Award Data

Transformers are critical for the power grid distributions via stepping up down the voltage. The key cause of failure in majority of transformers is the insulation problem related to the kraft paper. The objective of this project is to integrate a collection of advanced surface chemistry, kraft paper fabrication, and rapid property screening, followed by standard testings and pilot demonstration t ...

Biomimetic CO2 to Fuel Enabled by Scalable Catalyst Development and Synthetic Electrochemistry Methane is a primary source of national energy, often in the form of liquid natural gas (LNG), accounting for up to 30% of all energy produced in the United States. Further, LNG boasts a number of benefits over other chemical energy storage methods: it has a higher volumetric energy density than alternat ...

Fog and smog reduce visibility at sea, greatly impacting ship navigation and safety. Low visibility marine conditions decrease speed and safety of commercial fleets and increase costs through poor fuel load planning. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of maritime operations to the supply chain; therefore, decreasing associated cost and risk are of the utmost importance. Applied Ocean ...

"Metron proposes to develop user-friendly software to promote understanding of impacts due to cascading climate hazards and extreme weather events, in collaboration with George Mason University (GMU). Climate and extreme weather (CEW) hazards pose significant risks to life and property. As extreme events become more prevalent, risks associated with cascading, compound events come to the fore, such ...

Viable Gear will provide proof-of-concept for a seaweed-based bioplastic to be used in manufacturing a compostable biotwine for marine equipment, designed to replace petroleum-based plastics. This addresses NOM-SBIR research topic area 9.3, The Changing Ocean - specifically to "support increased protection and restoration of marine and coastal habitats to enhance vital ecosystems", by helping decr ...

Energy production has been dominated by hydrocarbon fuels, which are plentiful, cheap, and delivered through an efficient and widespread infrastructure. However, because the combustion of those fuels results in airborne pollutants and CO2 emission, there has been an intense effort to replace those combustion technologies with low-cost, low-emission energy sources. Low-energy nuclear reactions (LEN ...

The marine microalgae Crypthecodinium cohnii (C. cohnii) contains high levels of DHA and DHA synthase enzyme (DSe) both of which may provide nutritional benefits to finfish for human consumption. Field Phyto-Nutrients LLC has developed a process for algae-based feed preparation where the algae is dried under low temperature (

Demand for seaweed products has dramatically increased in the U.S.; however, only 1% is met with domestic production. Expansion of seaweed aquaculture is crucial to protect wild populations from extinction by overharvesting, which impacts entire marine ecosystems. Current kelp aquaculture methods rely on harvested reproductive tissue, which is not sustainable. In response to NOAA Topic 9.3, Health ...

Many municipalities in the United States have begun to use impermeability measurements to incentivize storm water retention as part of the architectural and landscaping design process. These measurements are performed through analysis of high-resolution aerial photography and updated on an annual or semi-annual basis. The practice of using high resolution aerial or even satellite photography is pr ...

To eliminate the release of ventilation air methane (VAM) associated with coal production, the core challenge is how to oxidize methane given the low concentrations. Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) proposes an innovative modular array combining three key elements: (1) short contact time, low thermal mass reactor design to achieve maximal total conversion in a small volume, (2) catalyst formulati ...