US Department of Energy awards $4.6 million to Argonne to support collaborations with industry

• 4 years ago (2019-07-17)
• David Flin

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced over $24 million in funding for 77 projects aimed at advancing commercialisation of promising energy technologies and strengthening partnerships between DOE’s National Laboratories and private sector companies to deploy important technologies to the marketplace. The awards are supported by the Technology Commercialisation Fund (TCF). All the TCF awards will be matched by funds from the private sector partners. DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory received $4.6 million to fund 12 projects across four research divisions.

Connor Prochaska, Chief Commercialisation Officer for the US DOE, said: “The TCF creates an effective pathway to putting these lab-derived technologies to work and helps to maximise the impact of our research investment for the benefit of the entire nation.”

Rick Perry, US Secretary of Energy, said: “Technology transfer is an essential component of our mission at DOE, helping ensure we deliver the maximum return on the investment of the American taxpayer. Through the Technology Commercialisation Fund, we are connecting entrepreneurs in the private sector with researchers at our National Laboratories to help deliver the innovations and technologies that will keep our nation secure, competitive, and energy abundant.”

Argonne projects that received 2019 funding include:

·         Qualification of the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 software for sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor authorisation and licensing.

·         Development of an advanced ignition system for enhanced ignition stability and combustion efficiency.

·         Remote area modular monitoring for critical facilities.

·         High-fidelity ignition models to boost engine thermal efficiency.

·         An integrated power block heat exchanger/thermal energy storage system for concentrated solar power plants.

·         Extension of core design code to lead cooled fast reactor systems in nuclear power generation.