Award Data

Optimization of generator performance and maximization of output power are difficult to attain in the generation of hydro-power. This is due to the changing water conditions and corresponding changes in the form of available energy. ESL proposes to use self-tuning controls in combination with a suitably chosen and optimized generator driven by hydro-energy and condition it for distribution to then ...

The proposed effort is aimed at the development of a new low-cost technique for extracting the fuel precursor components from marine alga cells. The effort is aimed at reducing the total production costs of alga-derived fuels, up to one-half of which may be attributed to the recovery/extraction process alone. Development of advanced processing technologies such as that proposed here is necessary i ...

We propose to build a compact, rugged airborne laser photoacoustic spectrometric (LPAS) sensor based on a tunable mid-IR diode laser for continuous, real-time measurements of water vapor, and perform field tests to qualify it for dynamic airborne in situ monitoring of upper troposphere water vapor. An innovative diode laser frequency locking technique developed by us will be utilized for tunable d ...

Reuse in software engineering is an exciting concept that has yet to be reliably implemented. The number of program subroutines that are truly generic (and therefore applicable across all applications) is limited. However, there are specific applications that are required by many organizations, albeit with a set of constraints specific to each organization. This project proposes to design a too ...

It is proposed to develop a miniature guarded hot plate apparatus that can be used to determine the thermal conductivity or thermal resistance of very small specimens (1 to 3 cm square) of thermal insulation materials over a temperature range from at least -40 degrees Celsius to +65 degrees Celsius, with the apparatus having the capability to carry out measurements under controlled environments of ...

A combustion environment can be described by a characteristic fuel-to-air ratio normalized by the stoichiometric fuel-to-air ratio, otherwise defined as an equivalence ratio, _. The equivalence ratio is used extensively in a wide range of combustion fields from fundamental flame studies, to full-scale fire testing, to power plant operations. There have been basically two methods for calculating ...

This proposal will emphasize outfitting a virtual classroom and creating a skills (CNC) oriented training program. The virtual classroom will involve contextual learning using a realistic simulation of the manufacturing environment. The simulation will have all of the characteristics of a machine shop, but will allow the learner to explore and experiment ("discover") in ways that would not be pr ...

Recent catastrophic failures of Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) aluminum gas cylinders and similar air tanks have generated the need for a highly reliable, low cost inspection method to insure the integrity of these tanks. The failures of these tanks have been the result of crack formation in the neck and shoulder area. The cracks originate from the interior wall and can re ...

A NOVEL PHOTOSTIMULABLE PHOSPHOR IMAGING TECHNIQUE IS PROPOSED TO REPLACE BULKY COUNTING SYSTEMS CURRENTLY USED IN NEUTRON DIFFRACTION AND SCATTERING INVESTIGATIONS. THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE PROPOSED DETECTOR CAN BE VARIED TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO MOVE THE DETECTION SYSTEM CLOSER TO THE SCATTERING SAMPLE, THEREBY INCREASING THE NEUTRONS AVAILABLE FOR DETECTION AND SHRINKING THE SIZE OF THE EXPERIME ...

This project is investigating the application of magnetic recording and micromachine technologies to the development of a novel magnetic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) system. Magnetic NDE methods based on Barkhausen signal detection and analysis can provide valuable information about the state of stress of steel materials. However, Barkhausen signals do not appear to be correlated with the ext ...