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A strategic need exists for harsh-environment, foul-resistant engine exhaust emission sensors. No presently available devices combine the requisite sensitivity and selectivity to hydrocarbons, CO, CO2, and NOx with thermal and chemical robustness, low power drain, rapid response, and reasonable cost. Boston MicroSystems, Inc., proposes to develop a hand-held portable engine emissions analyzer that ...

The Phase I objective is to develop a compact, low-cost, easy-to-use system for the rapid detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Two key innovations provide the foundation for Ciencia, Inc.'s system: (1) a dielectrophoretic field-flow-fractionation method to replace current filtering and centrifugation methods to concentrate the sample and remove nontarget organisms or nonbiological debris, and (2) ...

During the Phase I program, Foster-Miller developed techniques based on Ultrasonic Tape Lamination (UTL) for joining of plasticized PVC sewer pipe liner. This effort was undertaken in response to a need for environmentally sound and cost-effective methods for rehabilitation of aging water and sewerage pipe rehabilitation infrastructure. Ultrasonic lamination has several significant advantages over ...

Exterior wrapping of concrete columns initially was developed for seismic reinforcement in high-risk areas such as California. As the technology has gained acceptance, it is being considered for use in extending column life, reducing corrosion, and preventing spalling. All composite wrapping systems utilize some form of a fiber-reinforced thermoset material. For several reasons discussed below, fi ...

Direct-injection (DI) fuel pumps operate on petroleum-based hydrocarbons that have inherent lubricating properties. DI fuel pumps that inject clean-burning liquid fuels with no lubricating properties (such as methanol or dimethyl ether) induce a major wear problem at the interface of the plunger and cylinder wall. Addition of a sacrificial liquid lubricant to reduce this wear would defeat the obje ...

Mide Technology Corporation proposes to develop a fuel injection system for automotive combustion control. The design is composed of a fast-acting piezoelectric actuator to operate a fuel injection valve and emission sensors located in the exhaust, both used in concert with a rapid-learning control algorithm to reduce engine NOx, hydrocarbon (HC), and particulate emissions without sacrificing fuel ...

OPTRA, Inc., is proposing a low-resolution ( 15 nm) Fresnel sapphire split-prism spectrometer specifically tailored to the identification of molecular species present in the emissions from an engine source. The proposed approach will examine the 3-5.5 ¿m spectral region, allowing for the extraction of concentration information of CO2, CO, NO, HCs, and particulate matter. Sapphire was chosen bec ...

Improved control of dissolved alumina concentration in the molten cryolite of Hall-Heroult cells is an important need in the aluminum smelting industry. A major incentive is avoiding "anode effect" that occurs when the cryolite bath's alumina content becomes too low (e.g., less than 2.2 w/o) to support normal electrolysis. Anode effect reflects production and accumulation of perfluorocarbons at th ...

New regulations for drinking water treatment are leading to alternatives to chlorine disinfection. As a result, the use of ultraviolet (UV) light for disinfection is growing rapidly. The disinfection capability of commercial UV systems is limited by available mercury lamp technology. Phoenix Science & Technology's innovative Surface Discharge (SD) UV lamp is a promising candidate to both improve t ...