Award Data

This project develops a potentially faster and cheaper approach to fusion energy that would result in reduced energy emissions. In plasma jet driven magneto-inertial fusion (PJMIF), an array of discrete supersonic plasma jets is used to form a spherically imploding plasma liner, which then compresses a magnetized plasma target to fusion conditions. With funding from ARPA-E’s ALPHA program and fr ...

Emerging technologies for achieving secure communication through the use of quantum photonic systems necessarily require the ability to detect single photons. At the same time, existing telecommunications infrastructure requires practical, high-speed components operating in the C wavelength band. There is no present-day technology capable of combining these requirements to perform practical, high- ...

The Department of Energy’s Nuclear Physics Office has identified a need for high- temperature and radiation resistant materials to perform as rotary bearings under high vacuum and high speed. Specifically, state-of-the-art radiation resistant materials do not currently withstand the high temperatures associated with the graphite targetry. The goals for this program are to demonstrate: improvemen ...

The Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Science Office has identified a need for high- performance materials and innovative solutions for joining nuclear grade SiC composites. Specifically, state-of-the-art radiation resistant high temperature durable solutions are needed. The goals for this program are to demonstrate joining and durability of 3D SiC nuclear power generation components at operat ...

Scintillator materials are used to detect, analyze, and track photons and neutral particles The large volume electromagnetic calorimeters for the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) and those in all four halls at the Jefferson Lab are nuclear physics detectors requiring scintillator materials Crystals such as lead tungstate have been used in calorimeters, but their production is slow and expensive In comp ...

Remote sensing of wind speeds has proven advantages in wind turbine control and site development assessment, but current methods are too expensive to be economically viable for ubiquitous adoption. A less costly method is required to realize the power efficiency gains from feed-forward control and distributed wind site assessment. This project will address this problem through the use of digital h ...

DOE and NETL have created an advanced, open-source computational platform through the Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES). The IDAES platform is a very extensive modeling environment that can be used for a broad range of power plant and process applications including rigorous analysis of power-plant operation and comprehensive system-wide optimization. When these computatio ...

Vehicle “eco-routing” means that instead of driving the fastest or shortest route between two locations, a driver would choose the most energy-efficient route. Eco-routing operates at the macroscopic level to identify the most energy efficient route to a destination based on the specific vehicle and powertrain. Using coarse information about traffic congestion, grade, stop signs, school zones, ...

Numerous applications within the energy conversion industry require high accuracy pressure measurements in austere environments. Specifically, oil and gas production and delivery, CO2 sequestration, and geothermal driven power systems can require pressure sensing in high temperature (up to 1200°C), high pressure (up to 20,000 psi), and highly corrosive environments. Furthermore, differential pres ...

Residential and commercial buildings account for over 40% of the nation’s total energy demand through their consumption of electricity. The DoE’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) supports technologies that could lead to a significant reduction in the energy consumption of buildings. Heating and cooling in buildings and process heating in the industry consume considerable amounts of energy. S ...