Status:
ALUMNI
State:
TX
Project Term:
-
Program:
RANGE
Award:
$960,000
University of Houston
Low-Cost Water-Based Electric Vehicle BatteriesThe University of Houston is developing a battery with a new water-based, lithium-ion chemistry that makes use of sustainable, low-cost, and high-energy organic materials. Conventional lithium-ion batteries include volatile materials and chemistries that necessitate considerable packaging to ensure safety. This additional packaging results in a heavier, bulkier battery and limits where the battery can be placed within the vehicle. In contrast, the University of Houston’s organic materials are readily available, safe, and non-volatile, making them ideal for use in battery construction. The…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
TX
Project Term:
-
Program:
REACT
Award:
$4,035,316
University of Houston
Low-Cost Superconducting Wire for Wind GeneratorsThe University of Houston is developing a low-cost, high-current superconducting wire that could be used in high-power wind generators. Superconducting wire currently transports 600 times more electric current than a similarly sized copper wire, but is significantly more expensive. The University of Houston's innovation is based on engineering nanoscale defects in the superconducting film. This could quadruple the current relative to today's superconducting wires, supporting the same amount of current using 25% of the material. This would make wind generators lighter, more powerful and more…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
TX
Project Term:
-
Program:
GAMOW
Award:
$1,500,000
University of Houston
Advanced HTS Conductors Customized for FusionRare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes enable >20-T (Tesla) magnets in compact, high-field magnetic-fusion devices. Commercial REBCO tapes are expensive at $300/kA-m (kiloampere-meter) based on the operating condition of HTS (high-temperature superconducting) magnets for compact fusion energy systems. The tape cost must be reduced to approximately $10/kA-m for HTS-based fusion systems to be commercially cost-competitive. Almost all commercial REBCO tapes use a generic high-temperature-resistant alloy, limiting their yield strength to ~700 MPa (101,526 psi), a constraining factor for…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
TX
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$965,028
University of Houston
Mini-PulPS: Miniaturized Pulsed Power Systems for Mission Critical ApplicationsThe University of Houston aims to develop Miniaturized Pulsed Power System (Mini-PulPS) architectures to improve the power density (with 10-X reduction in capacitor size) and the life of converters used in pulsed power supplies. The University of Houston will perform multi-disciplinary research with Harvard University and Schlumberger-Doll Research Center for high- and low-power NMR applications. These technologies will improve the power converter system efficiency and reliability and reduce the risks of equipment or formation failures. If successful, Mini-PulPS will lead to disruptive…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
TX
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$3,400,000
University of Houston
Lithium- and Transition Metal-Free High-Energy Fast-Charging BatteriesThe University of Houston will develop a battery that will match the energy and power densities of lithium-based batteries while excluding lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The proposed battery will substitute lithium-based anodes with energy-dense and abundant magnesium, of which the U.S. has virtually unlimited reserves. Organic materials obtained from oil refineries and biorefineries will replace conventional cathodes based on transition metals, thereby eliminating any requirement for nickel or cobalt. The team’s recent technology breakthroughs have overcome the energy and power bottlenecks…
Status:
Selected
State:
TX
Project Term:
-
Program:
Exploratory Topics
Award:
$2,000,000
University of Houston
Low-Cost, High-Rate Fabrication of High-Performance, Uniform, Long REBCO ConductorsThe University of Houston will scale up manufacturing of low-cost rare earth barium copper oxide conductors for high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape to overcome barriers of implementing HTS in clean energy applications, including low-loss transmission cables, compact nuclear fusion reactors, high-power wind turbine generators, and highly efficient motors and generators. The proposed project will advance the metal organic chemical vapor deposition process to produce tapes with more than three times the critical current per unit width of today’s industry tapes at a higher annual…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
COOLERCHIPS
Award:
$2,500,000
University of Illinois
Holistic Rack-to-Processor Power and Thermal Co-Design for Future ServersThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will develop an innovative cooling paradigm capable of both minimal energy use and maximum cooling power for future servers. Their design integrates high-performance thermal interface materials, coefficient of thermal expansion matched and reliable silicon carbide coolers, topology optimization-based design automation coupled with silicon carbide additive manufacturing, robust and cost-effective single-phase water cooling, and high primary-side temperatures to enable efficient heat dissipation to the ambient.
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
CIRCUITS
Award:
$1,047,717
University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)
Universal Battery SuperchargerThe University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) will develop a new high-power converter circuit architecture for fast charging of electric vehicles (EV). Their wide-bandgap universal battery supercharger (UBS) is designed using a unique AC/DC converter system. Fast-switching silicon carbide (SiC) field-effect transistors (FETs) with integrated gate-drivers are used to achieve the targeted compactness. A novel hybrid-modulation method is used to switch the SiC-FETs to reduce the semiconductor power losses and improve the efficiency. The UBS uses integrated filters, which reduce the electromagnetic…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
GRID DATA
Award:
$1,028,324
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Synthetic Data for Power Grid R&DThe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with partners from Cornell University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Arizona State University will develop a set of entirely synthetic electric transmission system models. Their 10 open-source system models and associated scenarios will match the complexity of the actual power grid. By utilizing statistics derived from real data, the team’s models will have coordinates based on North American geography with network structure, characteristics, and consumer demand that mimics real grid profiles. Smaller models will be based on smaller…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
MEITNER
Award:
$999,694
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Enabling Load Following Capability in the Transatomic Power MSRThe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will develop a fuel processing system that enables load-following in molten salt reactors (MSRs), an important ability that allows nuclear power plants to ramp electricity production up or down to meet changing electricity demand. Nuclear reactions in MSRs produce unwanted byproducts (such as xenon and krypton) that can adversely affect power production. In steady, baseload operation, these byproducts form and decay at the same rate. When electricity production is ramped down, however, the byproducts start to be produced at a greater rate…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2009
Award:
$1,714,280
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Silicon-Based ThermoelectricsThe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is experimenting with silicon-based materials to develop flexible thermoelectric devices—which convert heat into energy—that can be mass-produced at low cost. A thermoelectric device, which resembles a computer chip, creates electricity when a different temperature is applied to each of its sides. Existing commercial thermoelectric devices contain the element tellurium, which limits production levels because tellurium has become increasingly rare. UIUC is replacing this material with microscopic silicon wires that are considerably cheaper…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2012
Award:
$1,500,000
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Power Grid SecurityThe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is developing scalable grid modeling, monitoring, and analysis tools that would improve its resiliency to system failures as well as cyber attacks, which can significantly improve the reliability of grid operations. Power system operators today lack the ability to assess the grid’s reliability with respect to potential cyber failures and attacks. UIUC is using theoretical and practical techniques from both the cyber security and power engineering domains to develop new algorithms and software tools capable of analyzing real-world threats…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2015
Award:
$4,995,967
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Biomass Water EfficiencyThe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) team proposes to increase the water-use efficiency in sorghum production, enabling plants to produce the same yield with 40% less water. By analyzing mathematical models of crop physiology and biophysics, the UIUC team has identified multiple strategies to improve water-use efficiency. In one instance, the team will decrease water loss within plants by shifting photosynthetic activity from leaves at the top of crop canopy where it is drier to lower leaves that operate in higher humidity. To increase photosynthesis in lower leaves, the upper…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2018
Award:
$3,056,280
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Megawatt-scale Power-Electronic-Integrated Generator with Controlled Dc OutputThe University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign aims to create the world's most efficient, reliable, and compact wind energy conversion system. Instead of following the traditional approach of building the electrical generator separately from the power electronics converter, and then connecting both to convert the turbine’s mechanical power into electrical power, the team will apply CCD methodologies on the generator and converter to substantially reduce the size and weight of the system. The expected results are a significant reduction in the cost of the turbine’s main structures (i.e.,…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
PETRO
Award:
$7,135,117
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Genetically Enhanced Sorghum and SugarcaneThe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is working to convert sugarcane and sorghum—already 2 of the most productive crops in the world—into dedicated bio-oil crop systems. Three components will be engineered to produce new crops that have a 50% higher yield, produce easily extractable oils, and have a wider growing range across the U.S. This will be achieved by modifying the crop canopy to better distribute sunlight and increase its cold tolerance. By directly producing oil in the shoots of these plants, these biofuels could be easily extracted with the conventional crushing…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
Exploratory Topics
Award:
$3,300,000
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Midwest Bioenergy Crop Landscape Laboratory (MBC-Lab): Capturing Spatio-temporal and Managerial Variations to Provide a Gold Standard Data and Platform for Validating Field-level Emission from Bioenergy CropsThe University of Illinois will produce field-level emissions data from commercial bioenergy crops managed by Illinois farmers. The project team will 1) collect emissions data from three commercial bioenergy feedstock sites, using ground and remote sensing measurements, 2) develop protocols for data processing and storage, and an online portal for users to access emissions datasets, 3) develop cyberinfrastructure to enable emissions data visualization, including real-time eddy covariance data, in a timely manner, and 4) actively engage stakeholders regarding emissions data usage. The project…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
TERRA
Award:
$5,169,350
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
TERRA MEPP (Mobile Energy-crop Phenotyping Platform)The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with partners, Cornell University and Signetron Inc., will develop a small semi-autonomous, ground-based vehicle called TERRA-MEPP (Mobile Energy-Crop Phenotyping Platform). The platform performs high-throughput field-based data collection for bioenergy crops, providing on-the-go measurements of the physical structure of individual plants. TERRA-MEPP will use visual, thermal, and multi-spectral sensors to collect data and create 3-D reconstructions of individual plants. Newly developed software will interpret the data and a model-based data…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
NODES
Award:
$450,000
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Distributed Grid Control of Flexible Loads and DERs for Optimized Provision of Synthetic Regulating ReservesThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has developed and prototyped a new architecture for distributed control and coordination of generation and load assets within a microgrid to provide frequency regulation services to the connected bulk power grid. The architecture’s decision-making capability relies on distributed computations over a cyber network, which is a radical departure from commercially available microgrid control solutions. UIUC will further de-risk its architecture by integrating the algorithms with and implementing them on an industrial-grade distributed…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
SMARTFARM
Award:
$5,299,048
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
The “System of Systems” Solutions for Commercial Field-Level Quantification of Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrous Oxide Emission for Scalable Applications (SYMFONI)The University of Illinois will develop a commercial solution, SYMFONI, to estimate soil organic carbon (SOC) and the dynamics of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions at an individual field level to promote advanced carbon management and sustainability practices in agricultural systems. The solution can be scaled up to perform per-field estimates for an entire region. SYMFONI integrates (1) synergistic modeling of SOC and N2O; (2) use of novel satellite/airborne data and algorithms; (3) innovative sampling of high-resolution, high-frequency soil moisture; (4) development of physics-guided deep…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
Exploratory Topics
Award:
$1,000,000
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Rapid AI-based Dissection of Ashes using Raman and XRF Spectroscopy (RADAR-X)Municipal solid waste (MSW) management involves three primary practices: landfilling, recycling, and incineration for energy recovery (waste-to-energy or WTE). WTE is a potentially sustainable method of MSW management because it reduces landfilling and generates energy. Incineration reduces input waste mass by 70%. The remaining 30%—in the form of bottom and fly ashes—has to be discarded or landfilled. A main barrier to beneficial use of these ashes is the variability in their composition, which renders them as an unreliable byproduct. The University of Illinois aims to design a low-cost and…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$825,000
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Green Light Emitting Diodes for the Ultimate Solid-State LightingThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will pursue novel cubic gallium nitride-based green LEDs that, when combined with blue and red LEDs, will enable more efficient white light SSL without the use of down-converting phosphors. This project will close the “green gap” in the visible spectrum through an innovative green LED technology and create new opportunities in mainstream SSL (e.g., general lighting) and advanced SSL (e.g., connected smart lighting, visible light communication, horticulture, and medicine).
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
IL
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$3,000,000
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Ultra-Efficient and Ultra-Rapid Electro-Thermal Pulse Deicing, Defrosting, and Desnowing for Renewable Energy and Electrified Aircraft SystemsThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) aims to eliminate ice/snow/frost accretion on stationary and mobile electrified systems by developing a multi-functional coating that synergistically combines two different ice/snow/frost removal mechanisms. The team will incorporate pulsed interfacial heating with controlled surface wettability to demonstrate a two orders of magnitude reduction in ice/snow/frost removal time with 50% lower energy consumption without bulk melting compared with state-of-the-art steady heating methods. The team aims to melt only an ultra-thin layer of ice/…
Status:
Selected
State:
TBD
Project Term:
TBD
Program:
ULTRAFAST
Award:
TBD
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Diamond PCSS: DIAMOND PhotoConductive Semiconductor SwitchesThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is developing diamond semiconductor switching devices to enable revolutionary breakthroughs in electricity grid protection. The proposed device is composed of light-triggered ultrawide-bandgap materials and overcomes the voltage and current limitations of conventional photoconductive devices. If successful, the device will be a critical component in higher-temperature, more efficient, and reliable power electronics.
Status:
CANCELLED
State:
KY
Project Term:
-
Program:
IMPACCT
Award:
$1,516,908
University of Kentucky
Hybrid Solvent-Membrane CO2 CaptureThe University of Kentucky is developing a hybrid approach to capturing CO2 from the exhaust gas of coal-fired power plants. In the first, CO2 is removed as flue gas is passed through an aqueous ammonium-based solvent. In the second, carbon-rich solution from the CO2 absorber is passed through a membrane that is designed to selectively transport the bound carbon, enhancing its concentration on the permeate side. The team's approach would combine the best of both membrane- and solvent-based carbon capture technologies. Under the ARPA-E award, the team is enabling the membrane operation to be a…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
KY
Project Term:
-
Program:
Exploratory Topics
Award:
$1,399,966
University of Kentucky
Belite Cement, and Concretes; Novel Low-Energy Approaches To Making Concrete Extremely DurableDevelop an extremely durable belite-based cement alternative to ordinary portland cement that is low-energy consuming and low-carbon releasing. The material would use less energy, release less CO2 and excel in performance and durability over time.
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
KY
Project Term:
-
Program:
MINER
Award:
$3,500,000
University of Kentucky
Development of a Carbon-Negative Process for Comminution Energy Reduction and Energy-Relevant Mineral Extraction through Carbon Mineralization and Biological Carbon FixationThe University of Kentucky’s proposed technology will use CO₂ emitted at or near operating mines and processing operations to reduce the energy consumed during grinding by more than 50% while improving the recovery of critical energy relevant minerals by 20% or greater. In this approach, CO2 will be mixed with ore containing the valuable minerals, especially copper (Cu) and rare earth elements, to improve grinding and separation efficiency. Biological fixation of CO2 will also be studied and employed in producing acid to recover Cu from low grade feedstocks. If bench-scale tests achieve…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
LA
Project Term:
-
Program:
REEACH
Award:
$2,263,000
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
High Performance Metal-Supported SOFC System for Range Extension of Commercial AviationThe University of Louisiana at Lafayette will design and optimize an energy storage and power generation (ESPG) system for aircraft propulsion. The proposed system will consist of optimally sized fuel-to-electric power conversion devices—metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs) and turbogenerators—using carbon-neutral synfuel. Batteries will also be used to provide suitable electrical power to the aircraft through all phases of a flight. The design concept will ensure adequate propulsive thrust and system power for a future airplane configuration by optimizing the ESPG and component…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
ME
Project Term:
-
Program:
ATLANTIS
Award:
$1,187,201
University of Maine (UMaine)
The NASA Floater: 15 MW Ultra-light Concrete Hull with Sea-water Ballast Tuned Mass DampersThe University of Maine (UMaine) team will design an ultra-lightweight, corrosion-resistant, concrete FOWT equipped with NASA motion mitigation technology originally developed to reduce vibrations in rockets. UMaine proposes this technology to counteract FOWT motions, leading to lighter platforms, increased turbine performance, and a lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The project will take a radical next step in the field of floating offshore wind while building upon UMaine’s 12 years of experience in successfully designing and deploying the first grid-connected FOWT in the U.S. The…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
BETHE
Award:
$5,177,342
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Centrifugal Mirror Fusion ExperimentThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will advance the performance of the centrifugal-mirror (CM) fusion concept, which has previously demonstrated stable plasmas with temperatures above 100 eV. The CM has a simple, axisymmetric geometry and provides a potential low-cost pathway to a breakeven experiment. The team will azimuthally rotate a mirror-shaped magnetized plasma to supersonic speeds using high-voltage biasing between a central rod and outer electrode rings. The rotation will stabilize, heat, and centrifugally confine the plasma, potentially eliminating the need for costly…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
ARID
Award:
$2,213,493
University of Maryland (UMD)
Novel, Polymer-Based, Air-Cooled Heat ExchangersThe University of Maryland (UMD) and its partners will utilize UMD’s expertise in additive manufacturing (3D printing) and thermal engineering to develop novel, polymer-based, air-cooled heat exchangers for use in indirect dry-cooling systems. The innovation leverages UMD’s proprietary, cross media heat exchanger concept in which a low-cost, high-conductivity medium, such as aluminum, is encapsulated as a fiber in a polymeric material to facilitate more effective heat dissipation. To realize the innovative heat exchanger design, the team will develop an advanced, multi-head, composite 3D…
Status:
CANCELLED
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
ARID
Award:
$1,934,587
University of Maryland (UMD)
Advanced Absorption CoolingThe University of Maryland (UMD) and its partners will utilize a novel microemulsion absorbent, recently developed by UMD researchers, for use in an absorption cooling system that can provide supplemental dry cooling for power plants. These unique absorbents require much less heat to drive the process than conventional absorption materials. To remove heat and cool condenser water, microemulsion absorbents take in water vapor (refrigerant) and release the water as liquid during desorption without vaporization or boiling. UMD’s technology will use waste heat from the power plant’s flue gas to…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
BEETIT
Award:
$3,336,156
University of Maryland (UMD)
Elastic Metal Alloy RefrigerantsThe University of Maryland (UMD) is developing an energy-efficient cooling system that eliminates the need for synthetic refrigerants that harm the environment. More than 90% of the cooling and refrigeration systems in the U.S. today use vapor compression systems which rely on liquid to vapor phase transformation of synthetic refrigerants to absorb or release heat. Thermoelastic cooling systems, however, use a solid-state material—an elastic shape memory metal alloy—as a refrigerant and a solid to solid phase transformation to absorb or release heat. UMD is developing and testing shape memory…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
DELTA
Award:
$2,590,788
University of Maryland (UMD)
Robotic Personal Conditioning DeviceThe University of Maryland (UMD) will develop a robotic personal attendant providing improved comfort levels for individuals in inadequately heated/cooled environments. This mobile robotic platform will be fitted with a small, battery-powered, high-efficiency vapor compression heat pump and will be highly portable and able to follow an assigned person around during the course of the day, providing localized heating and/or cooling as needed while reducing the energy required to heat and cool buildings.
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
DELTA
Award:
$3,082,002
University of Maryland (UMD)
Meta-Cooling TextileLed by Dr. YuHuang Wang, the “Meta Cooling Textile (MCT)” project team at the University of Maryland (UMD) is developing a thermally responsive clothing fabric that extends the skin’s thermoregulation ability to maintain comfort in hotter or cooler office settings. Commercial wearable localized thermal management systems are bulky, heavy, and costly. MCT marks a potentially disruptive departure from current technologies by providing clothing with active control over the primary channels for energy exchange between the body and the environment. In hotter surroundings, the fabric’s pores open…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
DIFFERENTIATE
Award:
$1,356,300
University of Maryland (UMD)
Invertible Design Manifolds for Heat Transfer Surfaces (INVERT)The University of Maryland (UMD) will create inverse design tools for the development of enhanced heat transfer surfaces at reduced computational cost. Heat transfer surfaces are used to increase the efficiency of many energy conversion systems, but they are currently designed in a slow, iterative fashion. UMD will use a direct inverse design method map from given environments and performance metrics to design variables or materials. The project will make use of generative adversarial networks, statistical connections between optimization and dynamical systems, and active learning to achieve…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
HITEMMP
Award:
$1,728,532
University of Maryland (UMD)
Additively Manufactured High Efficiency and Low-Cost sCO2 Heat ExchangersThe University of Maryland will design, manufacture, and test high-performance, compact heat exchangers for supercritical CO2 power cycles. Two innovative additive manufacturing processes will enable high performance. One facilitates up to 100 times higher deposition rate compared with regular laser powder additive manufacturing. The other enables crack-free additive manufacturing of an advanced nickel-based superalloy and has the potential to print features as fine as 20 micrometers. These developments could halve the fabrication cost and enable heat exchanger operations above 800°C (1472°F…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
IDEAS
Award:
$495,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Next-Generation Air-Cooled Heat ExchangersThe University of Maryland (UMD) will leverage recent advances in additive manufacturing to develop a next-generation air-cooled heat exchanger. The UMD team will assess the performance and cost of current state-of-the-art technology, including innovative manufacturing processes. The team will then utilize computer models to simulate a wide-range of novel heat exchanger designs that can radically enhance air-side heat transfer performance. The team will then physically build and test two 1 kilowatt (kW) prototype devices. If successful, these heat exchangers would enable new, highly-…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
IDEAS
Award:
$500,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Current Collectors for Aqueous BatteriesThe University of Maryland (UMD) will develop a new type of current collector using a film that is composed of functionalized few-walled carbon nanotubes (FWNTs) and polymers. The team seeks to develop a thin, low-cost current collector that displays high conductivity, excellent mechanical strength, flexibility, and manufacturing scalability. Carbon nanotubes have high conductivity, but in their pure state lack the needed mechanical strength. The FWNT concept will "functionalize" or bolster the outer walls by integrating polymers to increase the mechanical strength. This will give…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
IDEAS
Award:
$474,596
University of Maryland (UMD)
High-Capacity Carbon WiresThe University of Maryland (UMD) will develop a new method called "Melt Epitaxy of Carbon" for the production of lightweight, high-capacity carbon wires from carbon nanotubes. Metallic carbon nanotubes are lightweight, high-capacity conductors that exceed the current carrying capacity of metals like copper. The current density of carbon nanotubes is nearly 1,000 times greater than at the electromigration limit of copper. On a weight basis, carbon nanotubes have an additional 6-fold advantage over copper because of their reduced density. Carbon nanotubes can reduce the weight of…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
IDEAS
Award:
$550,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Electrochemical Compression for AmmoniaThe University of Maryland (UMD) will develop an electrochemical compression technology for ammonia. Electrochemical (an alternative to mechanical) compression has rarely been considered for ammonia, and the UMD team seeks to develop a new method to raise the compression efficiency from its current rate of 65% to the long term goal of up to 90%. If successful, replacing mechanical ammonia compression processes with electrochemical ones could save up to 10% of electricity consumed by commercial buildings while eliminating related carbon emissions and saving up to $3.5 billion annually for the…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2018
Award:
$3,589,882
University of Maryland (UMD)
Superstrong, Low-Cost Wood for Lightweight VehiclesThe University of Maryland will further develop its “super wood” approach to replace steel in the automotive industry. Replacing cast iron and traditional steel components with lightweight materials, such as magnesium and aluminum alloys, and polymer composites can directly reduce a vehicle's body weight by up to 50%, and consequently its fuel consumption. But most of these materials either have a high cost or performance issues. Super wood is a composite of cellulose nanofibers, which are stronger than most metals and composites. The densified wood has a unique microstructure, in which…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
RANGE
Award:
$4,479,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Multiple-Electron Aqueous BatteryThe University of Maryland (UMD) is using water-based magnesium and hydrogen chemistries to improve the energy density and reduce the cost of EV batteries. The lithium-ion batteries typically used in most EVs today require heavy components to protect the battery and ensure safety. Water-based batteries are an inherently safer alternative, but can be larger and heavier compared to lithium-ion batteries, making them inefficient for use in EVs. To address this, UMD’s water-based battery will use a magnesium hydrogen chemistry that would double energy storage capacity, for a much lighter energy…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
RANGE
Award:
$4,983,452
University of Maryland (UMD)
Solid-State Lithium-Ion Battery With Ceramic ElectrolyteThe University of Maryland (UMD) is developing ceramic materials and processing methods to enable high-power, solid-state, lithium-ion batteries for use in EVs. Conventional lithium-ion batteries used in most EVs contain liquids that necessitate the use of heavy, protective components. By contrast, UMD’s technology uses no liquids and offers greater abuse tolerance and reducing weight. This reduced weight leads to improved EV efficiency for greater driving range. UMD’s technology also has the potential to help reduce manufacturing costs using scalable, ceramic fabrication techniques that does…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
TRANSNET
Award:
$3,780,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Traveler Information and Incentive TechnologyThe National Transportation Center at the University of Maryland (UMD) and its partners will develop a technology capable of delivering personalized, real-time travel information to users and incentivizing travelers to adopt more energy-efficient travel plans. The project team will use data from UMD’s existing regional integrated transportation information system (RITIS) as well as other available resources to design its system model. This system model will integrate information on individual traveler behavior to simulate the effects of traffic and individual traveler choices on energy use in…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
REPAIR
Award:
$1,000,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Pipe-in-Pipe by Rapid, Continuous, Smart Alloy CoatingThe team led by University of Maryland (UMD) will employ its patented high-temperature sintering process to rapidly sinter a steel coating layer in pipe-in-pipe configurations. This approach, which uses high temperature (1500-2000 ℃) Joule heating, includes the ability to rapidly sinter alloy powders in ~10 seconds, resulting in a material with high mechanical strength (~400-600 MPa), self-healing ability, and a long lifetime (50 years). If successful, UMD’s alloy coating approach will generate new steel pipe to replace the old steel pipe at a low cost for gas service and much improved…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
REEACH
Award:
$2,798,489
University of Maryland (UMD)
Hybrid SOFC-Turbogenerator for AircraftThe University of Maryland is developing a highly efficient and cost-effective hybrid-electric turbogenerator suitable for powering narrow-body aircraft. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with integrated autothermal reformer is incorporated directly into the flow path of a gas turbine engine that also drives an electrical generator. The engine moves air through the system while boosting efficiency by recovering waste heat and unused fuel from the fuel cell. The system operates on carbon-neutral, liquefied bio-methane. Phase 1 of this project will include development and testing of low…
Status:
ALUMNI
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
ULTIMATE
Award:
$600,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
New Environmental-Thermal Barrier Coatings for Ultrahigh Temperature AlloysThe University of Maryland will leverage a newly invented, ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) method to perform fast exploration of new environmental-thermal barrier coatings (ETBCs) for 1300°C-capable refractory alloys for harsh turbine environments. UHS enables ultrafast synthesis of high-melting oxide coatings, including multilayers, in less than a minute, enabling rapid evaluation of novel coating compositions. By using UHS with fast-fail tests and modeling and analytics tools, the team will be able to explore hundreds of compositions and coating architectures to design and…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$2,600,000
University of Maryland (UMD)
Fast Charging, Solid-State, Roll-to-Roll Processed Li Metal Batteries Enabled by Intercalated Ions in Cellulose Molecular ChannelsThe University of Maryland (UMD) recently invented an elegant and scalable molecular engineering technique for fabricating a cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based SSE that could overcome many of these problems. Unlike current SSEs, the CNF-based SSE uses natural materials, is easy to process, and is compatible with conventional coating processes. It can also be inexpensively manufactured due to its low material cost and paper-like roll-to-roll manufacturing, both as standalone electrolyte films and the electrolyte portion of solid-state cathodes for lithium ion and metallic lithium cells. UMD’s CNF…
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
COOLERCHIPS
Award:
$3,484,484
University of Maryland (UMD)
Multi-Objective Optimization Software for COOLERCHIPSThe University of Maryland will develop an integrated decision support software tool for the design of next-generation data centers that seamlessly links the existing open-source software for modeling reliability, energy, carbon footprint, and cost with an innovative co-simulation framework. This tool will permit data center designers to develop transformational and disruptive design advances compared to existing state-of-the-art technologies.
Status:
ACTIVE
State:
MD
Project Term:
-
Program:
EVs4ALL
Award:
$4,852,733
University of Maryland (UMD)
Fast-Charge, High-Energy-Density, Solid-State BatteryThe University of Maryland (UMD) will increase the charge/discharge-rate capability, energy density, and operating temperature window of solid-state lithium metal batteries. The team will use new mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) ceramics and processing techniques to fabricate thinner, higher porosity, and thus lower mass, (porous/dense) “bi-layers” and (porous/dense/porous) “tri-layers.” The patented 3D ceramic architecture has shown the highest Li-metal cycling rate for solid-state technology (10 mA/cm2) and demonstrated multiple high-energy-density (~300Wh/kg) cells with multiple…