required inorder to maintain appropriate air quality levels. Atmospheric ammonia contributes directly and indirectly to acidification, eutrophication, human health and climate change. For air pollution monitoring, the ammonia concentr ...

Fuels derived from cellulosic biomass offer an alternative to conventional energy sources that supports national economic growth, national energy security, and environmental goals. In the 2007 State of the Union address, President Bush called for 35 billion gallons of alternative fuel use in the United States by 2017, which would replace 20 percent of the nation¿s petroleum consumption. Cellulosi ...

Modern supercontinuum (SC) light sources are generated by non-linear interactions between ultrashort pulse lasers and optical fibers. Output in near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelength ranges has been demonstrated. These light sources have high brightness and are spatially coherent. Recently, output to 4.5 µm was achieved using fluoride glass fibers; optical absorption by the fiber prevents l ...

Southwest Sciences proposes development of residential fire sensing systems based on low cost optical imaging sensors combined with newly introduced highly miniaturized, low power CO sensors. Sensor modules will also include temperature sensors. The modules will be part of a low power wireless network. Each module will be about ½ the size of a business card, a few mm thick, and will operate for ...

A key factor of international efforts to identify and suppress the supply of and demand for nuclear materials, and thereby to deter potential traffickers, is the ability to accurately identify contradicted material and ultimately to trace it back to its origin. Alpha particle spectroscopy is widely used in nuclear forensics to assay trace quantities of sensitive nuclear materials, but the limited ...

Fuels derived from cellulosic biomass offer an alternative to conventional energy sources that supports national economic growth, national energy security, and environmental goals. In the 2007 State of the Union address, President Bush called for 35 billion gallons of alternative fuel use in the United States by 2017, which would replace 20 percent of the nation’s petroleum consumption. Cellulos ...

Although water recycle and reuse is considered good environmental practice, its implementation is highly dependent upon the economics and hence can be challenging to implement. An example is the recovery of low quality heat as water condensate from industrial flue gases. In this case, tremendous quantities of energy and water are lost out the stack in the US today, since no conventional condensing ...