Award Data

Determination of isotopologue ratios are a critical tool in plant, microbial and ecosystem ecology, hydrology, biogeochemistry studies, and interrogation of environmental remediation. In addition, the most abundant elements utilized and exchanged by plants, microbes and ecosystems are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N), all of which have naturally occurring stable isotope forms ...

The predictive skill of reactive transport models of hydrobiogeochemical processes currently being used to simulate the coupled interactions of complex subsurface systems (soils, rhizosphere, sediments, aquifers, the vadose zone and groundwaters) is limited by the accuracy of the model parameters that represent subsurface system structure and intrinsic properties. Robust field testing to validate ...

Microorganisms play key roles in environmental functioning and understanding their responses to environmental perturbation is critical in developing accurate climate change models, a need highlighted by the DOE. However, their phylogenetic and functional diversity, abundance in the environment, and lack of cultured status make them challenging to study. While there are several molecular methods av ...

Amethyst Research, in collaboration with InView, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing an infrared imaging system to detect and quantify greenhouse gas emissions, to better understand their life cycle and role in global earth system dynamics.

Neutron scattering is one of the most useful methods of studying the structure and dynamics of matter. Therefore, a number of new large neutron facilities have recently being constructed, upgraded or planned around the world. Examples include the new, 1.4 billion-dollars Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at DoE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and upgrades of ORNL’s High-Flux Isotope React ...

Small wind turbines in the 5 – 25 kW range for rural residences, farms and small businesses have a large market potential due to the millions of suitable sites in the U.S. and overseas. But industry sales have declined in recent years as the costs of photovoltaics have dropped and state incentive programs have reduced. This is unfortunate because most of the equipment for solar power is importe ...

The recent events at the Fukushima nuclear power plant highlight the need for enhanced accident tolerance. Of particular concern is the overheating of standard zirconium alloy cladding in a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). One of the leading, high-risk/high-reward candidates for future claddings is a silicon carbide (SiC) composite. However, the inherent open porosity present in fibrous based comp ...

In most wind turbine cases, in the absence of maintenance and repair the polymer composite blades’ service life can be significantly diminished compared to original estimates, and the overall turbine efficiency can severely suffer. Current repair products such as epoxy-based fillers and/or solvent-based paints have very limited abrasion-resistance capabilities. In addition, wind protection tapes ...

Despite enormous advantages of high efficiency and fuel flexibility, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have seen limited development in mobile, including aerospace, application areas. On the technical front, this condition has been primarily driven by the low specific power density of SOFCs, typically less than 0.5 kW/kg. On the manufacturing front, limitations have been related to catalyst infiltrat ...

Explosive Electron Emission (EEE) is typical to cathodic arcs. The physics of multi-phase phenomena associated with self-sustained formation of explosive emission centers (ectons) is not fully understood. This SBIR project will conduct experimental, theoretical, and computational studies of EEE-induced phase transitions at electrode surfaces and formation of plasma jets in cathodic sparks and arcs ...