Sandia teamed with five other institutions to establish the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), funded by the DOE Office of Science Bioenergy Research Centers program. This $135 million, five-year program is focused on addressing the systems biology challenges of producing cellulosic ethanol biofuels. JBEI is led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and includes Sandia, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Carnegie Institute. (8300, 8700, 1700) ER&N
Research at Sandia extending back two decades played a dominant role in an engine-design milestone — the first all-computationally designed diesel engine by Cummins Inc. Through the application of advanced laser-based optical diagnostics, researchers at Sandia’s Combustion Research Facility led the development of the diesel-combustion science base that provided, for the first time, a firm scientific understanding of the complex combustion processes in a diesel, as well as guidance and validation data for the development of the computational tools. (8300) ER&N
A hydrogen economy will require new methods of hydrogen generation; nuclear is an attractive option. Sandia has developed a first-of-a-kind computer simulation tool, MELCOR-H2, to dynamically simulate a fully coupled nuclear reactor/hydrogen-generation plant. This desktop system allows users to vary parameters to maximize hydrogen and electrical production while enhancing nuclear and hydrogen plant safety. Validation and verification studies on key models, including transient sulfur-iodine thermochemistry models, demonstrate that MELCOR-H2 matches available experimental data to within 5 percent. (6700, 6300) ER&N
Future world oil demand and carbon emissions gaps are enormous, and the trade-offs are complex. At the request of the Club of Prague, global energy-economic-environmental scenarios to 2050 were developed using Sandia’s Global Energy Futures Model. These scenarios were well received, framed the Club’s discussions on new ways of thinking about global energy-economic-environmental problems, and were published in a conference report: Energy: Empowering the Individual and the Community. (320, 6300) ER&N, ITS
A new radioactive materials shipping cask design required drop tests for certification, with a twist: Highly-enriched uranium is in the package during the tests. To meet this challenge, a multi-organizational team addressed security, criticality, radiation-protection, and industrial-hygiene requirements and prepared detailed test and security plans. DOE cooperation was essential and enabled the successful completion of a high-profile sequence of nine drop tests with all work being completed in less than five weeks. (6700, 1300, 1500, 1800, 2100, 2400, 4100, 10200, 10300, 10800) ER&N