Award Data

78953 In the fabrication of powder-in-tube (PIT) Nb3Sn superconductors, needed for high energy physics applications, the particle size distribution limits the final filament size to which the strand can be drawn. In previous work, a virtual impactor (VI) aerosol particle sizing process was developed to process powders with near-zero-defect removal of all particles larger than a desired threshol ...

DNA microarray technology, in combination with statistical and predictive modeling tools, could be used to evaluate thousands of genes against distinct gene expression patterns induced by chemical/biological agents to provide early identification and speed therapeutic intervention. The overall objective of this Phase II effort is to leverage existing public domain resources and commercial tools t ...

78000 One way to reduce greenhouse gases is to sequester carbon dioxide. Once sequestered, a bioconversion process can convert carbon dioxide into methane, an environmentally friendly energy source. The process requires an abundance of hydrogen, which is present in the hydrogen-rich coal macerals and paraffin. This project will develop techniques to accelerate the in situ biomethanation of sequ ...

76059S In order to safely remove transuranic waste (TRU) and mixed low-level waste buried in the subsurface disposal areas (SDAs), it is important to anticipate exactly what materials are directly below the surface. This project will develop neutron-based, logging tools that can identify TRU and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the vicinity of probe holes, thereby permitting safer retrieval ...

75604S The U.S. government sponsors and supports various programs to monitor nuclear explosions through seismic, hydroacoustic, and infrasound data collection stations. These stations are typically deployed in remote areas all over the world. However, current remote data acquisition station technology is limited by (1) poor data quality and reliability and (2) high installation, operation, and ...

The pressing need exists within industry to accurately measure high aspect ratio microscale structures. For example, diesel injector nozzles are manufactured with microscale holes ranging from 50-200 micrometers in diameter and 3-5 mm depths. One fundamental challenge is to nondestrucvely measure these features in order to validate models, enhance manufacturing processes, and reduce fuel emissions ...

79564S Silicon carbide (SiC) is being used to break barriers with respect to the design and fabrication of high-temperature, high-power transistors, but capacitors remain the weak link in achieving higher temperature electronics. SiC devices have been demonstrated to operate safely at temperatures up to 400¿C, but at these temperatures, capacitors have been shown to severely degrade. High-tem ...

79811 Coal-fired power plants are a significant part of the nation¿s power generating capacity, currently accounting for more than 55 percent of the country¿s total electricity production. Efficient and profitable operation of coal-fired power plants requires higher steam temperatures, necessitating the use of advanced alloys such as ferritic and austenitic alloys. A major concern in using the ...

78950S Lithium-ion batteries have been selected as the long-term battery solution for electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). However, lithium-ion batteries are sensitive to certain types of abuse, particularly overcharge abuse wherein the normal operating voltage is exceeded during recharge. In the overcharge state, lithium-ion batteries could cause irreversible, exothermic ...

Many believe the greatest threat to our troops and homeland security are attacks using biological weapons. Recent developments of biological warfare agents parallel advances in microbiology, viruses and bacteria can be rendered more lethal through genetic engineering, and many toxins can be mass-produced. However, detecting biological agents is difficult and time consuming because there are thousa ...