Award Data

Algal biofuels hold the promise of directly replacing fossil fuels through domestic production of renewable gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel. Before algae can be converted to fuel it must be harvested and concentrated 400-fold, however, no commercial technology can perform this step cheaply enough to allow economic production of fuel from algae. The lack of a low cost algal harvesting technology ...

Development of low-cost optical components for X-Ray microscopy and extreme ultraviolet lithography will facilitate the reduction of semiconductor chip features to a few nanometers and spur new frontiers in nanotechnology, microelectronics, neuroscience and cell biology and maintain the US position as a global leader in technology. The manufacturing of the required optical components by vacuum thi ...

Software protection and its associated tools can be regarded as a first line of defense for run-time integrity in an High Performance Computing (HPC) system, but cannot be easily extended to provide security solution beyond the software level. Hence, it is also essential to build a system-wide security analysis tool to assess the entire HPC system’s security. The major challenges for building su ...

Developing a T-EBC coating capable of providing extended performance of sic CMCs in high temperature, water vapor gas turbine engine environments at 3100oF coupled with the need to resist degradation from external sand/ salt ingestion is a daunting challenge. Of all the numerous studies by NASA, universities, private sector companies and other Federal laboratories, rare earth zirconia and hafnia c ...

Accurate simulation of nuclear power plant behavior is necessary for both engineering and training applications. An engineering grade simulator, used for design, safety analysis and operations, is characterized by high fidelity, computational power, lack of real-time capability, and user non-interactive environment. By contrast, a training grade simulator, used for operator training and education, ...

Establish means and methods to perform comprehensive mechanical characterization using miniature tensile specimens for highly irradiated materials. The solution should aid in dramatic reduction of irradiated material waste and provide feasibility for easy incorporation and remote operation within hot cell environments. Based on previous research, an Advanced Mechanical Test (AMT) test bed incorpor ...

DOE is seeking methods to improve manufacturing of small modular reactors. Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes are desirable given the limited production basis and high quality necessary for nuclear components. Techniques to decrease the schedule of manufacturing and increase the confidence of the part’s microstructure are sought. Current inspection methods to maintain production speed and eff ...

We will develop an acoustically-telemetered, frequency-multiplexed, gamma-heated thermoacoustic sensors that can simultaneously monitor local gamma flux and coolant temperature at multiple locations in the core of an operating commercial nuclear reactor. These sensors will require no external power source and will telemeter temperature encoded as the frequency of the sound radiated by the sensor a ...

In this SBIR Phase I project, AccuStrata, Inc. will work with researchers at the University of South Carolina to create a high-throughput flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) system for the rapid, combinatorial discovery and optimization of heterogeneous catalysts. The proposed system will comprise three key features: (1) Optimization and operation of the high-throughput FSP system that is uniquely capable ...

Annually, building consumes about 40% of total energy in the United States, greater than industrial and transportation. High-performance thermal insulation technologies for retrofitting existing building is urgently need to further improve its energy efficiency. The overall research objective for SBIR phase I is to demonstrate scalable thermal insulating nanowood with optimized thermal and mechani ...