Oak Ridge Today

ORNL demonstrates 120-kilowatt wireless charging for vehicles

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Researchers demonstrated a 120-kilowatt wireless power transfer at the National Transportation Research Center, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From left to right above are ORNL’s Saeed Anwar, Burak Ozpineci, Gui-Jia Su, and David Smith; DOE Vehicle Technology Program’s Lee Slezak; and ORNL’s Veda Galigekere, Omer Onar, and Jason Pries. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

Researchers demonstrated a 120-kilowatt wireless power transfer at the National Transportation Research Center, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From left to right above are ORNL’s Saeed Anwar, Burak Ozpineci, Gui-Jia Su, and David Smith; DOE Vehicle Technology Program’s Lee Slezak; and ORNL’s Veda Galigekere, Omer Onar, and Jason Pries. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

By Stephanie Seay/ORNL

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a 120-kilowatt wireless charging system for vehicles—providing six times the power of previous ORNL technology and a big step toward charging times that rival the speed and convenience of a gas station fill-up.

The wireless system transfers 120 kilowatts of power with 97 percent efficiency, which is comparable to conventional, wired high-power fast chargers. In the laboratory demonstration, power was transferred across a six-inch air gap between two magnetic coils and charged a battery pack.

ORNL researchers created and demonstrated the world’s first 20-kilowatt wireless charging system, which is being modified for applications such as commercial delivery trucks.

“It was important to maintain the same or smaller footprint as the previous demonstration to encourage commercial adoption,” said project lead Veda Galigekere of ORNL’s Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Group. [Read more…]

DOE funds Center for Bioenergy Innovation at ORNL to accelerate biofuels, bioproducts research

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Gerald Tuskan will serve as chief executive officer of the new ORNL-led Center for Bioenergy Innovation, one of four DOE bioenergy research centers. (Photo by ORNL)

Gerald Tuskan will serve as chief executive officer of the new ORNL-led Center for Bioenergy Innovation, one of four DOE bioenergy research centers. (Photo by ORNL)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced funding for new research centers to accelerate the development of specialty plants and processes for a new generation of biofuels and bioproducts.

The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is one of four bioenergy centers chosen by DOE to advance a new biobased economy with the production of fuels and other products directly from nonfood biomass. The DOE announcement provides a total of $40 million in initial funding for the four centers in fiscal year 2018, with plans for a total five years of funding, a press release said.

The new centers follow the success of predecessor Bioenergy Research Centers established by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research within DOE’s Office of Science in 2007. The ORNL-led BioEnergy Science Center (BESC), for instance, has demonstrated scientific breakthroughs in its mission to overcome the natural resistance of plants to being broken down and converted into useful bioproducts.

“Our team of leading researchers is excited to use new approaches in biology to address the basic research challenges in developing real-world applications in the future sustainable bioeconomy,” said CBI Chief Executive Officer Gerald Tuskan. Tuskan, an ORNL Corporate Fellow, led the sequencing of the genome of Populus—a fast-growing perennial tree recognized for its potential in biofuels production—as well as the largest study of natural diversity in poplar trees for BESC. [Read more…]

ORNL to collaborate with five small businesses to advance energy tech

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Five small companies have been selected to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to move technologies in commercial refrigeration systems, water power generation, bioenergy, and battery manufacturing closer to the marketplace.

The firms are among 38 selected to participate in the third round of DOE’s Small Business Vouchers, or SBV, pilot, a press release said. SBV helps provide access to the world-class capabilities of the DOE national labs for American small businesses and bring next-generation energy technologies to the marketplace faster, the press release said.

“Innovation drives American competitiveness and creates new jobs for a stronger economy and a brighter, cleaner future for our nation,” said Moe Khaleel, associate lab director of energy and environmental sciences at ORNL. “ORNL is helping small businesses tackle fundamental science challenges and to carry out the research needed to accelerate the delivery of solutions to the marketplace.”

DOE has connected 12 of its national labs with 76 small businesses since the first round of SBV, a Technology-to-Market program launched in September 2015, the press release said. With Friday’s announcement, 114 small businesses have been partnered with the labs enabling them to tap into the intellectual and technical resources needed to overcome critical technology challenges for their advanced energy products and gain a global competitive advantage, the release said. [Read more…]

ORNL tests new lubricants for ExxonMobil in marine diesel engine prototype

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Eric Nafziger works on a marine diesel engine prototype used to test new lubricants for ExxonMobil. (Photo by ORNL)

 

A unique diesel engine prototype is evaluating next-generation lubricants for the global marine industry, and the project was showcased by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and ExxonMobil during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.

The ribbon-cutting was on Monday, October 24, at ORNL’s National Transportation Research Center in Hardin Valley. The ribbon-cutting included ORNL lead researcher Mike Kass and Frans Horjus, global marine lubricants manager for ExxonMobil.

In a press release posted on its website, ExxonMobil announced the first firing of the new marine test engine to speed the development of next-generation marine lubricants. [Read more…]

ORNL launches new business accelerator for energy tech entrepreneurs

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Pictured above during an Innovations Crossroads business accelerator announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, at the National Transportation Research Center in Hardin Valley are, from left, Mark Johnson, Johanna Wolfson, Moe Khaleel, Thomas McDonald, Charlie Brock. (Photo by ORNL)

Pictured above during an Innovation Crossroads business accelerator announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, at the National Transportation Research Center in Hardin Valley are, from left, Mark Johnson, Johanna Wolfson, Moe Khaleel, Thomas McDonald, and Charlie Brock. (Photo by ORNL)

 

The nation’s top innovators will soon have the opportunity to advance their promising energy technology ideas at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a new program called Innovation Crossroads. Up to five entrepreneurs will receive a fellowship that covers living costs, benefits, and a travel stipend for up to two years, plus up to $350,000 to use on collaborative research and development at ORNL. The first cohort is expected to start the program in early 2017, a press release said.

A growing global population and increased industrialization require new approaches to energy that are reliable, affordable, and carbon neutral. While important progress has been made in cost reduction and deployment of clean energy technologies, a new program at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, or EERE, will invest in the next generation of first-time clean energy entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation, the press release said.

Innovation Crossroads is the most recent clean energy accelerator to launch at a DOE national laboratory and the first located in the Southeast. ORNL is the nation’s largest science and energy laboratory, with expertise and resources in clean energy, computing, neutron science, advanced materials, and nuclear science. [Read more…]

Khaleel to lead ORNL’s Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate

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Mohammad A. Khaleel

Mohammad A. Khaleel

 

Mohammad A. “Moe” Khaleel has been named associate laboratory director for energy and environmental sciences at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The work that Khaleel will oversee for the Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, or EESD, includes biological and environmental research for DOE’s Office of Science and an extensive set of research and development programs supported by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery, and Energy Reliability and Office of Fossil Energy.

EESD also engages with a broad external community that includes a growing list of industrial partners through the ORNL-managed BioEnergy Science Center, the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, and the National Transportation Research Center, a press release said.

“Moe brings a rich background as both a researcher and scientific leader,” ORNL Director Thom Mason said. “In his new position, he will oversee activities that translate basic science into applied research and development (R&D), with direct benefits for energy production, transmission, and conservation. ORNL will benefit from his experience and his vision.” [Read more…]