Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 10/01/2019 - 03/30/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,602,742

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Assemble a portable diagnostic package to make measurements of key plasma parameters from a variety of fusion energy devices. The package will provide time-resolved, radial profiles of electron density and temperature and time-resolved, radial profiles of ion density, temperature, and flow velocity.

Status: ALUMNI
State: TN
Project Term: 09/30/2020 - 12/31/2023
Program: REPAIR
Award: $5,000,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

More than 60,000 miles of cast iron and bare steel gas distribution pipelines are still in service. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and its partners will develop a cost-effective and efficient smart structural coating deposition system and advanced high-end technology tools to inspect and rehabilitate gas distribution pipelines. The team will build on ORNL’s success in developing low-cost carbon fibers, composites, smart polymer materials, and non-destructive evaluation methods by leveraging the expertise of partners on coating deposition and robotic inspection tools for smart repair of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 03/19/2021 - 09/18/2024
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,500,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Current Ni-based alloys used in turbine blade applications operate at 1100°C. This project seeks to develop two classes (Ni) alloys that can continuously operate at 1300°C with coatings, enabling gas turbine inlets of 1800°C or higher. Temperature increases can be achieved through the use of refractory alloys, including molybdenum, niobium, tungsten, and tantalum. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will provide data on alloys and coatings developed by ULTIMATE teams. ORNL will supply technical performance target data, including room temperature and 1300°C mechanical properties, post-…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 01/11/2021 - 03/02/2024
Program: GAMOW
Award: $1,550,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

The current fusion reactor conceptual design cycle can take many years, increase costs, delay schedules, risk inconsistencies, and compromise learning and innovation. Detailed engineering design is even more challenging and lengthy. ORNL and its partners will develop an integrated simulation environment, the Fusion Energy Reactor Models Integrator (FERMI), to simulate the first wall and blanket for power extraction and tritium breeding. FERMI will substantially shorten the overall design cycle and reduce costs while significantly improving accuracy. The project team will integrate FERMI’s…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 03/15/2021 - 09/14/2024
Program: GAMOW
Award: $1,650,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels are critical structural materials for fusion-energy subsystems such as integrated first-wall and blanket technology. Current RAFM steels cannot operate above ~550° C (1020° F). Castable nanostructured alloys (CNAs), recently developed at laboratory scale, can potentially achieve significantly higher temperatures, offering a pathway to more efficient operation, however. ORNL will establish a new class of RAFM steels based on carbide-strengthened CNAs to demonstrate industry-scale CNA production viability. The innovations could better enable…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 01/11/2021 - 05/31/2024
Program: GAMOW
Award: $1,125,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Robust, affordable, and durable plasma-facing components (PFCs) are key to commercial fusion energy. PFCs must maintain the capability to handle the extreme heat, high-density plasma, high-energy neutrons, and fuel cycling in safe and economical operation. So far, a solution does not exist. Solid PFCs with a tungsten (W) armor, helium (He) cooling, and reduced-activation steel structure may satisfy the demanding requirements. This ORNL-led team will use laser powder-bed-fusion and electron-beam melting to create high-quality, W alloys (crack-free, high-density with acceptable properties) as…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 05/03/2021 - 06/30/2024
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,100,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Current Ni-based alloys used in turbine blade applications are operating at 1100°C, which is approximately 90% of their melting temperatures. Refractory alloys, such as niobium (Nb) alloys, can withstand higher temperatures. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will use computational modeling tools and advanced characterization to develop two classes of Nb alloys for use in a tri-layered turbine system consisting of a core high strength Nb-alloy layer, an intermediate layer consisting of a more oxidation resistant Nb alloy compatible with a core layer, and an external thermal barrier/coating…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TN
Project Term: 08/30/2021 - 05/29/2022
Program: MARINER
Award: $250,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with project co-funder National Energy Technology Laboratory, will conduct a Geographical Information System (GIS) spatial analysis to identify locations that (1) are within geological saline basins with potential for CO2 injection, (2) are close to existing NG pipelines or NG users for potential blending of RNG with NG, and (3) meet site-specific suitability criteria (e.g. slope, population density, and exclusion of protected lands, landslide and flood hazard, and EPA non-attainment areas). The study will include productive near-shore macroalgae cultivation…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 09/06/2022 - 09/05/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $2,400,000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Using a computationally-guided approach, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed carbide strengthened alloys in small laboratory-scale trials that show good resistance to corrosion by fluorides but with significantly improved strength and/or creep rupture life at temperatures up to 850°C compared with Hastelloy® N. The team proposes to identify a small subset of alloys, fabricate larger trials, measure salt resistance, and evaluate creep and irradiation resistance to enable alloy composition modifications, down-select the best alloy capable of meeting property requirements, and…

Status: ACTIVE
State: HI
Project Term: 05/10/2018 - 03/31/2024
Program: MARINER
Award: $4,249,547

Ocean Era

The Kampachi Farms team will lead a MARINER Category 1 project to design and develop technologies to deliver deep seawater nutrients to a novel macroalgae production farm concept suitable for deployment in tropical and subtropical deep ocean environments. The superstructure of macroalgae farms typically consists of an anchor grid that tethers the farm in a fixed location and orientation. The Kampachi Farms team aims to disrupt this model by designing a macroalgae array anchored by a single-point mooring, or anchor point. Single-point mooring will allow the farm to align itself…

Status: ALUMNI
State: HI
Project Term: 08/07/2019 - 02/06/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,341,892

Ocean Era

KRuMBS will develop novel bioprocesses to degrade marine macroalgae to bioenergy products (methane, alcohols, etc.). The microorganisms used in the bioprocess will be derived from the gut of ruminant marine finfish (Kyphosidae). While there is abundant potential for expansion of macroalgae production in offshore environments, they are difficult to transform into salable products. The team will work with its partners to isolate, optimize, and deploy microbial consortia and individual microorganisms capable of rapidly digesting macroalgal biomass in a highly scalable way. This will enable…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 06/09/2020 - 06/08/2026
Program: MARINER
Award: $8,556,251

Ocean Rainforest

Ocean Rainforest will use a comprehensive experimental approach to optimize the design of their novel giant kelp cultivation system. The team will conduct tests in the open ocean of several variables, including depth and length of grow lines, seeding methods, and harvest frequency. Using an array of experiments that build on themselves each year, the team will evaluate the feasibility of their cultivation system to maximize biomass production. The project team will also test several hatchery techniques to improve seeding efficiency. Under the Phase I award, the team performed initial proof-…

Status: ALUMNI
State: ME
Project Term: 04/01/2016 - 10/31/2020
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $2,457,223

Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC)

The Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) will develop an innovative, self-deploying MHK power system, which will reduce the operating costs and improve the efficiency of MHK systems by up to 50%. ORPC’s system is based on pitch control of the blades of a cross-flow turbine, in which the tidal flow passes across the turbine blades rather than in a radial fashion. This system will allow the turbine to self-propel itself to the deployment location, and lower itself to the sea floor remotely. This innovative approach will allow for lower costs of deployment and retrieval, reduced requirements for…

Status: ACTIVE
State: ME
Project Term: 10/16/2021 - 10/15/2024
Program: SHARKS
Award: $3,576,987

Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC)

Ocean Renewable Power Company, Inc. (ORPC) has led the development of crossflow turbine hydrokinetic technology worldwide. Multiple systems have demonstrated reliability over extended periods. The specific power of the present systems is low, however, leading to a high levelized cost of energy. ORPC proposes to develop an improved low-cost system using CCD and design for operation techniques. This novel hydrokinetic energy system will identify dynamic couplings between turbine subsystems and components to optimize system mass and performance. The new systems will be deployed in arrays. The…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: GOPHURRS
Award: TBD

Oceanit

Oceanit is developing a look-ahead subsurface sensor system that would take advantage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and electromagnetic (EM) resistivity techniques to avoid damaging existing utilities when undergrounding powerlines. The proposed system pairs an EM sensor on an underground drill string and an antenna mounted to a UAV flying overhead to expand the distance and sensitivity of object identification underground. The system would use machine learning interpretation and high-resolution imaging capabilities to provide real-time guidance for the drill path.

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 07/20/2021 - 07/19/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $493,868

OCOchem

OCOchem proposes to build a tall (1800 cm2 ) electrochemical cell, addressing a critical scale-up issue for many processes seeking to convert carbon dioxide into useful products. The cell will be used to convert carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity into formic acid. The project will integrate multiple innovative electrolyzer components and materials into a first-of-its-kind single design. If successful, the new process will reduce the cost of formic acid 33%, be based exclusively on renewable energy and feeds, and avoid the use fossil-based inputs. Formic acid has several…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OK
Project Term: 10/01/2020 - 06/30/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $3,400,000

Oklahoma State University (OSU)

Oklahoma State University (OSU) will synthesize scientific principles from eddy covariance (a method enabling observation of gas and energy exchange between ecosystems at earth’s surface and the atmosphere), plant and soil science, remote sensing, and crop modeling to measure field-level emissions. The OSU-led team will collect data for field-level emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane in grain sorghum production systems in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Current estimates are from point-based measurements extrapolated using modeling approaches that lack field-scale validation…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 07/15/2022 - 10/14/2025
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $3,999,836

Oklo

Oklo aims to commercialize a state-of-the-art nuclear fuel recycling facility within the next few years. The facility would produce fuel for Oklo’s metal-fueled fast reactors, closing the advanced reactor fuel cycle and changing the economic paradigm for advanced fission with a commercial-scale fuel recycling facility. This project will optimize the four-unit operations currently required for producing uranium (U) and U/transuranic (TRU) fuel materials in an electrorefining facility: (1) electrorefining to recover U and U/TRU alloys, (2) salt/metal product separation, (3) lanthanide waste…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OR
Project Term: 10/01/2012 - 01/14/2018
Program: MOVE
Award: $6,268,430

OnBoard Dynamics

OnBoard Dynamics is modifying a passenger vehicle to allow its internal combustion engine to be used to compress natural gas for storage on board the vehicle. Ordinarily, filling a compressed natural gas vehicle with natural gas would involve driving to a natural gas refueling station or buying an expensive stand-alone station for home use. OnBoard's design would allow natural gas compression to take place in a single cylinder of the engine itself, allowing the actual car to behave like a natural gas refueling station. Ultimately, the engine would then have the ability both to power the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/17/2018 - 07/16/2022
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $2,956,351

Opcondys

Opcondys will develop a high-voltage power converter design for energy storage systems connected directly to the power grid. Opcondys' converter design will use a modified switched multiplier topology that will allow connection to utility transmission lines without intervening step-up transformers. It uses a photonic, wide bandgap power switching device called the Optical Transconductance Varistor. This is a fast, high-voltage, bidirectional device which reduces the number of circuit elements required for charging and discharging the storage element. By operating at 100 kHz it is possible…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: ULTRAFAST
Award: TBD

Opcondys

Opcondys is developing a light-controlled grid protection device to suppress destructive sudden and short-lived surges in energy on the grid caused by lightning and electromagnetic pulses. The proposed protection module improves upon current slower surge protection devices by using high-voltage photoconductive power electronics with nanosecond response times. If successful, any sudden and short-lived disruption through utility lines will auto-trigger the module, halting a disruption from traveling any further and protecting grid-connected equipment.

Status: CANCELLED
State: CA
Project Term: 06/16/2017 - 10/31/2018
Program: REFUEL
Award: $1,903,255

Opus 12

Opus 12 will develop a cost effective, modular reactor to electrochemically convert CO2 to ethanol in one step using water, air, and renewable electricity. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 has been demonstrated in laboratories to produce different fuels and chemicals, but these technologies do not provide efficient conversions and can only be executed in non-economical reactors. The Opus 12 team will integrate its novel cathode layer formulation, containing CO2 reducing catalysts and a polymer electrolyte, into an existing proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer architecture. Their unique…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 07/12/2010 - 03/31/2014
Program: Electrofuels
Award: $5,997,490

OPX Biotechnologies

OPX Biotechnologies is engineering a microorganism currently used in industrial biotechnology to directly produce a liquid fuel from hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). The microorganism has the natural ability to use hydrogen and CO2 for growth. OPX Biotechnologies is modifying the microorganism to divert energy and carbon away from growth and towards the production of liquid fuels in larger, commercially viable quantities. The microbial system will produce a fuel precursor that can be chemically upgraded to various hydrocarbon fuels.

Status: ACTIVE
State: NC
Project Term: 01/23/2022 - 01/25/2025
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $1,967,150

Orano Federal Services

Orano Federal Services will develop an off-gas treatment unit that can be modified to align with the off-gases produced from the upstream AR fuel processing system. Orano will design “plug and play” treatment units that can be connected to the off-gas exhausts from: (1) a pyro-processing recycling plant treating AR UNF; (2) a plant designed to condition AR UNF in preparation for disposal; and (3) a molten salt reactor with in-line processing of its liquid fuel. This same off-gas treatment concept could also be applied on a recycling plant using an aqueous separations process. The concept can…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OR
Project Term: 07/15/2014 - 07/31/2016
Program: IDEAS
Award: $488,061

Oregon State University (OSU)

Oregon State University (OSU) will precisely measure the performance of three commercially-available home generators. The team will collect data on engine efficiency, endurance, emissions, and calculate a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for each generator. Published data on the performance of small generators is scarce, which has hampered efforts to identify where new technologies can be applied to improve the efficiency of small generators. The rigorous and repeatable measurements collected through this project will be an important step forward in developing future high-performance…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OR
Project Term: 05/16/2016 - 07/31/2019
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $2,256,677

Oregon State University (OSU)

The team led by Oregon State University (OSU) is developing a novel gas-to-liquid (GTL) technology that utilizes a “corona discharge” plasma to convert methane to higher value chemicals, such as ethylene or liquid fuels. A corona discharge is formed when a high voltage is applied across a gap with a shaped electrode that concentrates the electric field at a tip. At sufficiently high voltage, an electrical discharge (characterized by a faint glow - a corona) is formed, and ionizes the surrounding gas molecules, i.e. split them into positive ions and free electrons. The team will build a…

Status: ACTIVE
State: OR
Project Term: 05/13/2019 - 03/30/2024
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,557,000

Oregon State University (OSU)

Oregon State University (OSU) is developing a system for extracting clean irrigation water from hydraulic fracturing wastewater using low-grade solar or industrial waste heat. The system would efficiently separate, condense, and reclaim water vapor from wastewater using a heat-activated swirling nozzle combined with an in-line demister. OSU’s technology would be modular, portable, scalable, and deployable at a fraction of the cost of existing treatment systems. If successful, the treated water would be suitable for agricultural use, providing an abundant new water source and easing…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OR
Project Term: 01/01/2014 - 08/31/2017
Program: REMOTE
Award: $2,630,867

Oregon State University (OSU)

Oregon State University (OSU) will develop a small-scale bioreactor that can enable high-rate, low cost bioconversion of methane to liquid fuel. Current systems to convert methane using microorganisms can be slow and inefficient due to the low rate at which methane gas and nutrients are transferred to biocatalysts as well as the build-up of toxins that affect the health of biocatalysts. Using an ultra-thin, stacked "Bio-Lamina-Plate" system OSU will attempt to improve the overall rate at which methane is transferred to the biocatalysts. This new reactor design also helps to improve…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OR
Project Term: 09/27/2019 - 03/26/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,175,218

Oregon State University (OSU)

Develop computational tools to evaluate the feasibility of using industrial by-product materials to make low energy cements. The objective is to reduce energy demand and greenhouse emissions related to the production of cements, to leverage the practical economic benefits of low-energy binder systems, and to produce highly durable concrete.

Status: ACTIVE
State: OR
Project Term: 01/05/2023 - 01/04/2026
Program: HESTIA
Award: $2,500,000

Oregon State University (OSU)

Oregon State University will develop C3, a cellulose cement composite, for use in residential and light commercial construction as an alternative to dimensional lumber and sheet products. C3 consists of cellulose excelsior (wood wool), cellulose nano material (CNM), and low carbon cement binders. The team will create C3 from small-diameter logs and branches that are unsuitable for lumber production. Removing small diameter wood from the forest as a potential fuel source can help lessen wildfires. C3 will serve as a sink of CO2 from the atmosphere; resist rot, fungal growth, and fire; and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 08/09/2021 - 02/08/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,989

Origen Hydrogen

Green hydrogen, which is produced with renewable energy and electrolysis, can reduce emissions for the ammonia fertilizer, refineries, chemicals, and steel industries that use hydrogen as a feedstock. Existing water electrolysis technologies are expensive due to high materials cost or complex balance-of-plant systems required when using conventional alkaline electrolysis. The ARPA-E IONICS program developed highly conductive, chemically stable anion exchange membranes that are now commercially produced. Origen Hydrogen aims to develop high-performance, platinum-free electrodes to compliment…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 09/26/2022 - 09/25/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Osmoses

Domestic helium supplies are diminishing, while global demand is rising due to high-tech industries, medical diagnosis, chip manufacturing, and space exploration. Osmoses will develop of a novel family of ultrapermeable and ultra-selective polymer membranes that can efficiently capture dilute sources of this critical gas from feedstocks that are otherwise wasted. Osmoses will optimize its proprietary polymer synthesis procedure to reduce costs and enable rapid scale-up. The polymer will then be formed into an ultra-thin membrane film for helium recovery from natural gas streams, which in the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/06/2020 - 01/05/2023
Program: ATLANTIS
Award: $2,862,554

Otherlab

Traditional wind turbines have grown larger to reach the higher wind speeds found at greater heights and enable the blades to intercept a larger area of wind. The stiffness required to hold up the blades and nacelle has caused turbines to become extremely heavy and consequently expensive. Applying novel CCD paradigms, Otherlab will develop a new architecture for wind systems based on compliant materials, energy-generating structural surfaces, and advanced control systems that overcome the need for stiff, expensive materials by actively controlling how the system interacts with the environment.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 05/08/2015 - 12/07/2019
Program: DELTA
Award: $5,439,748

Otherlab

Otherlab will develop thermally adaptive materials that change their thickness in response to temperature changes, allowing the creation of garments that passively respond to variations in temperature. In contrast to existing garments that have a constant insulation value whether conditions are hot or cold, thermally adaptive materials change shape as temperature changes, leading to a change in insulation. The material change is a physical response, passively operating and requiring no input from the wearer or any control system. Garments made from thermally adaptive fabrics will enable the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 03/01/2017 - 03/19/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $494,247

Otherlab

Otherlab will develop an open-source tool to enable higher resolution investigation and visualization of energy flows throughout the country. The core visual component is an interactive Sankey diagram with an intuitive interface that will allow users to examine the flows of energy and materials by industry, region, and economic sector. Behind the visualizations, sophisticated algorithms will aggregate and reconcile data from a wide variety of publically available sources in various formats to present an integrated view of energy and material imports, exports, and flows in the U.S. economy.…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 09/03/2012 - 03/31/2016
Program: MOVE
Award: $3,450,000

Otherlab

Otherlab is developing a natural gas storage tank made of small-radius, high-pressure tubes that allow for maximum conformability to vehicle shape. Current storage options are too rigid, expensive, and inefficient to support adoption of natural gas vehicles. Otherlab's space-filling tube design, modeled after human intestines, provides for maximum storage capacity. This transformational system could be constructed from low-cost materials and well suited to highly automated manufacturing processes.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 02/19/2013 - 09/30/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $4,290,432

Otherlab

Otherlab is developing an inexpensive small mirror system with an innovative drive system to reflect sunlight onto concentrating solar power towers at greatly reduced cost. This system is an alternative to expensive and bulky 20-30 foot tall mirrors and expensive sun-tracking drives used in today’s concentrating solar power plants. In order for solar power tower plants to compete with conventional electricity generation, these plants need dramatic component cost reductions and lower maintenance and operational expenses. Otherlab’s approach uses a smaller modular mirror design that reduces…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 02/19/2019 - 03/17/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $998,757

Otherlab

Otherlab is developing a near-isothermal gas compressor that has the potential to use 40% less energy than state-of-the-art near-adiabatic devices. Their compressor will employ a high-surface-area heat exchanger to achieve a near-isothermal compression process. During this effort, Otherlab seeks to demonstrate the thermodynamic performance of its concept in a subscale prototype device. If successful, Otherlab’s concept has the potential to offer compelling energy efficiency benefits in many major industrial sectors.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/01/2020 - 12/31/2021
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $498,615

Otherlab

The abyssal plain contains concentrated deposits of polymetallic nodules (critical minerals), an untapped resource of relevant minerals. Current prototype polymetallic nodule collectors propose to function as indiscriminate vacuums, strip-mining the sea floor and transporting everything to the surface to be filtered, with significant ecological and economic costs. Otherlab proposes to develop the “SeaSTAR” nodule collector, a large platform attached to a vacuum funnel ringed by robot arms. The arms would walk the collector across the abyssal plain while selectively picking up nodules and…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MI
Project Term: 10/01/2023 - 09/30/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Pacific Industrial Development Corporation

Pacific Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) will develop a novel synthetic pathway to create methane fuel from carbon dioxide (CO2) at room temperature. Leveraging their expertise in inorganic materials synthesis and catalyst development, PIDC’s CO2-to-fuel conversion process could help drive down emissions and increase energy efficiency when implemented at scale at a target cost of $50 per kilogram.

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 09/15/2010 - 07/31/2015
Program: BEETIT
Award: $2,733,685

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is designing more efficient adsorption chillers by incorporating significant improvements in materials that adsorb liquids or gases. An adsorption chiller is a type of air conditioner that is powered by heat, solar or waste heat, or combustion of natural gas. Unlike typical chillers, an adsorption chiller has few moving parts and uses almost no electricity to operate. PNNL is designing adsorbent materials at the molecular level that have at least 3 times higher refrigerant capacity and up to 20 times faster kinetics than adsorbents used in current…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 03/26/2020 - 11/30/2022
Program: DIFFERENTIATE
Award: $1,800,000

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will apply multiple machine learning tools to develop next-generation natural gas to electric power conversion system designs. The project leverages a physics-informed machine learning tool for automated reduced order model (ROM) construction. This will significantly reduce prediction errors compared to traditional approaches. Machine learning will also leverage a superstructure-based mathematical optimization tools combined with reinforcement learning and graph network methods to explore and optimize component connections in fuel to electric power…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 09/07/2016 - 01/18/2019
Program: GRID DATA
Award: $1,424,845

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), along with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, PJM, Avista, and CAISO, will develop a sustainable data evolution technology (SDET) to create open-access transmission and distribution power grid datasets as well as data creation tools that the grid community can use to create new datasets based on user requirements and changing grid complexity. The SDET approach will derive features and metrics from many private datasets provided by PNNL's industry partners. For transmission systems, PNNL will develop advanced, graph-theory…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 07/13/2016 - 09/30/2020
Program: GRID DATA
Award: $1,496,283

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has partnered with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to build a power system model repository, which will maintain and develop open-access power grid models and data sets. The DR POWER approach will review, annotate, and verify submitted datasets while establishing a repository and a web portal to distribute open-access models and scenarios. Through the portal, users can explore the curated data, create suitable datasets (which may include time variation), review and critique models, and download datasets in a…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 11/21/2011 - 01/04/2014
Program: HEATS
Award: $801,441

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a new class of advanced nanomaterial called an electrical metal organic framework (EMOF) for EV heating and cooling systems. The EMOF would function similar to a conventional heat pump, which circulates heat or cold to the cabin as needed. However, by directly controlling the EMOF's properties with electricity, the PNNL design is expected to use much less energy than traditional heating and cooling systems. The EMOF-based heat pumps would be light, compact, efficient, and run using virtually no moving parts.

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 12/05/2011 - 04/30/2014
Program: HEATS
Award: $712,453

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a thermal energy storage system based on a Reversible Metal Hydride Thermochemical (RMHT) system, which uses metal hydride as a heat storage material. Heat storage materials are critical to the energy storage process. In solar thermal storage systems, heat can be stored in these materials during the day and released at night—when the sun is not out—to drive a turbine and produce electricity. In nuclear storage systems, heat can be stored in these materials at night and released to produce electricity during daytime peak-demand hours.…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 03/15/2018 - 03/14/2020
Program: MARINER
Award: $2,025,984

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will lead a MARINER Category 3 project to develop a set of numerical modeling tools capable of simulating hydrodynamics, mechanical stress, and trajectories of free-floating, unmoored macroalgae production systems. Macroalgae farming systems require significant capital and those investment decisions can be guided by the development of advanced modeling tools to help better understand the nature of macroalgae production. In this project, PNNL will develop modeling tools capable of simulating and predicting macroalgae trajectories for free-…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 04/16/2018 - 07/15/2019
Program: MARINER
Award: $500,000

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will lead a MARINER Category 1 project to design, build, and field-test a Nautical Off-shore Macroalgal Autonomous Device (NOMAD), which is a free-floating, sensor-equipped, carbon-fiber longline (5 km) to which macroalgae can be attached for cultivation. The PNNL concept eliminates the significant costs associated with mooring, or anchoring, farms at a precise, invariable location in the ocean. Rather, PNNL proposes to release the NOMADs from a seeding vessel far offshore the United States West Coast and use harvesting boats to…

Status: CANCELLED
State: WA
Project Term: 01/01/2014 - 06/30/2016
Program: METALS
Award: $2,239,840

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a radically new process to produce magnesium from seawater. Today’s methods are energy intensive and expensive because the magnesium concentration in seawater is so low that significant energy is needed to evaporate off water and precipitate magnesium chloride salt. Further, conventional technologies involve heating the salt to 900°C and then using electric current to break the chemical bond between magnesium and chlorine to produce the metal. PNNL’s new process replaces brine spray drying with a low-temperature, low-energy…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 10/01/2012 - 09/30/2014
Program: MOVE
Award: $553,092

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a low-cost, conformable natural gas tank for light-duty vehicles utilizing the same metal forming techniques used to fabricate high-strength cruise missile fins. Traditional gas tanks are made using a method known as arc welding, where an electric arc is used to melt and combine metals, which can limit their conformability. PNNL's ultra-light design relies on friction stir welding, where metal is softened—like taffy—instead of melted, which allows the metal to retain its original properties and preserves its conformability. The…