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Research and Development Office
Stories & Media
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News - Prize Competitions
Bureau of Reclamation Launches Prize Challenge to Seek Solutions for Improving Weather Forecast Predictions
(Dec. 20, 2016) The Bureau of Reclamation is launching a new prize challenge, Sub-Seasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo, to ask solvers to improve existing sub-seasonal forecasts and to develop systems that perform demonstratively better than the existing baseline forecast for predicting temperature and precipitation over a 15 to 42-day time frame. If there are winners of this prize challenge, they will share up to $800,000 in prize money.
Solvers of this prize challenge will have three months to develop their system, at which point they are asked to provide forecasts every two weeks over a 13-month period, with the first month being a "pre-season" to become familiar with the submission and evaluation processes. Read More → -
News - Prize Competitions
Bureau of Reclamation Launches Two Prize Challenges Seeking Solutions to Expand Usable Water Supplies
(Dec. 13, 2016) The Bureau of Reclamation is launching two new prize challenges, Arsenic Sensor Challenge and More Water, Less Concentrate. This is the first stage for each challenge. Subsequent stages with larger prize purses are planned for testing and demonstrating the most promising technologies.
The Arsenic Sensor Challenge seeks to identify new or improved sensors, devices or test kits to measure arsenic in water in natural and engineered systems. The More Water, Less Concentrate prize challenge seeks innovative solutions to expand usable water supplies by maximizing fresh water production from inland desalination systems in a cost effective and environmentally sound manner. Read More → -
News - S&T Program
Bureau of Reclamation Selects Three Projects to Receive Nearly $300,000 for Innovative Water Treatment Research Projects
(Nov. 16, 2016) The Bureau of Reclamation has selected three projects to receive $299,685 under an innovative pilot-scale water treatment technologies and process for inland desalination. The selected projects will receive funding through cooperative agreements and will include a period of pilot testing at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
"Reclamation and its partners are working to assure sustainable water supplies and provide clean and reliable water supplies for the Western United States," Commissioner Estevan López said. "Through the development of new water treatment technologies, such as the ones announced today, impaired waters will become a new and reliable source of water for communities throughout the country and specifically in the West." Read More → -
News - Technology Transfer
Notable Technology Development Award Given to Inventors of Flexible Magnetic Flux Probe
(Nov. 7, 2016) Reclamation recently received a Notable Technology Development Award recognizing new technologies designed to serve the common good. The award was given by the Federal Laboratory Consortium Mid-Continent (FLC MC) for the Flexible Magnetic Flux Probe. The inventors of the Flux Probe are Jim Dehaan, Malin Jacobs and Bert Milano.
Dehaan, Jacobs, and Milano are part of Reclamation’s Hydropower Technical Services Group which developed and patented (#6466009) a flexible magnetic flux probe that detects deteriorating insulation in large-scale spinning electrical generators preventing failure as well as expensive repairs and replacements. The inexpensive, small, flat, light, and flexible probe accurately measures the magnetic flux, and can be mounted in the air gap without rotor removal or shutdown. The probe design is very thin, allowing easy installation into the air gap. If the probe comes loose during generator operation, the flexible substrate will not damage the generator. Reclamation has a non-exclusive license agreement with Iris Power LP, and has already sold over 200 of these probes. Read More → -
News - DWPR Program
Bureau of Reclamation Seeks Applicants for Four Water Treatment Research Funding Opportunities
(Nov. 3, 2016) The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking applicants for four water treatment research funding opportunities under the Desalination and Water Purification Research Program and Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program.
The DWPR program funding opportunities will provide funding for the full spectrum of technology development and testing to support the commercialization of new desalination and water purification technologies. The Title XVI Program funding opportunity is focused on moving research to practice by supporting planning related research to help deploy technologies or processes that are currently available in the industry to help address water supply challenges. Read More → -
Quarterly Magazine
Knowledge Stream - Advanced Water Treatment
(Fall 2016) This edition addresses Research and Development Office (R&D) work in the field of Advanced Water Treatment (AWT). AWT supports the goals and objectives stated in “Water Resource Challenges and Opportunities for Water Technology Innovation,” published in December 2015, which supports the White House Initiative on clean water technologies.
Activities highlighted include R&D’s Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) and Science and Technology (S&T) Programs, which together fund a wide range of research, development, and demonstration activities in such areas as pre-treatment, water treatment, and concentrate management technologies, as well as innovation to reduce the costs, energy requirements, and environmental impacts of these various technologies. Read Issue → -
News - BGNDRF Facility
Bureau of Reclamation Inviting Public to Learn about Potential New Water Treatment Technologies at Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico
(October 17, 2016) The Bureau of Reclamation is hosting a pitch-to-pilot event at its Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico. This unique event was designed to identify and fund innovative water treatment technologies for enhancing existing freshwater supplies in the United States. Six groups are bringing new, innovative technologies to pitch Reclamation on why they should receive federal funding to further develop their project. Read More →