Status: ACTIVE
State: IN
Project Term: 10/18/2022 - 02/17/2024
Program: HESTIA
Award: $958,245

Purdue University

Purdue University will harness microbial activities to reinforce the load-bearing structure of wood to the strength of steel, increase its fire resistance and lifetime, and lower technological barriers to manufacturing uniform wood composite materials. The “living wood” has a self-healing capability that breathes in CO2 and produces biomaterials to fill up and bond possible cracks. The process is intrinsically scalable and cost-effective due to the bulk treatment of wood and exponential manufacturing of microbes.

Status: ACTIVE
State: IN
Project Term: 09/26/2023 - 09/25/2026
Program: COOLERCHIPS
Award: $1,881,315

Purdue University

Purdue University, Binghamton University, and Seguente Inc. will develop an innovative chip-level direct two-phase impingement jet cooling solution to drastically enhance overall thermal performance while reducing pumping power. The design includes new algorithms for topology optimization of the cooling structure, novel on-chip direct printing methods for laser powder bed fusion of multi-porosity wicks, and an additively manufactured multi-input\multi-output fluid distribution manifold.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MO
Project Term: 01/01/2012 - 02/28/2015
Program: REACT
Award: $1,612,700

QM Power

QM Power is developing a new type of electric motor with the potential to efficiently power future generations of EVs without the use of rare-earth-based magnets. Many of today's EV motors use rare earth magnets to efficiently provide torque to the wheels. QM Power's motors would contain magnets that use no rare earth minerals, are light and compact, and can deliver more power with greater efficiency and at reduced cost. Key innovations in this project include a new motor design with iron-based magnetic materials, a new motor control technique, and advanced manufacturing techniques that…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/01/2017 - 09/30/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $500,000

Qromis

Qromis will develop a new type of gallium nitride (GaN) transistor, called a lateral junction field effect transistor (LJFET) and investigate its reliability compared to other types of transistors, such as SiC junction field effect transistors (JFETs) and GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Qromis' innovative LJFET design distributes and places the peak electric field away from the surface, eliminating a key point of failure that has plagued GaN HEMT devices and prevented them from achieving widespread use. If successful, this project will deliver a 1.5kV, 10A GaN LJET…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 05/01/2019 - 04/30/2020
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $773,346

Qromis

Qromis Inc. will develop an improved selective area doping fabrication method for GaN, ultimately enabling a broader range of higher-performing, manufacturable, and scalable GaN power devices. The team seeks to improve the process using magnesium (Mg) diffusion, in which atoms move from an area of high concentration to a lower one at high temperatures. In particular, Qromis seeks to understand what controls the Mg diffusion rate in GaN to better leverage the phenomenon for the production of high-performance devices. If successful, the Qromis team hopes to accelerate the adoption of GaN power…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IL
Project Term: 08/30/2021 - 09/01/2023
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,199,135

QuesTek Innovations

QuesTek Innovations will apply computational materials design, additive manufacturing (AM), coating technology, and turbine design/manufacturing to develop a comprehensive solution for a next-generation turbine blade alloy and coating system capable of sustained operation at 1300°C. QuesTek will design a niobium (Nb)-based multimaterial alloy system consisting of a ductile, precipitation-strengthened, creep (deformation)-resistant alloy for the turbine “core” combined with an oxidation-resistant, bond coat-compatible Nb alloy for the “case.” AM techniques, such as directed energy deposition,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/03/2019 - 05/31/2022
Program: DAYS
Award: $3,297,458

Quidnet Energy

The Quidnet Energy team will develop a modified pumped hydro energy storage system that stores energy via high-pressure water in the subsurface. To charge, the team will pump water into confined rock underground, creating high pressures. When energy is needed later, the pressure forces water back up the well and through a generator to produce electricity. The Quidnet team will demonstrate the reversibility of this process and the ability to translate it across multiple types of geography within the U.S.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 02/11/2013 - 08/10/2014
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $1,203,998

RamGoss

RamGoss is using innovative device designs and high-performance materials to develop utility-scale electronic switches that would significantly outperform today’s state-of-the-art devices. Switches are the fundamental building blocks of electronic devices, controlling the electrical energy that flows around an electrical circuit. Today’s best electronic switches for large power applications are bulky and inefficient, which leads to higher cost and wasted power. RamGoss is optimizing new, low-cost materials and developing a new, completely different switch designs. Combined, these innovations…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 04/15/2021 - 07/14/2023
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,199,882

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

Raytheon Technologies Research Center (RTRC) aims to design and validate the manufacturability and mechanical properties of a new hot section turbine alloy. To achieve higher efficiency turbine operation, RTRC will use additive manufacturing (AM) to produce test coupons (specimens) and potentially a representative turbine blade using a high entropy alloy (HEA) enhanced with oxide dispersion strengthening (ODS) particles. Combining HEAs with ODS imparts high-temperature strength and creep (deformation) resistance to enable 1300°C operation that significantly exceeds the capability of current…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 04/22/2021 - 04/21/2023
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $699,956

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

The drive for higher fuel efficiency and higher core power of gas turbines used in electric power generation and aircraft propulsion requires higher peak operation temperatures in the hottest sections. Current state-of-the-art refractory metal alloys (RMAs), although highly resistant to heat and wear, tend to oxidize in the gas turbine environment. Raytheon Technologies Research Center aims to develop an environmental protection coating system (EPCS) for RMAs to radically improve long-term protection in the harsh gas turbine environment via four major technical innovations: (1) a multi-layer…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 04/29/2021 - 07/28/2024
Program: REEACH
Award: $2,652,768

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

The Zero-carbon Ammonia-Powered Turboelectric (ZAPTurbo) Propulsion System is a very high efficiency and lightweight turboelectric system that uses green ammonia as a fuel and coolant via regenerative cooling. Coke-free heating of this carbon-free ammonia fuel enables a high level of waste-heat recovery that will be used for the endothermic cracking of ammonia prior to its combustion, significantly increasing the cycle efficiency. The proposed propulsion system includes an efficient AC electric powertrain for turboelectric cruise, with battery boost for takeoff and climb flight phases. The…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 06/04/2021 - 02/03/2024
Program: REEACH
Award: $2,815,610

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

The CO-POWER project will enable a commercial narrow body electric aircraft by developing an ultra-efficient and lightweight fuel to electricity power generation system that includes the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) as a working fluid. The proposed approach combines decades of knowledge in gas turbine engines with novel advances in additive manufacturing research and sCO2 power generation experience to increase the overall power system efficiency and its power density. The work will result in the development of a first-of-its-kind aircraft gas turbo-electric engine with a sCO2…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CT
Project Term: 08/06/2021 - 11/11/2025
Program: ASCEND
Award: $1,812,824

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

Raytheon Technologies Research Center, with the University of Tennessee, Hyper Tech Research Inc., the Ohio State University, and Pacific Northwest National Labs will develop a novel 2.5 MW, 5000 rpm Superconducting mOtor And cRyo-cooled Inverter eNGine (SOARING) for aircraft electric propulsion that can achieve greater than 93% efficiency and 12.5 kW/kg power. State-of-the-art cryocoolers are inefficient and heavy, making them impractical to carry on the plane. The proposed complete system consists of a cryogenically cooled aerospace-grade, fully superconducting synchronous motor, a novel…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 05/01/2021 - 11/09/2024
Program: ASCEND
Award: $6,941,760

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

Small regional aircraft operations are challenged by high fuel cost, noise restrictions associated with small regional airports, and high maintenance cost of twin gas turbines. A battery/gas turbine hybrid series small regional aircraft, enabled by ULTRA COMPACT driven propulsors, addresses these issues, and could reduce passenger mile energy consumption. The Raytheon Technologies Research Center proposes ULTRA-COMPACT to improve the electric-to-shaft power electric drive train and demonstrate feasibility of a turbo-electric distributed propulsion-based electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP)…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 12/07/2021 - 01/29/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $999,821

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

Raytheon Technologies Research Center (RTRC) proposes to develop a multi-material and multi-physics topology optimization (TopOpt) design framework to efficiently design novel high temperature (capable of operations up to 800°C) and pressure (up to 25 MPa) heat exchangers (HX) with superior power density and structural durability. The result will increase heat duty for a similar heat exchanger weight and improve durability while remaining cost competitive. The proposed framework combines novel TopOpt methods incorporating multi-physics considerations and additive manufacturing constraints…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 12/05/2023 - 06/04/2026
Program: COOLERCHIPS
Award: $2,504,015

Raytheon Technologies Research Center

Raytheon Technologies Research Center will develop Extra Efficient Data Centers with Avionics Cooling Technology (EXTRACT) with a cross-industry collaborative team. Targeted heat removal from high-power processors will be achieved with Ribbon Oscillating Heat Pipes (RHPs). Heat is extracted from servers with integrated, passive, and reliable heat spreading. The RHP technology, with record-low thermal resistance, could enable a transformational reduction in the power consumption of future data centers.

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 04/16/2015 - 08/15/2018
Program: MONITOR
Award: $4,255,000

Rebellion Photonics

Rebellion Photonics plans to develop portable methane gas cloud imagers that can wirelessly transmit real-time data to a cloud-based computing service. This would allow data on the concentration, leak rate, location, and total emissions of methane to be streamed to a mobile device, like an iPad, smartphone, or Google Glass. The infrared imaging spectrometers will leverage snapshot spectral imaging technology to provide multiple bands of spectral information for each pixel in the image. Similar to a Go Pro camera, the miniature, lightweight camera is planned to be attached to a worker’s…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 12/31/2012
Program: BEEST
Award: $999,999

Recapping

Recapping is developing a capacitor that could rival the energy storage potential and price of today's best EV batteries. When power is needed, the capacitor rapidly releases its stored energy, similar to lightning being discharged from a cloud. Capacitors are an ideal substitute for batteries if their energy storage capacity can be improved. Recapping is addressing storage capacity by experimenting with the material that separates the positive and negative electrodes of its capacitors. These separators could significantly improve the energy density of electrochemical devices.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MD
Project Term: 10/01/2014 - 03/31/2018
Program: REBELS
Award: $5,250,000

Redox Power Systems

Redox Power Systems is developing a fuel cell with a mid-temperature operating target of 400°C while maintaining high power density and enabling faster cycling. Current fuel cell systems are expensive and bulky, which limits their commercialization and widespread adoption for distributed generation and other applications. Such state-of-the-art systems consist of fuel cells that either use a mixture of ceramic oxide materials that require high temperatures (~800°C) for grid-scale applications or are polymer-based technology with prohibitive low temperature operation for vehicle technologies.…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MI
Project Term: 12/01/2021 - 05/31/2024
Program: DAYS
Award: $4,900,000

RedoxBlox

The RedoxBlox team will lead the engineering and development of a pilot-scale energy storage platform comprising a thermochemical energy storage module integrated with a gas turbine power generator. In addition, the team will conduct advanced materials and component-level investigations, including a comprehensive analysis of their core thermochemical energy storage material that enables this energy storage technology. Test data collected from intermediate-scale thermal energy storage modules will be used to inform the design, operating parameters, and component selection of the final,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IL
Project Term: 05/26/2016 - 02/25/2020
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $3,565,018

RedWave Energy

The team led by RedWave Energy will develop a waste heat harvesting system, called a rectenna, that converts low-temperature waste heat into electricity. Rectennas are nanoantennas that convert radiant energy to direct current (DC) electricity. The rectennas are fabricated onto sheets of flexible material in tightly packed arrays and placed near key heat sources such as the turbine's condenser, heat exchanger, and flue gas cooling stack. Heat radiates onto the nanoantennas and energizes electrons on the antennas’ surface. These electrons are rectified by the system, resulting in DC power…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 09/01/2012 - 09/30/2016
Program: MOVE
Award: $5,000,000

REL

REL is developing a low-cost, conformable natural gas tank for light-duty vehicles that contains an internal structural cellular core. Traditional natural gas storage tanks are cylindrical and rigid. REL is exploring various materials that could be used to design a gas tank's internal structure that could allow the tank to be any shape. The REL team is exploring various methods of manufacturing the interconnected core structure and the tank skin to identify which combination best meets their target pressure-containment objectives. REL's conformable internal core would enable higher storage…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 01/20/2017 - 07/19/2022
Program: IONICS
Award: $2,445,327

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will develop hydroxide ion-conducting polymers that are chemically and mechanically stable for use in anion exchange membranes (AEM). Unlike PEMs, AEMs can be used in an alkaline environment and can use inexpensive, non-precious metal catalysts such as nickel. Simultaneously achieving high ion conductivity and mechanical stability has been a challenge because high ion exchange capacity causes swelling, which degrades the system’s mechanical strength. To solve this problem, the team plans to decouple the structural units of the AEM that are responsible…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 03/07/2013 - 03/06/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $803,907

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is working to develop and demonstrate a new bi-directional transistor switch that would significantly simplify the power conversion process for high-voltage, high-power electronics systems. A transistor switch helps control electricity, converting it from one voltage to another or from an Alternating Current (A/C) to a Direct Current (D/C). High-power systems, including solar and wind plants, usually require multiple switches to convert energy into electricity that can be transmitted through the grid. These multi-level switch configurations are costly…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 11/30/2017 - 01/31/2021
Program: REFUEL
Award: $1,599,999

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will develop an innovative, hollow fiber membrane reactor that can generate high purity hydrogen from ammonia. The project combines three key components: a low-cost ruthenium (Ru)-based catalyst, a hydrogen-selective membrane, and a catalytic hydrogen burner. Pressurized ammonia vapor is fed into the reactor for high-rate decomposition at the Ru-based catalyst and at a reaction temperature below 450°C. Ceramic hollow fibers at the reactor boundary will extract the high purity hydrogen from the reaction product. Residual hydrogen will be burned with air…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 06/27/2018 - 06/26/2024
Program: SENSOR
Award: $3,187,313

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will develop a method for counting occupants in a commercial space using time-of-flight (TOF) sensors, which measure the distance from objects using the speed of light to create a 3D map of human positions. This TOF system could be installed in the ceiling or built into lighting fixtures for easy deployment. Several sensors distributed across a space will enable precise mapping, while preserving privacy by using low-resolution images. The technology is being designed around low power infrared LEDs and a patented plenoptic detector technology together…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 08/04/2020 - 05/03/2024
Program: PERFORM
Award: $2,664,000

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will develop market mechanism and risk assessment techniques to support cost-effective and risk-informed integration of renewable energy resources into the grid. The RPI team will holistically apply risk segmentation (tranching), credit scoring, and portfolio analysis techniques from financial engineering and risk management for risk analytics of asset and system operation. The team will analyze the system-wide risk in meeting an increasingly stochastic demand with supply at different time scales using network-based portfolio analysis which seek Pareto-…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 04/22/2022 - 10/21/2024
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $607,504

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will explore using inorganic metal halide perovskites (MHPs) as advanced salt waste forms to immobilize fluoride-based salt wastes from advanced reactors. The RPI team will demonstrate low-temperature wet-chemistry processes to effectively separate fluoride salt wastes at temperatures lower than 200oC and reduce the waste volume of alkali and alkaline earth fluoride salt waste by 90 l.%. The second technical goal is to separate useful lithium fluoride from the fluoride salt wastes with a yield over 95%. The scalability of a low-temperature wet-chemistry…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 09/30/2013
Program: IMPACCT
Award: $2,475,501

Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is developing a solvent and process that could significantly reduce the temperature associated with regenerating solvent and CO2 captured from the exhaust gas of coal-fired power plants. Traditional CO2 removal processes using water-based solvents require significant amount of steam from power plants in order to regenerate the solvent so it can be reused after each reaction. RTI's solvents can be better at absorbing CO2 than many water-based solvents, and are regenerated at lower temperatures using less steam. Thus, industrial heat that is normally too…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 02/06/2014 - 03/06/2017
Program: METALS
Award: $3,120,541

Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is developing a high-quality concentrating solar thermal energy transport and storage system for use in light metals manufacturing. A challenge with integrating renewable energy into light metals manufacturing has been the need for large quantities of very high temperature heat. RTI’s technology overcomes this challenge with a specialized heat transfer powder. This powder can be heated to temperatures of 1100 degrees Celsius with concentrating solar thermal energy, some 400 degrees Celsius higher than conventional solutions. Because the heat transfer fluid…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 01/01/2010 - 09/30/2013
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $3,100,769

Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is developing a new pyrolysis process to convert second-generation biomass into biofuels in one simple step. Pyrolysis is the decomposition of substances by heating—the same process used to render wood into charcoal, caramelize sugar, and dry roast coffee and beans. RTI's catalytic biomass pyrolysis differs from conventional flash pyrolysis in that its end product contains less oxygen, metals, and nitrogen—all of which contribute to corrosion, instability, and inefficiency in the fuel-production process. This technology is expected to easily integrate…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 03/15/2013 - 06/30/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $3,872,274

Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is leveraging existing engine technology to develop a compact reformer for natural gas conversion. Reformers produce synthesis gas—the first step in the commercial process of converting natural gas to liquid fuels. As a major component of any gas-to-liquid plant, the reformer represents a substantial cost. RTI’s re-designed reformer would be compact, inexpensive, and easily integrated with small-scale chemical reactors. RTI's technology allows for significant cost savings by harnessing equipment that is already manufactured and readily available. Unlike…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 04/10/2017 - 10/09/2020
Program: REFUEL
Award: $3,111,904

Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) will develop a catalytic technology for converting renewable energy, water, and air into ammonia. Their work focuses on three innovations: the development of an ammonia synthesis catalyst for improved reactions, refinement of the ammonia synthesis to handle intermittent loads, and optimized and scalable technologies for air separation to produce high-purity nitrogen. Their ammonia synthesis catalyst features increased surface area, high dispersion, and high thermal stability – enabling the system to operate at much lower temperatures and pressures, lowering…

Status: CANCELLED
State: OR
Project Term: 10/01/2010 - 06/30/2012
Program: BEEST
Award: $2,127,672

ReVolt Technology

ReVolt Technology is developing a rechargeable zinc-air battery that could offer 300-500% more storage capacity than today’s Li-Ion batteries at half their cost. Zinc-air batteries could be much more inexpensive, lightweight, and energy dense than Li-Ion batteries because air—one of the battery’s main reactants—does not need to be housed inside the battery. This frees up more space for storage. Zinc-air batteries have not been commercially viable for use in EVs because they typically cannot be recharged, complicating vehicle “refueling”. ReVolt has designed a system whereby the battery’s zinc…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/01/2015 - 09/30/2015
Program: IDEAS
Award: $497,525

Ricardo

Ricardo will develop a detailed cost model for 10 key automotive components (e.g. chassis, powertrain, controls, etc.), analyzing the investment barriers at production volumes. Prior studies of innovative manufacturing processes and lightweight materials have used differing cost analysis assumptions, which makes comparison of these individual studies difficult. The backbone of the project will be a detailed economic model built on a set of common assumptions that will allow the root cause of cost barriers to be identified. The model will then evaluate emerging alternative manufacturing…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 09/15/2016 - 12/14/2017
Program: IDEAS
Award: $499,989

Rice University

Rice University will develop a first of its kind biocatalyst to synthesize ammonia from small–scale isolated methane sources. The microorganisms will be engineered to maximize simultaneous diazotrophic and methanotrophic capabilities. Diazotrophs are organisms that can fix nitrogen gas in the air into a biologically usable form, such as ammonia. Methanotrophs are organisms that metabolize and use methane as an energy and carbon source. Rice University’s technology will combine these capabilities, and develop a one-step ammonia synthesis that will operate at low temperature and pressure. These…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 09/20/2019 - 01/12/2024
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,447,862

Rice University

Rice University will develop a process to produce low-cost hydrogen at scale and recyclable, lightweight materials to replace metals in automotive applications. The team will convert NG into carbon nanotubes with concurrent production of H2, spin the nanotubes into fibers, and evaluate the fiber properties with the target of displacing metals. The proposed technology could significantly reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with both H2 and metal production at scale. Furthermore, lightweight and low-cost carbon fibers could provide an alternative to metals in automotive…

Status: ACTIVE
State: UT
Project Term: 10/01/2022 - 09/30/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $1,605,248

Rio Tinto Services

Rio Tinto Services will collaborate with Columbia University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Talon Nickel, Carbfix, and Advantek Waste Management Solutions to develop innovative technologies to potentially sequester CO2 based on the characterization, determination of reaction kinetics, and modeling of the Tamarack Nickel Project’s bowl-shaped ultramafic intrusion. This sequestration would be achieved via the conversion of CO2 into solid rock. While past research has focused on subsurface saline aquifers for carbon storage, Rio Tinto aims to demonstrate that using other geologic media…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/01/2013 - 03/06/2017
Program: AMPED
Award: $4,245,658

Robert Bosch

Robert Bosch is developing battery monitoring and control software to improve the capacity, safety, and charge rate of electric vehicle batteries. Conventional methods for preventing premature aging and failures in electric vehicle batteries involve expensive and heavy overdesign of the battery and tend to result in inefficient use of available battery capacity. Bosch would increase usable capacity and enhance charging rates by improving the ability to estimate battery health in real-time, to predict and manage the impact of charge and discharge cycles on battery health, and to minimize…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 09/30/2020 - 09/30/2022
Program: FLECCS
Award: $999,470

RTI International

RTI International will develop a cost-effective, resilient, load-following advanced CO2 capture technology for natural gas power plants. The team's CO2 capture process will maximize the net present value of the of the electricity sale by minimizing the levelized cost of electricity under dynamic plant loads and high VRE environments. The two key innovations proposed are the use of plant by using advanced water-lean solvents (WLSs) and process intensification equipment, such as a rotating packed bed (RPB) centrifugal absorber and dual-stage flash solvent regeneration. Advanced WLSs…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NC
Project Term: 07/25/2022 - 07/24/2025
Program: REFUEL
Award: $12,629,999

RTI International

RTI International and its partners will develop a Technology Integration Platform (TIP) to demonstrate next-generation ammonia production from intermittent renewable energy in a skid-mounted, modular testbed that is responsive to locational marginal pricing of electricity. The project leverages the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center’s operational hybrid wind and solar-to-ammonia field site to integrate the most promising breakthrough technologies developed in ARPA-E’s REFUEL program. The TIP aims to demonstrate a disruptive modular, flexible process to produce 1…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: TBD

RTX Technologies Research Center (RTRC)

RTX Technologies Research Center (RTRC) will develop a platform for a physics-informed forecast of aircraft induced cirrus potential 100 kilometers ahead of the aircraft (up to 10 minutes ahead of time). The platform would include a novel on-board lidar sensor for water vapor that would be installed on a small fraction of a fleet’s aircraft to furnish data and predictions for the entire fleet.

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

RTX Technologies Research Center (RTRC)

RTX Technologies Research Center (RTRC) is developing semiconductor switching modules that are triggered using rectified 5G radio frequency rather than low frequency gate drive signals, thereby reducing losses and improving control of power electronics converters for aerospace systems as well as for the grid. These modules will permit the power devices they drive to perform at much higher frequencies than conventional devices, resulting in minimal size, weight, power, and cost while increasing the reliability and efficiency of future power systems. If successful, the devices will achieve…

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

RTX Technology Research Center (RTRC)

RTX Technology Research Center (RTRC) is developing a mobile sensing platform using radar approaches based on quantum radio frequency sensing together with artificial intelligence to locate existing utility lines prior to installing underground power distribution lines. RTRC’s quantum radio frequency atom vapor sensors offer unparalleled superior performance to that of traditional ground penetrating radar, and its artificial intelligence-assisted data processing method could boost the accuracy of 3D reconstructions of subsurface infrastructure by at least 95% compared with traditional data…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NJ
Project Term: 01/20/2020 - 01/31/2023
Program: ATLANTIS
Award: $1,576,872

Rutgers University

A multidisciplinary team including Rutgers University, University of Michigan, Brigham Young University, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and international collaborators (Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Technical University of Denmark) will develop a computationally efficient CCD optimization software framework for floating offshore wind turbine design. They will focus on developing a modular computational framework for the modeling, optimization, and control of primary structures coupled to the surrounding air, water, and actuator dynamics. Their framework will…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NJ
Project Term: 05/01/2019 - 08/31/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $2,932,154

Rutgers University

Rutgers University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the University of Arizona will develop a new hardening method for C3 to address thickness. C3 synthesis currently relies on externally-introduced carbon dioxide for solidification. This program will use microbes mixed into the C3 prior to curing to produce carbon dioxide internally for solidification. This microbial-cured C3 is expected to last longer than OPC at the same thickness, which will reduce the need for concrete repair and replacement. This in turn reduces energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and costs…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NJ
Project Term: 09/30/2021 - 03/29/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,000,000

Rutgers University

Rutgers University (RU) aims to produce concrete from incinerator ash and concrete rubble (CR). RU will use its proprietary low-cost technology to create a low carbon footprint concrete. Assuming only electricity for crushing and milling, CR contributes a 5% carbon footprint to an adaptive cement that can be cured one of two different ways. Curing with CO2 will create a -5% carbon-negative carbonate-cement-concrete. Curing with water will create a +6% carbon footprint hydraulic concrete. Both sustainable technologies exact a reduction of 90+% for CO2 emissions and 100% for fossil fuel use.…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NJ
Project Term: 05/23/2022 - 10/14/2025
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $3,999,595

Rutgers University

Rutgers University aims to develop and demonstrate PACE-FORWARD, a high-density, durable cermet waste form (WF) suitable to immobilize all forms of AR wastes, significantly reducing processing complexity. The proposed WF will exhibit high waste loading (≥70% by volume) and immobilize multiple waste streams, including metal, salt (halide), and oxides from molten salt fueled or metallic fueled reactors; or metal and carbon-14/carbide waste from reprocessing of tri-structural isotropic fuel particles. Rutgers’s technology will reduce the repository footprint by greater than an order of magnitude…

Status: CANCELLED
State: NJ
Project Term: 12/23/2011 - 01/20/2013
Program: Solar ADEPT
Award: $260,270

Rutgers University SiCLAB

The Rutgers University SiCLAB is developing a new power switch for utility-scale PV inverters that would improve the performance and significantly reduce the size, weight, and energy loss of PV systems. A power switch controls the electrical energy flowing through an inverter, which takes the electrical current from a PV solar panel and converts it into the type and amount of electricity that is compatible with the electric grid. SiCLAB is using silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors in its new power switches, which are more efficient than the silicon semiconductors used to conduct electricity…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 10/01/2014 - 06/30/2018
Program: REBELS
Award: $3,699,230

SAFCell

SAFCell is developing solid acid fuel cells (SAFCs) that operate at 250 °C and will be nearly free of precious metal catalysts. Current fuel cells either rely on ultra-pure hydrogen as a fuel and operate at low temperatures for vehicles technologies, or run on natural gas, but operate only at high temperatures for grid-scale applications. SAFCell’s fuel cell is utilizing a new solid acid electrolyte material to operate efficiently at intermediate temperatures and on multiple fuels. Additionally, the team will dramatically lower system costs by reducing precious metals, such as platinum, from…