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Building Research

Something New Under the Sun: Energy Walls

Lean against a building’s wall on a hot summer day and you can feel the sun’s reflective heat. To better tap this under-used energy resource, builders and renewable energy experts are integrating electricity-producing photovoltaic cells into the exterior building envelope. Increasingly, PV modules are being considered as replacements for conventional facades, roof tiles, asphalt shingles or even shading devices.

Based on guidance received from leading manufacturers of PV cells, NIST has launched a multiyear research program to provide needed performance data on this innovative technology. The project involves a mobile tracking PV test facility, a meteorological station and a building-integrated PV testbed. The mobile facility records the effects of the angle, temperature and solar spectrum on the electrical performance of various PV panels. The meteorological station measures solar radiation, wind and temperature conditions during the performance monitoring of building-integrated PV panels. The testbed conducts side-by-side comparisons of four different types of PV panels—crystalline, polycrystalline, silicon film and amorphous silicon. Each PV technology is represented in the testbed by two panels: one without any thermal insulation behind it (representative of window and skylight applications) and one insulated to simulate opaque wall applications. The energy produced by each of these eight panels and the coincident meteorological conditions are recorded every five minutes for a year.

NIST researchers are using the data to improve computer simulation tools that predict the performance of building-integrated PVs for various geographic locations and building orientations. The payoff for success could be considerable, since residential and commercial buildings utilize more than 40 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States.

For technical information, contact A. Hunter Fanney, (301) 975-5864, hunter.fanney@nist.gov.

Media Contact:
John Blair, (301) 975-4261

 

Identification

Upcoming Conference to Explore Biometric Technology

Systems using biometrics—automated methods of recognizing a person based on physiological (such as hand or finger images, facial traits and iris patterns) or behavioral characteristics (such as dynamic signature verification and keystroke dynamics)—are in use or being tested in many places where personal authentication and restricted access to a computer, network or physical facilities are important. They also are expected to play an increasing role in electronic commerce by adding security measures beyond encryption and digital signatures.

NIST is holding the Biometric Consortium’s annual fall conference, BC2001, to showcase recent advances in the field and examine technological, business and security issues facing the biometrics industry, personal authentication system developers and end-users. The conference will take place Sept. 12-14, 2001, at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Co-sponsors include the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense’s Biometric Management Office, and the General Services Administration’s Federal Technology Service Office of Smart Card Initiatives.

For more information, including a conference program and online registration form, go to www.nist.gov/bc2001.

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

 

Medicine

Proceedings from In Vitro Diagnostics Workshop Now Available

A potential non-tariff trade barrier for U.S. medical diagnostic devices in the European Union looms ahead in 2003. That’s when the EU’s directive on in vitro diagnostics will require that the calibration of all new medical devices be traceable to “standards of a higher order.” Because the United States does not have a formalized system for tracing the accuracy of all tests performed with in vitro diagnostic devices, U.S. manufacturers—who produce more than 60 percent of the devices sold in Europe—could have their products challenged under the new directive.

To address this issue, NIST and five partner organizations convened the Workshop on Measurement Traceability for Clinical Laboratory Testing and In Vitro Diagnostic Test Systems last November. The proceedings of that workshop are now available online or on CD.

The document covers 10 talks given by national and international experts who provided the background and current status of the traceability structure for clinical laboratory measurements worldwide. It also records the candid discussion of issues and concerns expressed by stakeholders from around the world. There was general consensus among the 135 participants that healthcare is now more than ever a global issue and commodity, demanding global solutions. The sense of urgency, commitment and dedication of these stakeholders is uniquely captured in this publication.

An Adobe Acrobat file of the proceedings may be downloaded at www.cstl.nist.gov/nist839/ivd.html or obtained on a free CD from Ellyn Beary, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 8300, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-8300; (301) 975-8307; IVD@nist.gov.

Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman, (301) 975-3025

 

 

Internet Commerce

MEP Plans to Develop e-Business Testbed for Small Manufacturers

While the Internet offers tremendous opportunities for businesses, both large and small, many smaller firms have been slow to hop on the electronic business bandwagon for a myriad of reasons. Among them is confusion about technology as well as a lack of understanding about the benefits, opportunities and limitations of e-business.

To help small manufacturers better understand whether e-business should be a strategic part of the way they do business, NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership is planning an e-Business Demonstration Testbed. The testbed will be used by MEP centers nationwide to simulate a wide variety of e-business applications to show their small manufacturing clients.

MEP is inviting companies to participate by providing commercial, off-the-shelf e-business applications that can be used by smaller manufacturers. Applications being considered include using Internet-based technologies to improve inter- and intra-enterprise communications, integrating the ordering process with enterprise resource planning and accounting functions, and transferring data within a supply chain. These applications should be able to be simulated either through the Internet or by CD-ROM.

For further information on the new testbed, go to www.mep.nist.gov/testbed-announcement or contact David Cranmer or Rick Korchak, (301) 975-5020, TestbedManager@mep.nist.gov.

MEP is a nationwide network of 400 manufacturing extension centers and field offices providing a wide variety of expertise and services to small manufacturers (under 500 employees) in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more information on MEP, go to www.mep.nist.gov.

Media Contact:
Jan Kosko, (301) 975-2767

 

 

Electronic Books

Fourth Annual E-Book Conference Planned for November

Many writers and publishers now regard electronic books as a significant part of the publishing industry’s future, including formats such as newspapers, textbooks, manuals and novels.

The industry has matured since NIST sponsored the world’s first e-book conference in 1998. NIST is now preparing for the fourth annual e-book conference, which will focus on authors, digital rights management and how electronic books enable broader applications such as e-learning.

This year’s conference also will include special sessions on new e-book applications for libraries as well as industry standards, such as the NIST-facilitated Open eBook Publication Structure Standard 1.0.

The conference will feature exhibits by a range of publishers, e-book manufacturers and others. Industry-oriented sessions will focus on topics such as global markets and successful business models.

Tentative speakers will include journalist and author M.J. Rose; literary agent Richard Curtis; Librarian of Congress James Billington; Kevin Nathanson, group project manager for e-books, Adobe Systems Inc.; Albert Vitale, chairman emeritus of Random House; and Doug Bennett of print-on-demand publisher iUniverse.

E-Book 2001 will be held Nov. 5-7, 2001, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The conference will be co-sponsored by NIST and the National Information Standards Organization.

For more information on E-Book 2001, go to www.nist.gov/ebook2001. The web site provides an electronic registration form. You also may register by contacting Kim Snouffer, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 3461, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-3461, (301) 975-2776, kimberly.snouffer@nist.gov

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

 

 

Technology Partnership

Pipe Dreams Become Reality for Oil and Gas Industry

Composites are difficult to produce economically and with the right characteristics for structural applications. Yet, in the Gulf of Mexico and other parts of North America, oil and gas are being transported through lightweight, corrosion-resistant pipes made of composites instead of metals, a cost-saving innovation that is the result of a five-year collaboration between NIST’s Advanced Technology Program and a joint venture partnership (consisting of five companies, a university and a research foundation).

The composite pipe (also called spoolable tubing) consists of a thermoplastic lining coated with epoxy reinforced by carbon and glass fibers. To make the pipe, the research team developed reliable, economical filament winding/manufacturing technology believed to be unique; perhaps the largest database of composite characterization data in the industry; a resin curing system and patented in-line cure monitor; and predictive design software. This combination of advances enabled the design of tubular components that can be stored on reels, according to Hydril Co. of Houston, Texas, which led the ATP project.

Another key innovation was the development of cost-effective manufacturing technology, including identification of the critical parameters that need to be controlled.

More than 200,000 feet of the pipe have been installed for 20 customers in four states and Canada. The pipe is used, for example, as liners to rehabilitate out-of-service pipelines. In addition to its light weight and corrosion resistance, the composite pipe typically costs much less than alternatives on an installed basis. Other benefits include resistance to chemical damage and fouling and reductions in the number of required connections and fittings.

For technical information on the spoolable tubing technology, contact Bill Stringfellow, Hydril Co., (713) 941-6639 ext. 131, Bstringfellow@hydril.com. For information on the ATP, go to www.atp.nist.gov.

Media Contact:
Michael Baum, (301) 975-2763