Award Data

Current-generation heavy-duty diesel engines typically exhibit an engine efficiency of about 45%, the remaining energy used for running auxiliary systems or lost as heat or friction. Heavy-duty vehicles lose on average about 20% of the fuel energy inside the combustion chamber as heat to the coolant and 30% as heat to the exhaust. Increasing the efficiency of diesel engines while simultaneously im ...

THIS PROJECT IS TO DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT A MICROCOMPUTER-BASED INSTRUMENT FOR QUANTITATING SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS OF NUCLEIC ACIDS (DNA AND RNA) SEPARATED ACCORDING TO SIZE BY GEL ELECTROPHORESIS. THE STARTING POINT FOR ANALYSIS OF FLUORESCENCE-STAINED DNA IN GELS WILL BE THE IMAGE DIGITIZATION OF THE ENTIRE GEL ELECTROPHORETIC PATTERN (OR SPECIFIED PORTIONS OF IT) SO THAT THE RELATIVE INTENSITIES OF F ...

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Almost 15 million metric tons per year of essentially pure CO2 is captured in the United States from ethanol, hydrogen, ammonia, and natural gas processing plants. Some of this CO2 is used for merchant applications such as food and beverage and other applications, but a large portion of this captured CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere. This CO2 can be converted into high value chemicals, but the key ...

IN MANY FLUID INJECTION PROCESSES USED FOR OIL RECOVERY, SUCH AS WATERFLOODING, THE INJECTED FLUIDS FLOW PREFERENTIALLY THROUGH THE ROCK ZONES OF HIGH FLOW CAPACITY (HIGH PERMEABILITY), BYPASSING OIL THAT IS PRESENT IN THE TIGHTER PARTS OF THE RESERVOIR ROCK. THIS MAY RESULT IN HIGH WATER-TO-OIL-PRODUCING RATIOS AND ABANDONMENT OF A PROJECT AT A RELATIVELY LOW VOLUMETRIC SWEEP EFFICIENCY. ONE APPR ...

Separations often account for a majority of process costs. This is because all traditional separation processes have inherent weaknesses that prevent the system from achieving perfect (or even near perfect in many instances) selectivity. These weaknesses result in large recycle streams and require multiple separation units in concert in order to produce a product clean enough for use or sale. An a ...

Detecting and characterizing facilities and performing emergency location requires multi-modal, persistent surveillance by sensing and analysis. Infrasound and radio frequency direction finding (RF-DF) sensors have the proven ability to provide standoff detection. The project will demonstrate the feasibility of a small sensor package designed for small and medium unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) wi ...

The proposed effort is a critical part of MVA programs for CO2 sequestration. The benefits include improved zonal isolation, higher data rates, and longer sensor battery life. Understanding reservoir stability and annulus cementing integrity will help determine new isolation criteria and verify existing operation. The new sequestration wells have applicability for greenhouse gas storage, environme ...

Two main problems are targeted by the proposed work: (1) the underutilization of coal, a valuable natural resource, has led to a catastrophic drop in employment within the coal industry ecosystem in specific geographic areas in the country; and (2) the need within the insurance-driven roof replacement market for a suitable, light weight, low cost, high durability roofing material.These problems wi ...

A low cost compact, man-portable, x-ray irradiation system for application of the sterile insect technique will be developed. A scalable cathode will provide large area electron sources which will enable production of compact x-rays sources. A system which employs four such panels surrounding the irradiation chamber provides a uniform flux through which containers can move on a conveyor system. Th ...