Release Date: October 15, 2007

MORGANTOWN, WV — At a black-tie banquet to be held this week at Chicago’s Navy Pier, researchers from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will step forward to receive three prestigious R&D 100 Awards for in-house innovations—with another four awards going to NETL-sponsored technologies.

R&D Magazine bestows the annual award on the 100 most technologically significant products, processes, materials, or software introduced into the marketplace during the proceeding year. According to R&D Magazine, the goal of the awards is to spotlight breakthrough technologies with the capacity to improve the standard of living for large numbers people.

“I am extremely pleased by the recognition R&D Magazine has bestowed on NETL’s Federal and contracted research efforts and by our unique partnership with industry, which ensures that our work addresses the most significant and relevant technological challenges.” said Carl Bauer, NETL’s Director. “I am also proud to work with such exceptional colleagues, who invest themselves in addressing the energy needs of our Nation and the world.”

The three technologies developed by NETL scientists are as follows:

• Armstrong Process CP Titanium and Titanium Alloy Powder and Products were developed jointly by NETL, International Titanium Powder LLC; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; BAE Systems; AMETEK; and Red Devil Brakes. This innovative process enables strong, light-weight, corrosion-resistant titanium products, such as armor plate, to be produced at significantly lower cost.
• Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchange (MFIX) software was developed at NETL with support from Aeolus Research Inc., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Parsons Inc. This much-needed technology can reduce the cost and time required for developing and commercializing advanced coal technologies by providing simulations of novel designs. The latest version of MFIX is available for download from www.mfix.org.
• SEQURE™ was developed by NETL researchers in partnership with Apogee Scientific Inc., Fugro Airborne Surveys, and LaSen Inc., in response to the need to survey large areas that overlie potential CO2 sequestration sites and to locate wells that may threaten the permanence of carbon storage. SEQURE is the first technology developed to locate—from the air—abandoned oil and gas wells so that well seals can be evaluated and repaired if necessary.

Four more technologies honored with R&D 100 awards this year were developed with support by NETL:

• Low-Swirl Combustion for Fuel Flexible Near-Zero Emissions Gas Turbines enables gas turbines from 70 kilowatts to 250+ megawatts to run on almost any gaseous hydrocarbon, including those gases derived from landfills, biomass, refineries, and pure hydrogen. In addition to being very affordable, it is also one of the only gas turbine technologies that demonstrates significant reduction of NOx and other greenhouse gas emissions. The technology was developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Solar Turbine with support from NETL through the Energy Department’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
• NOxTrac™ can detect nitrous oxides (NOx) in the parts-per-billion range, which will make possible quick adjustments to fossil-fuel-burning power stations and other applications in order to lessen or eliminate NOx from the exhaust gases. NOxTrac displays no cross-sensitivity to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or hydrocarbons. The technology was developed by researchers at Ohio State University’s Department of Chemical Engineering with funding from NETL through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy.
• PureCycle™, a power cycle developed by UTC Power, uses a moderate temperature heat source to generate electricity. As part of work performed in cooperation with NETL for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, UTC engineers demonstrated that an organic Rankine cycle— a closed system that uses a working fluid to convert waste heat energy into electrical energy—can boost microturbine system efficiency more than 5 percentage points. This helped confirm the viability of PureCycle technology, which garnered a 2007 R&D 100 Award for recovering geothermal energy at Chena Hot Springs Resort near Fairbanks, AK, site of the lowest temperature geothermal resource (165 degrees Fahrenheit) ever used for commercial power generation in the world.
• Semi-Active Compressor Valve, developed by Southwest Research Institute, is designed to replace current passive compressor valves, which have been prone to fatigue failure and require frequent replacement. The technology can potentially cut valve replacement costs by 90 percent over conventional valves typically used in the gas compression industry. Proof-of-concept testing for the valve was carried out under the Advanced Reciprocating Compression Technology (ARCT) program, which was funded by the Office of Fossil Energy and managed by NETL. Subsequent funding for the valve’s developed has come from the Gas Machinery Research Council and BP Exploration & Production Co.