Award Data

Neutron scattering experiments provide unparalleled contributions to physical, chemical, and materials science. At present, the US Government through DOE-BES operates two premier neutron scattering centers These facilities serve a broad and growing user community whose expanding needs require improved operational efficiency and capacity at those facilities. The automation of sample alignment proce ...

THE BAYESIAN DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM (BDS) IS PROPOSED AS THE CENTRAL INFERENCE ENGINE OF AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM (EXPERT SYSTEM) FOR REACTOR PLANT CONTROL AND MAINTENANCE. THE EXPERT SYSTEM, COPILOT, IS ALREADY UNDER DEVELOPMENT AT PLG UNDER LIMITED IN-HOUSE FUNDING. THE EXISTING WORK INVOLVES DEVELOPMENT OF THE "DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE BASE" OF POWER PLANT SYSTEMS, PROCEDURES, AND ANALYSIS RESULTS ...

Grid-tied energy storage systems provide stabilization to the electric grid that is necessary to accommodate the growing percentage of electricity generated by intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Existing conversion systems between the storage media and the utility lines are large, costly and only 95%-98% energy efficient. In this ARPA-E project, Opcondys, Inc. will build ...

Grid-tied energy storage systems provide stabilization to the electric grid that is necessary to accommodate the growing percentage of electricity generated by intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Existing conversion systems between the storage media and the utility lines are large, costly and only 95%-98% energy efficient. In this ARPA-E project, Opcondys, Inc. will build ...

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-resistancecapabilities. In addition, wind protection tapes ...

The development of processes to convert lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol and other chemicals is being enthusiastically pursued by the federal government as well as by private organizations. However, before these processes can be made cost effective, new materials are needed that are resistant to abrasion and corrosion in the aggressive streams associated with lignocellulosic processing ¿ for ...

THIS RESEARCH ADDRESSES A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR "BULK CONCRETE" REMOVAL IN NUCLEAR FACILITIES FOR DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISSIONING PURPOSES. THIS TECHNIQUE EMPLOYS ABRASIVE-WATERJETS TO CUT DEEP KERFS IN CONCRETE, AS WELL AS REBARS. THE FEASIBILITY OF ACHIEVING DEEP CUTS (> 2 FT.) AS WELL AS CONTAINMENT OF CONTAMINATED MATERIALS WILL BE INVESTIGATED IN THIS PHASE OF RESEARCH. INFORMATION ON "IDEA ...

As the fusion science research advances towards the demonstration of practical reactors for commercial adoption there is a growing need to develop diagnostic systems for monitoring various plasma parameters in real time for control and shaping of the plasma density and profile. Recent, experiments have demonstrated the potential of a high-k Scattering system for studying turbulence physics studies ...

THIS PROJECT IS AIMED AT IMPROVEMENT IN POWER DENSITY AND LOWERING OF THE CARBONATE FUEL CELL COSTS. THE PRESENT GENERATION OF CARBONATE FUEL CELLS IN QUITE ATTRACTIVE FOR BASELOAD UTILITYAPPLICATIONS BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGH EFFICIENCY, SUPERIOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE, AND COMPETITIVE COST OF ELECTRICITY. HOWEVER, COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF CARBONATE FUEL CELLS CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED IF TH ...

The current flue gas purification technologies are expensive, energy intensive, and secondary pollution generating. Most of these technologies only remove a single pollutant from flue gases. For example, the prevailing limestone-based scrubber not only is expensive and energy consuming, but also generates a large amount of liquid and solid wastes. The goal of the Phase I research proj ...