Award Data

The use of advanced ceramic materials, such as silicon carbide, for light water reactor fuel cladding is being investigated, in part due to the increased safety margin afforded by this technology over conventional zircaloy metallic claddings. In light of the Fukushima events, safety concerns have come to the forefront of public scrutiny of commercial nuclear generated power and spurred activity in ...

Explosive Electron Emission (EEE) is typical to cathodic arcs. The physics of multi-phase phenomena associated with self-sustained formation of explosive emission centers (ectons) is not fully understood. This SBIR project will conduct experimental, theoretical, and computational studies of phase transitions at electrode surfaces, formation of plasma jets, and gas dynamics in cathodic sparks and a ...

According to a 2014 study commissioned by the Department of Energy, hydropower from more than 3 million untapped streams in the United States could potentially generate 65 gigawatts of electricity and help to reduce greenhouse emissions and pollution. However, the development of hydropower has been limited by several obstacles, as described by the United States Geological Survey: most of the prime ...

Supercritical CO2 cycles have the potential to significantly improve efficiency and reduce emissions in power generation. However, the unique fluid dynamic properties of supercritical CO2 that enable these higher efficiencies also complicate the design and layout of the system, particularly its turbomachinery components. The problem stems specifically from the highly non-linear properties of CO2, ...

The overarching goal of this project will be to accelerate SSL adoption through two key InnoSys is an Original Design Manufacturer of drivers for the LED lighting Original Equipment Manufacturing industry with a large patent portfolio around intelligent lighting and power management. As such, InnoSys will develop a novel luminaire that improves efficiency and experience in commercial environments ...

Cost and time associated with material waste, quality control, inspection, and manufacturing of nuclear fuel assembly components can detrimental to nuclear plant design and development. Specifically, spacer grids and nozzles are prime component examples that inherently carry these issues due to their complex geometries. The design engineer must always weigh the manufacturing practices against the ...

In the United States, desalination and membrane technologies are used to augment municipal water supply, produce high-quality industrial water supplies, and reclaim contaminated supplies. Since the electricity expenses represent one-third to one-half of the operating cost of many desalination technologies, the energy intensity raises concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and the usefulness of th ...

Aspartate-family amino acids are the most important essential amino acids in human and animal nutrition. These amino acids are currently commercially produced from either microbial fermentation using food-derived feedstocks or by a chemical method utilizing highly toxic petrochemical raw materials. The major amino acids producers are looking for alternative non-food feedstocks to offset the rising ...

Tungsten and its alloys are candidates for plasma facing component (PFC) armor due to their low sputtering rate, high melting point, high thermal conductivity, high strength at elevated temperatures, and low tritium inventory. Although copper alloys have been selected for the heat sinks for ITER, a working fusion reactor will require the use of higher strength, low activation materials. For exampl ...

A recent report of the 25-member Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) recommends funding cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments under all budget scenarios, specifically, the next-generation ground-based CMB experimental program whose aim is to provide definitive measurements of the early universe. For this program, large focal plane arrays with ~100,000 detectors and associate ...