Department of Energy Projects Win 36 R&D 100 Awards
for 2011
Technology Developments Aim to Address Energy,
Environment and National Security Issues
Washington, D.C.� U.S. Department of Energy
researchers have won 36 of the 100 awards given out this
year by R&D Magazine for the most outstanding technology
developments with promising commercial potential. The
coveted awards are presented annually in recognition of
exceptional new products, processes, materials or software
developed throughout the world and introduced into the
market the previous year.
�I want to congratulate this year�s R&D 100 award
winners. The Department of Energy�s national laboratories
and sites are at the forefront of innovation, and it is
gratifying to see their work recognized once again,� said
Energy Secretary Steven Chu. �The cutting-edge research and
development done in our national labs and facilities is
helping to meet our energy challenges, strengthen our
national security and enhance our economic competitiveness.�
These awards highlight some of the successes made by the
Department�s national laboratories in technology transfer,
moving basic research results into commercial products.
This year, scientists and engineers from 13 DOE National
Laboratories and facilities will receive awards. Since 1962,
when R&D Magazine�s annual competition began, DOE has been
the recipient of over 800 R&D 100 awards in areas such as
energy, national security and basic scientific applications.
R&D 100 awards are selected by an independent panel of
judges based on the technical significance, uniqueness and
usefulness of projects and technologies from across
industry, government and academia. View the complete list of
R&D100 awards
A list of DOE's winning sites, technologies and
corresponding press releases is below:
Argonne National Laboratory
- Integrated RF MEMS Switch/CMOS Device: These devices
will enable the next generation of communications
devices to more seamlessly handle data, voice, audio and
video simultaneously while supporting multiple radio
frequency systems operating in several different
frequency bands ranging from megahertz to gigahertz.
- Advanced Ceramic Film Capacitors for Power
Electronics in Electric Drive Vehicles: This technology
substantially reduces the weight, volume and cost of
capacitor materials of the inverters that will be used
to power the motors of electric vehicles.
- Enhanced Renewable Methane Production System: This
system is a low-cost process that accelerates biological
methane production rates by at least fivefold. The
system could enhance biological methane production at
waste water treatment plants, farms and landfills,
thereby addressing one of the largest barriers to the
expansion of renewable methane � the naturally slow rate
of production.
- Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS) System for Remote
Detection of Explosives and Chemicals: This system can
be used for homeland security and defense applications
to identify and locate toxic chemicals, roadside bombs,
or special nuclear materials with high sensitivity and
great selectivity for chemicals and explosives in an
open-field environment. It can also be used for
environmental monitoring, crime scene forensics and
cargo and food inspections.
Read more about these projects at :
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2011/news110622.html
Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Maia X-ray Microprobe Detector System (Maia): This
non-destructive system, which is about a 1,000 times
faster than previous methods, will enhance studies that
use X-ray fluorescence, a powerful technique often used
in the biological, environmental and geological sciences
for measuring trace element concentrations in a sample.
- Multimodal Optical Nanoprobe (MON): The nanoprobe is
used in a transmission electron microscope to measure
numerous properties (optical, electrical, mechanical,
and structural) of a sample simultaneously, in addition
to imaging.
Read more about these projects at:
http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/newsroom.asp
Idaho National Laboratory
- Rad-Release Chemical Decontamination Technology (Rad-Release):
Rad-Release is a viscous foam that removes radioactive
and concentrated metals from various surfaces. The
technology allows contaminated buildings and equipment
to become usable, is non-destructive, reduces workers�
exposure to contaminated materials, and minimizes waste
costs and volume.
- Impedance Measurement Box (IMB): IMB assesses the
health of batteries with a well-engineered breakthrough
that directly measures impedance during battery
operation, an engineering feat never accomplished
before.
Read more about these projects at:
https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/home/255
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Magnetic Resonance Microarray Imaging (MRMI): This
technology images materials flowing through microfluidic
�lab-on-a-chip� devices, and zooms in on microscopic
objects of particular interest (such as medical,
environmental or industrial fluids) with unprecedented
spatial and time resolutions. It can quickly capture the
results of hundreds or thousands of parallel assays on a
single microfluidic chip.
- Nanostructured Antifogging Coatings: This technology
is designed to provide a durable, nontoxic, antifogging
and self-cleaning coating for architectural glass,
windshields, eyewear and solar panels. Tests have shown
it to be more transparent, last much longer (years
compared to months) and cost less than competing
antifogging technologies.
Read more about these projects at:
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Serrated Light Illumination for Deflection-Encoded
Recording (SLIDER): This device is the world�s fastest
light deflector, deflecting a beam of light at the rate
of one resolvable spot per trillionth of a second. In
conjunction with an ordinary camera, the device can be
used to record ultrafast events at timescales that have
been largely unattainable in the past.
- Stack Trace Analysis Tool: This technology is a
debugging tool for identifying errors in computer code
running on supercomputers of a hundred thousand
processor cores and more. It allows users to quickly
locate in their code the most challenging bugs that
emerge only at extreme scales and to get critical
applications back up and running.
Read more about these projects at:
https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/
Los Alamos National Laboratory
- TAPSS, or Trapped Annular Pressure Shrinking Spacer:
TAPSS is a spacer fluid developed to help prevent
catastrophes in offshore oil-well drilling. This new
spacer is not difficult to use, does not greatly change
the cost of production, is self-functioning and requires
minimal time to install. LANL developed the fluid in
collaboration with Chevron Energy Technology Company and
Baker Hughes�s Drilling Fluids Unit.
- Th-ING, Thorium Is Now Green: This technology is a
straightforward, cost-effective, and safe method to
produce thorium that may help make thorium become a
practical and reliable source of energy for the future.
- NanoCluster Beacons: The Beacons are superior probes
for detecting diseases such as cancers or sickle cell
anemia. Inexpensive and easy to use, they allow for
personalized medication, and can also be used in
quantitative biology applications, such as counting
individual molecules inside a cell.
Read more about these projects at:
www.lanl.gov
National Energy Technology Laboratory
- APECS v2.0 with ANSYS� DesignXplorerTM and ROM
Builder: This versatile, innovative, and powerful
software toolkit makes it easier, faster, and cheaper to
design next-generation power production and chemical
processing plants with a high degree of confidence using
advanced process/equipment co-simulation and
comprehensive design optimization. Developed jointly by
NETL and ANSYS Inc.
- Mn-Co Coating for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Interconnects�This manganese-cobalt coating was
specifically tailored for interconnects of solid oxide
fuel cells. The coating was designed to prevent the
�poisoning� of the fuel cells from evaporating chromium
and is a step towards making these fuel cells
commercially viable power source. Co-developed by NETL
and West Virginia University.
- Novel Platinum/Chromium Alloy for the Manufacture of
Improved Coronary Stents�This alloy is the first
stainless steel formulation with significant
concentration of a highly �radiopaque� element to be
produced for the stent industry. By increasing the x-ray
visibility of the stent inside a patient, the alloy
solves a longstanding problem of poor visibility when
using standard stainless steel stents. This better
visibility means greater ease and precision of placement
of the stent inside the patient�s artery and less chance
of damage to the artery. Jointly developed by NETL and
Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Read more about these projects at:
http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/press/2011/110622-NETL_Earns_2011_R&D_100_Awards.html
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Flash Quantum Efficiency System (NREL�s Real-Time
Quantum Efficiency Technique/ Tau Science�s FlashQE�):
This technology is a new way to assess the quality of
solar cells at about 1,000 times faster than previous
methods.
- Optical Cavity Furnace: This technology could
revolutionize the solar cell manufacturing industry in
the U.S. by producing higher quality and higher
efficiency solar cells at a fraction of the cost of
conventional, thermal ovens.
- Innovalight Silicon Ink for High-Efficiency Solar
Cells: This is the first time that silicon has been sold
in the marketplace as a liquid. It can improve the
bottom line of a typical solar production plant by 20
percent, while boosting the efficiency of the cells by
about 6 percent.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- NextAire Packaged Gas Heat Pump: The gas heat pump
technology is used to heat and cool small and medium
sized buildings using fuel (typically natural gas)
instead of electricity to power the compressor. It also
significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
- Ultra-high Storage Density, Self-assembled, Magnetic
Media: This technology demonstrated an ultrahigh density
information storage approaching or exceeding one terabit
(trillion bits) per square inch, which can be
self-assembled at a low cost.
- Mesoporous carbon electrode for desalination: This
novel technology makes it possible to desalinate large
quantities of water more effectively than conventional
technologies. It could make it possible for large
numbers of the world�s population to produce safe
drinking water at a relatively low cost.
- Hydrogen safety sensor with nanostructured palladium
cantilevers: This technology uses palladium particles to
more efficiently detect hydrogen levels at a lower cost
than the competition. Unlike sensors that use
electricity to monitor for hydrogen, this new sensor
does not pose a fire hazard and so can be used to
monitor activities such as industrial building and
rechargeable battery manufacturing.
- MADNESS software tool: the Multiresolution Adaptive
Numerical Environment for Scientific Simulations, is a
powerful computer platform that permits scientists and
engineers to take on a variety of complex real-world
problems, with assurance in the exactness of their
results.
- CermaClad�: This technology quickly and cheaply
fuses materials onto the internal and external surfaces
of steel pipes and tubes as well as plates, sheets and
bars in thin, strong cladding layers, producing casings
that are resistant to chemical corrosion and can endure
extreme pressure. This project was jointly submitted by
MesoCoat Inc., EMTEC and ORNL
- New Stainless Steel Alloy Tooling For High
Temperature Presses that Form Aircraft Components: This
stainless steel alloy can be used to mold new commercial
and military aircraft components, able to withstand
higher temperatures than many of its competitors while
still retaining its structural integrity during casting.
This project was jointly submitted by Duraloy
Technologies, Inc. and ORNL.
Read more about these projects at:
http://www.ornl.gov/info/press_releases/newsroom.cfm
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Array Detection Technology for Mass Spectrometry (ADT-MS):
This adaption to mass spectrometers allows them to
sample a wide range of masses simultaneously, rather
than just one at a time. This saves time, simplifies
analysis and significantly updates the detection
capabilities of mass spectrometers.
- Dynaforge � A Solid-State Dynamic Powder Compaction
Process for Production of High-Performance Tools and
Dies: This technology eliminates a step in forming a
manufacturing die into its desired shape, which makes
the die stronger and reduces metal manufacturing costs.
Read more about these projects at:
http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=871
Sandia National Laboratories
- Ultra-high-voltage Silicon Carbide Thyristor: This
semiconductor device allows next-generation �smart grid�
power electronics system to be built up to ten times
smaller and lighter than current silicon-based
technologies. These packaged-power devices are the
world�s first commercially available, high-voltage,
high-frequency, high-current, high-temperature,
single-chip Silicon-Carbide based thyristors.
- Microresonator Filters and Frequency References:
This Microresonator technology allows hundreds of
acoustic filters and oscillators to be manufactured on a
single integrated circuit chip and integrated with radio
frequency (RF) transistor circuits. They will perform RF
filtering and frequency synthesis functions in
next-generation wireless handsets, cell phones, and
other wireless devices, offering higher performance and
frequency diversity in a smaller package and at a lower
price than current technologies.
- Biomimetic Membranes for Water Purification:
Biomimetic membranes are designed for water purification
using reverse osmosis technology, which removes
impurities from water with applied pressure powered by
electrical energy. These membranes reject salts and
larger solution components, thus creating drinkable
water. The nanoporous biomimetic design enables high
salt rejection and faster water flow at lower driving
pressures than competing membranes, thus reducing the
energy cost of desalination.
- Demand Response Inverter (DRI): The inverter is
designed to reduce the levelized cost of energy from
photovoltaic power by being more efficient, more
reliable, and more cost-effective than currently
available inverters in the market. This project was
jointly submitted with Princeton Power Systems, Inc. and
Sandia.
Read more about these projects at:
https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/news_releases/
Savannah River National Laboratory
- Porous Walled, Hollow Glass Microspheres: These
microspheres are able to hold and release gases and
other materials. Because they provide a protective
environment for their contents, they can be used to hold
reactive or flammable absorbents or stored materials,
including solids, liquids or gases. This has the
potential to provide a safe method of handling, storing
or transporting a variety of difficult materials.
Read more about this project at:
http://srnl.doe.gov/
Y-12 National Security Complex
- RonJohn: RonJohn is a versatile, environmentally
safe solvent that easily strips acrylic sealer from
concrete floors, turns urethane foam to slush and
softens powder coating to gel.
Read more about this project at:
http://www.y12.doe.gov/news/
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Editorial Date June 22, 2011
By Brad Bugger
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