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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Open Reproducible Electron Microscopy Data Analysis

Electron microscopy (EM) is a cornerstone technique in the materials and biological sciences capable of imaging structures at nano- to atomic-scale resolution. Advances in technologies mean that one acquires datasets at increasing data rates and sizes. These advancements present enormous opportunities for researchers to understand complex systems. However, processing the resulting large-scale, complex data in a reproducible and shareable way is a real challenge for researchers. The building, managing, and maintaining complex workflows in a reproducible manner requires extensive knowledge in several areas outside the researchers’ core skill sets, such as software engineering, data science, and high-performance computing (HPC). Our work demonstrates an innovative approach to solving these problems, enabling reproducible EM data analysis through container encapsulated pipelines. Using modern container technologies, we encapsulate processing elements and connect them using shared memory. We expose user-friendly, advanced algorithms and tools to allow end users to utilize without expert programming skills. The platform enables reproducible, scalable, shareable pipelines for the analysis and visualization of EM data. Focusing on interoperability, we leverage the DOE and other agencies’ existing investments to provide a powerful software platform for EM data analysis.

Harris, Christopher↗
DOE OSTI2024

Genome-scale model development and genomic sequencing of the oleaginous clade Lipomyces

The Lipomyces clade contains oleaginous yeast species with advantageous metabolic features for biochemical and biofuel production. Limited knowledge about the metabolic networks of the species and limited tools for genetic engineering have led to a relatively small amount of research on the microbes. Here, a genome-scale metabolic model (GSM) of Lipomyces starkeyi NRRL Y-11557 was built using orthologous protein mappings to model yeast species. Phenotypic growth assays were used to validate the GSM (66% accuracy) and indicated that NRRL Y-11557 utilized diverse carbohydrates but had more limited catabolism of organic acids. The final GSM contained 2,193 reactions, 1,909 metabolites, and 996 genes and was thus named iLst996. The model contained 96 of the annotated carbohydrate-active enzymes. iLst996 predicted a flux distribution in line with oleaginous yeast measurements and was utilized to predict theoretical lipid yields. Twenty-five other yeasts in the Lipomyces clade were then genome sequenced and annotated. Sixteen of the Lipomyces species had orthologs for more than 97% of the iLst996 genes, demonstrating the usefulness of iLst996 as a broad GSM for Lipomyces metabolism. Pathways that diverged from iLst996 mainly revolved around alternate carbon metabolism, with ortholog groups excluding NRRL Y-11557 annotated to be involved in transport, glycerolipid, and starch metabolism, among others. Overall, this study provides a useful modeling tool and data for analyzing and understanding Lipomyces species metabolism and will assist further engineering efforts in Lipomyces .

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Progress in understanding and improving oil content and quality in seeds

The world’s population is projected to increase by two billion by 2050, resulting in food and energy insecurity. Oilseed crops have been identified as key to address these challenges: they produce and store lipids in the seeds as triacylglycerols that can serve as a source of food/feed, renewable fuels, and other industrially-relevant chemicals. Therefore, improving seed oil content and composition has generated immense interest. Research efforts aiming to unravel the regulatory pathways involved in fatty acid synthesis and to identify targets for metabolic engineering have made tremendous progress. This review provides a summary of the current knowledge of oil metabolism and discusses how photochemical activity and unconventional pathways can contribute to high carbon conversion efficiency in seeds. It also highlights the importance of 13 C-metabolic flux analysis as a tool to gain insights on the pathways that regulate oil biosynthesis in seeds. Finally, a list of key genes and regulators that have been recently targeted to enhance seed oil production are reviewed and additional possible targets in the metabolic pathways are proposed to achieve desirable oil content and quality.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

MOFA: Multi-objective Flux Analysis for the COBRA Toolbox

Environments of biological organisms are frequently nutrient and energy limited. This necessitates that systems exert tight regulation of trade-offs among key biological processes. Quantitative knowledge of these tradeoffs is essential for successful manipulation of biosystems (e.g., metabolic engineering projects). Using genome-scale constraint-based models of metabolism (GSMs), Multi-Objective Flux Analysis (MOFA) allows analyses of trade-offs among a system’s key biological tasks. The leading software for conducting a variety of constraint-based analyses using GSMs is the COBRA Toolbox for MATLAB. Results: We have developed a new add-on tool for COBRA that performs MOFA for a number of objectives only limited by computation power.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Artificial Intelligence for Power Electronics in Electric Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities

We report progress in the field of power electronics within electric vehicles has generally been driven by conventional engineering design principles and experiential learning. Power electronics is inherently a multidomain field where semiconductor physics and electrical, thermal, and mechanical design knowledge converge to achieve a practical realization of desired targets in the form of conversion efficiency, power density, and reliability. Due to the promising nature of artificial intelligence in delivering rapid results, engineers are starting to explore the ways in which it can contribute to making power electronics more compact and reliable. Here, we conduct a brief review of the foray of artificial intelligence in three distinct subtechnologies within a power electronics system in the context of electric vehicles: semiconductor devices, power electronics module design and prognostics, and thermal management design. The intent is not to report an exhaustive literature review, but to identify the state of the art and opportunities for artificial intelligence to play a meaningful role in power electronics design from a mechanical and thermal standpoint, as well as to discuss a few promising future research directions.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Systems and synthetic biology approaches to alter plant cell walls and reduce biomass recalcitrance

Summary Fine‐tuning plant cell wall properties to render plant biomass more amenable to biofuel conversion is a colossal challenge. A deep knowledge of the biosynthesis and regulation of plant cell wall and a high‐precision genome engineering toolset are the two essential pillars of efforts to alter plant cell walls and reduce biomass recalcitrance. The past decade has seen a meteoric rise in use of transcriptomics and high‐resolution imaging methods resulting in fresh insights into composition, structure, formation and deconstruction of plant cell walls. Subsequent gene manipulation approaches, however, commonly include ubiquitous mis‐expression of a single candidate gene in a host that carries an intact copy of the native gene. The challenges posed by pleiotropic and unintended changes resulting from such an approach are moving the field towards synthetic biology approaches. Synthetic biology builds on a systems biology knowledge base and leverages high‐precision tools for high‐throughput assembly of multigene constructs and pathways, precision genome editing and site‐specific gene stacking, silencing and/or removal. Here, we summarize the recent breakthroughs in biosynthesis and remodelling of major secondary cell wall components, assess the impediments in obtaining a systems‐level understanding and explore the potential opportunities in leveraging synthetic biology approaches to reduce biomass recalcitrance.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Added value for integrated marine energy data systems

Launched in 2019, the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMRE) provides centralized access, standardization, community building, and integration of United States (U.S.) databases, tools and codes, and other resources that cover a range of marine energy information. The PRIMRE universe contains a series of Knowledge Hubs that represent data and information on testing of marine energy devices (MHKDR); environmental effects (Tethys); engineering and technical papers (Tethys Engineering); descriptions of marine energy companies and technologies (Marine Energy Projects Database); codes and models (Marine Energy Software); and guidance on testing and measurements (Telesto). Content is added to PRIMRE by applying a set of Guidelines and Best Practices (PRIMRE Guidelines). An aggregate search across the PRIMRE site enables users to find data and information from all the PRIMRE Knowledge Hubs simultaneously, using a single entry-point (PRIMRE Search). In addition to providing access to a range of data and information on marine energy development, testing, and effects, PRIMRE allows for the development of value added products and processes that will help move the marine energy industry forward. The PRIMRE team has recently launched two key initiatives in the U.S.—Signature Projects and Lessons Learned. Outputs and outcomes from these two initiatives will be highlighted in this paper. The Signature Projects initiative is intended to bring focus to a selection of ongoing and completed marine energy projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), and to inform the marine energy community of what investigations have been undertaken, what tools are available, and where gaps in information persist. Each Signature Project tags papers, reports, and data from large marine energy research projects, providing easy access and attention to all the output and associated products from each project. The Lessons Learned initiative is intended to ensure that hard-won achievements are recognized and available for those who come later, that missteps and unfortunate outcomes can be prevented in future, and that efficiencies and effective shortcuts can be publicized and used as the marine energy industry moves forward. This initiative builds off the Knowledge Hubs and reaches out to members of the marine energy community, particularly technology developers and researchers, to integrate experience in the development, deployment, assessment, success, and challenges while creating this new industry and field of study.

Copping, Andrea E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Added value for integrated marine energy data systems

Launched in 2019, the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMRE) provides centralized access, standardization, community building, and integration of United States (U.S.) databases, tools and codes, and other resources that cover a range of marine energy information. The PRIMRE universe contains a series of Knowledge Hubs that represent data and information on testing of marine energy devices (MHKDR); environmental effects (Tethys); engineering and technical papers (Tethys Engineering); descriptions of marine energy companies and technologies (Marine Energy Projects Database); codes and models (Marine Energy Software); and guidance on testing and measurements (Telesto). Content is added to PRIMRE by applying a set of Guidelines and Best Practices (PRIMRE Guidelines). An aggregate search across the PRIMRE site enables users to find data and information from all the PRIMRE Knowledge Hubs simultaneously, using a single entry-point (PRIMRE Search). In addition to providing access to a range of data and information on marine energy development, testing, and effects, PRIMRE allows for the development of value added products and processes that will help move the marine energy industry forward. The PRIMRE team has recently launched two key initiatives in the U.S.—Signature Projects and Lessons Learned. Outputs and outcomes from these two initiatives will be highlighted in this paper. The Signature Projects initiative is intended to bring focus to a selection of ongoing and completed marine energy projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), and to inform the marine energy community of what investigations have been undertaken, what tools are available, and where gaps in information persist. Each Signature Project tags papers, reports, and data from large marine energy research projects, providing easy access and attention to all the output and associated products from each project. The Lessons Learned initiative is intended to ensure that hard-won achievements are recognized and available for those who come later, that missteps and unfortunate outcomes can be prevented in future, and that efficiencies and effective shortcuts can be publicized and used as the marine energy industry moves forward. This initiative builds off the Knowledge Hubs and reaches out to members of the marine energy community, particularly technology developers and researchers, to integrate experience in the development, deployment, assessment, success, and challenges while creating this new industry and field of study.

Copping, Andrea E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Added Value for Integrated Marine Energy Data Systems (February 2021)

Launched in 2019, the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMRE) provides centralized access, standardization, community building, and integration of United States (U.S.) databases, tools and codes, and other resources that cover a range of marine energy information. The PRIMRE universe contains a series of Knowledge Hubs that represent data and information on testing of marine energy devices (MHKDR); environmental effects (Tethys); engineering and technical papers (Tethys Engineering); descriptions of marine energy companies and technologies (Marine Energy Projects Database); codes and models (Marine Energy Software); and guidance on testing and measurements (Telesto). Content is added to PRIMRE by applying a set of Guidelines and Best Practices (PRIMRE Guidelines). An aggregate search across the PRIMRE site enables users to find data and information from all the PRIMRE Knowledge Hubs simultaneously, using a single entry-point (PRIMRE Search). In addition to providing access to a range of data and information on marine energy development, testing, and effects, PRIMRE allows for the development of valueadded products and processes that will help move the marine energy industry forward. The PRIMRE team has recently launched two key initiatives in the U.S.-Signature Projects and Lessons Learned. Outputs and outcomes from these two initiatives will be highlighted in this paper. The Signature Projects initiative is intended to bring focus to a selection of ongoing and completed marine energy projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), and to inform the marine energy community of what investigations have been undertaken, what tools are available, and where gaps in information persist. Each Signature Project tags papers, reports, and data from large marine energy research projects, providing easy access and attention to all the output and associated products from each project. The Lessons Learned initiative is intended to ensure that hard-won achievements are recognized and available for those who come later, that missteps and unfortunate outcomes can be prevented in future, and that efficiencies and effective shortcuts can be publicized and used as the marine energy industry moves forward. This initiative builds off the Knowledge Hubs and reaches out to members of the marine energy community, particularly technology developers and researchers, to integrate experience in the development, deployment, assessment, success, challenges while creating this new industry and field of study.

data sharing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Knowledge-matching based computational framework for genome-scale metabolic model refinement

Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are mathematically structured knowledge base reconstructed from annotated genome of different organisms. With the advancement of next-generation sequencing technology, many organisms have had their genomes sequenced. However, obtaining a high-quality GEM is highly time-consuming, even with the introduction of several genome-scale reconstruction tools that offer automated draft network generation and gap filling. It has been recognized that the iterative process of manual curation and refinement is the limiting step of GEM development, and how to expedite the GEM refinement is still an open question. As cellular metabolism is a complex system with very high degree of freedom and redundancy, the principles and techniques developed in process systems engineering can be adapted to expedite GEM refinement. In this paper we present a knowledge-matching based computation framework for GEM refinement, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution using the refinement of a GEM for Clostridium tyrobutyricum.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineering custom morpho- and chemotypes of Populus for sustainable production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biomaterials

Humans have been modifying plant traits for thousands of years, first through selection (i.e., domestication) then modern breeding, and in the last 30 years, through biotechnology. These modifications have resulted in increased yield, more efficient agronomic practices, and enhanced quality traits. Precision knowledge of gene regulation and function through high-resolution single-cell omics technologies, coupled with the ability to engineer plant genomes at the DNA sequence, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression levels, can enable engineering of complex and complementary traits at the biosystem level. Populus spp., the primary genetic model system for woody perennials, are among the fastest growing trees in temperate zones and are important for both carbon sequestration and global carbon cycling. Ample genomic and transcriptomic resources for poplar are available including emerging single-cell omics datasets. To expand use of poplar outside of valorization of woody biomass, chassis with novel morphotypes in which stem branching and tree height are modified can be fabricated thereby leading to trees with altered leaf to wood ratios. These morphotypes can then be engineered into customized chemotypes that produce high value biofuels, bioproducts, and biomaterials not only in specific organs but also in a cell-type-specific manner. For example, the recent discovery of triterpene production in poplar leaf trichomes can be exploited using cell-type specific regulatory sequences to synthesize high value terpenes such as the jet fuel precursor bisabolene specifically in the trichomes. By spatially and temporally controlling expression, not only can pools of abundant precursors be exploited but engineered molecules can be sequestered in discrete cell structures in the leaf. The structural diversity of the hemicellulose xylan is a barrier to fully utilizing lignocellulose in biomaterial production and by leveraging cell-type-specific omics data, cell wall composition can be modified in a tailored and targeted specific manner to generate poplar wood with novel chemical features that are amenable for processing or advanced manufacturing. Precision engineering poplar as a multi-purpose sustainable feedstock highlights how genome engineering can be used to re-imagine a crop species.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Intern Professional Development Center: A Model for Improving Student Engagement Within Industry - 20006

Many innovations and technical improvements have been made over the last half-century regarding our understanding of nuclear materials, with some of the brightest minds in the world collectively working towards a cleaner, brighter, healthier future. However, there is a demographical oddity with the enormous technical workforce that helped shape this new world: they are aging, collectively. Known as the 'silver tsunami,' mass retirements are in the near future for many technical industries, something that the industrial community is not entirely prepared to accommodate. There is an urgent need for a tech-savvy generation to replace the baby boomers, and there must be an uninterrupted hand-off from one generation to the next of institutional knowledge and best practices. Further, it is not enough to simply replace every retiring engineer with a younger one in a 'cold hand-off' - this information transfer takes time. Many educational communities, such as those in the Tri-Cities, Washington, are rising to the challenge, with STEM-focused programs, introducing students to technical concepts and potential career opportunities at an early age. However, while individually, academic institutions search for internships and industry has open positions for interested students, no single clearinghouse exists in the Mid-Columbia region to match talent with opportunities, regardless of the sending or receiving organizations. To fill this void, AYB Drafting (AYB) has established a career development and personal growth center, the Intern Professional Development Center (IPDC). The IPDC, located in Richland, Washington, addresses the problem of what has been referred to as the 'Graying of America,' as it bridges the gap between education and career for the up and coming workforce, creating valuable efficiencies for the young workforce and the industry alike. The operating principles and details of the initial IPDC launch are discussed in the following text, as well as the apparent success and overwhelming positive feedback received in just the first year of operation. (authors)

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Detection of System Drift for the Health Monitoring of an X-ray CT Scientific Instrument

This SE296 Capstone Project technical report is being submitted as a final requirement of the UCSD Master of Science in Structural Engineering with specialization in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE). The Capstone provides students the opportunity to apply knowledge in their technology areas towards the solution of an SHM or NDE problem. As an employee of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and NDE/NCI team member, I chose to apply the SHM design paradigm taught at UCSD to improve the health monitoring of the X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography (MCT) system. I would like to thank LLNL’s Dr. Harry Martz for serving as my mentor during this project and the entire LLNL MCT technical team for answering my questions and contributing to my knowledge. I would also like to thank Prof. Michael Todd for recruiting me to the UCSD NDE/SHM program and serving as my graduate advisor.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Transmission Technologies – GETs and HPCs Session 1: ATT Foundations and Dynamic Line Ratings (DLRs)

The INL TADA GETs Cohort Session 1, held on November 4, 2025, convened experts to address the integration of advanced transmission technologies, including Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) and High Performance Conductors (HPCs), with a focus on digital assurance challenges. The session highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity, supply chain transparency, reliability, and business risk management in deploying GETs, especially Dynamic Line Ratings (DLRs). Participants examined how expanded attack surfaces, limited vendor pools, and new regulatory requirements—such as FERC Orders 881, 2023, and 1920—are influencing utilities and technology providers. The workshop underscored the need for cyber-informed engineering, secure-by-design principles, and practical risk management strategies, while fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among industry peers. Technical discussions covered the evolution from static to dynamic line ratings, complexities of cloud-based architectures, and NERC CIP compliance challenges. The session concluded with a collaborative risk exercise and a preview of future workshops on advanced power flow control and transmission topology optimization, reinforcing the cohort’s commitment to advancing digital assurance in the energy sector.

24 - POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2015

D and D knowledge management information tool feasibility study for cross-platform mobile applications - 15704

The D and D Knowledge Management Information tool (D and D KM- IT) is a web-based knowledge management information tool built for the D and D user community. A feasibility study is being conducted on cross-platform application frameworks for their viability to the D and D KM-IT mobile needs. Currently, three main Operating Systems comprise the majority of the mobile market IOS, Android, and Windows, requiring a separate application for each device. Cross-development software allows the development of one application using one language, that can be ported or deployed on multiple devices with little effort. Using Xamarin, a native cross-platform framework, create a shared mobile application using Visual Studio. Build a D and D KMIT mobile application designed for the three major mobile platforms. Use Xamarin to compile the application into native applications for the three target platforms. Build and deploy the application on all three mobile platforms. Perform benchmark tests of the developed applications to analyze the performance on the three platforms. A large portion of the business logic of the application has been shared, eliminating development redundancy and minimizing planning, design, and validation time. The user interface development could not fully be shared cross-platform and some platform specific code must be individually implemented for each device. Maintenance, testing and design phases of the software engineering process were reduced from one for each device to having just one shared cycle processes. A less diverse skill-set for developers is required with cross-platform development. Some processes within the development cycle still require redundant activities.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Numerical Methodology for Optimization of Compression-Ignited Engines Considering Combustion Noise Control

It is challenging to develop highly efficient and clean engines while meeting user expectations in terms of performance, comfort, and drivability. One of the critical aspects in this regard is combustion noise control. Combustion noise accounts for about 40 percent of the overall engine noise in typical turbocharged diesel engines. The experimental investigation of noise generation is difficult due to its inherent complexity and measurement limitations. Therefore, it is important to develop efficient numerical strategies in order to gain a better understanding of the combustion noise mechanisms. In this work, a novel methodology was developed, combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and genetic algorithm (GA) technique to optimize the combustion system hardware design of a high-speed direct injection (HSDI) diesel engine, with respect to various emissions and performance targets including combustion noise. The CFD model was specifically set up to reproduce the unsteady pressure field inside the combustion chamber, thereby allowing an accurate prediction of the acoustic response of the combustion phenomena. The model was validated by simulating several steady operating conditions and comparing the numerical results against experimental data, in both temporal and frequency domains. Thereafter, a GA optimization was performed with the goal of minimizing indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) and combustion noise, while restricting pollutant (soot and NOx) emissions to their respective baseline values. Eight design variables were selected pertaining to piston bowl geometry, nozzle inclusion angle, number of injector nozzle holes, and in-cylinder swirl. An objective merit function (MF) based on the emissions, ISFC, and combustion noise was constructed to quantify the strength of the engine designs and was determined using the CFD model as the function evaluator. The in-cylinder noise level was characterized by the total resonance energy of local pressure oscillations. The optimum engine configuration thus obtained showed a significant improvement in terms of efficiency and combustion noise compared to the baseline system, along with both soot and NOx emissions within their respective constraints. This optimum configuration included a deeper and tighter bowl geometry with higher swirl and larger number of nozzle holes. Subsequently, a more detailed acoustics analysis based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) technique was carried out to further explore the combustion noise benefits achieved by the GA optimum. In conclusion, this computational study is a first of its kind (to the best of the authors’ knowledge), which demonstrates a comprehensive framework to incorporate combustion noise into a numerical optimization strategy for engine design.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fission Product Mass Yields in Uranium-233 and Plutonium-239 from Fast-Neutron-Induced Fission

Precise knowledge of nuclear fission is a critical component for nuclear energy and stockpile stewardship research. Despite having been discovered over 80 years ago, fission is not fully described by a predictive theory, so thorough and accurate nuclear data libraries are necessary. These libraries provide information about the fission process in studied isotopes that is used in scientific and engineering models.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Mississippi State University Cooling, Heating, and Power (Micro-CHP) and Bio-Fuel Center

Between 2008 and 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy funded the MSU Micro-CHP and Bio-Fuel Center located at Mississippi State University. The overall objective of this project was to enable micro-CHP (micro-combined heat and power) utilization, to facilitate and promote the use of CHP systems and to educate architects, engineers, and agricultural producers and scientists on the benefits of CHP systems. Therefore, the work of the Center focused on the three areas: CHP system modeling and optimization, outreach, and research. In general, the results obtained from this project demonstrated that CHP systems are attractive because they can provide energy, environmental, and economic benefits. Some of these benefits include the potential to reduce operational cost, carbon dioxide emissions, primary energy consumption, and power reliability during electric grid disruptions. The knowledge disseminated in numerous journal and conference papers from the outcomes of this project is beneficial to engineers, architects, agricultural producers, scientists and the public in general who are interested in CHP technology and applications. In addition, more than 48 graduate students and 23 undergraduate students, benefited from the training and research performed in the MSU Micro-CHP and Bio-Fuel Center. The project scope consisted of six separate, but related areas: 1. Micro-CHP modeling - Computational simulations and verification/validation studies of selected models for technical and economic viability. 2. Fuel flexibility in micro-CHP applications – Demonstrating and quantifying the operation of micro-CHP systems on alternative fuels. 3. Outreach activities – Providing provide educational materials for engineers and architects and conducting outreach seminars, workshops, and demonstrations for engineers and architects as well as for more general audiences. 4. Biofuel and opportunity fuel processing and utilization – Determining the processing requirements and feasibility to utilize biofuels and disaster debris for micro-CHP systems. 5. CHP Systems Optimization – Optimization of internal combustion and Stirling engines integrated with heat recovery systems for CHP operation. 6. Distributed Generation and Grid Interconnection – Developing requirements and control systems for interconnection of micro-CHP systems with the electrical grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗