Award Data

The future of nuclear fusion relies in part on the development of effective plasma facing components (PFCs) that can withstand the intense heat loads, forces, and neutron bombardment of long-pulse, high-power reactor operation. Current PFC designs for the next-generation International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which will require thousands of PFCs, involve beryllium (Be) armor bon ...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are one of the most efficient and cleanest power generating systems under development. A key component in the SOFC generator is the cathode-air heat exchanger or recuperator, which ensures that the cathode air (and, thereby, the cells) is at a sufficient temperature to permit ion mobility and improve overall SOFC system efficiency by reducing stack losses. However, ...

RECENT LEGISLATION IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD, DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, HAS LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE THE LEVELS OF NITROGEN OXIDE (NOX) EMITTED FROM COMBUSTION FACILITIES. APPLICATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY TO COAL-FIRED POWER GENERATION FACILITIES HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THE RELATIVELY HIGH NITROGEN CONCENTRATION OF TYPICAL COALS (0.5 TO 2%). ...

REMOVAL OF CONTAMINANTS FROM HOT GAS STREAMS FED TO DOWNSTREAM EQUIPMENT IF ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED COAL UTILIZATION AND CONVERSION PROCESSES. THE OPERATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF SUCH REMOVAL PROCESS OFTEN REQUIRES DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENTATION TO MEASURE CONCENTRATIONS AND TEMPERATURES OF CONTAMINANT SPECIES. ONE OBJECTIVE IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IN-SITU METHODS FOR SIMULTAN ...

There is a troubling decline in the number of US citizens training to become scientists and engineers. There are insufficient numbers of qualified science teachers in the middle schools, where interest in science must be kindled. Technology enhanced learning environments (TELEs), which could improve science education, are not being widely deployed. This Phase I project will customize a TELE to a) ...

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Political, economic, and environmental considerations require that the national dependence on petroleum-based transportation fuels, especially imported oil, be reduced by accelerating the development of domestic renewable alternatives. The United States has the potential to generate, sustainably, about 1.3 billion dry tons of biomass per year, and bio-oil derived from this renewable feedstock cou ...

There is a troubling decline in the number of US citizens training to become scientists and engineers. There are insufficient numbers of qualified science teachers in the middle schools, where interest in science must be kindled. Technology enhanced learning environments (TELEs), which could improve science education, are not being widely deployed. This Phase I project will customize a TELE to a) ...

There is a growing demand for power electronics that can operate under the high temperature and high power conditions that will be encountered in applications such as Hybrid Electric Vehicles. As the coolant temperature used to dissipate heat from the electronics increases, the operation of power semiconductor devices such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) becomes severly limited, in ...

Aerosol particles have important impacts on visibility, acid deposition, climate, and human health; yet, large uncertainties remain in quantifying their chemical composition and atmospheric transformations. A large part of the anthropogenic aerosol is generated from energy-related activities, and organic compounds are known to constitute a significant fraction of ambient aerosol mass in many loca ...