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At least 1,711 records · Page 95

Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Equipment at the University of Southern Indiana

The purpose of DOE Grant DE-SC0005231, “Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Equipment at the University of Southern Indiana,” was to procure cutting-edge equipment to outfit the University of Southern Indiana’s new 16,000 square foot Applied Engineering Center. The equipment and the new center enhance the educational experience for students enrolled in USI’s Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, and Industrial Supervision Bachelor degree programs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Adaptive Process Controls and Ultrasonics for High Temperature PEM MEA Manufacture

The purpose of this 5-year DOE-sponsored project was to address major process bottlenecks associated with fuel cell manufacturing. New technologies were developed to significantly reduce pressing cycle time for high temperature PEM membrane electrode assembly (MEA) through the use of novel, robust ultrasonic (U/S) bonding processes along with low temperature (<100°C) PEM MEAs. In addition, greater manufacturing uniformity and performance was achieved through (a) an investigation into the causes of excessive variation in ultrasonically and thermally bonded MEAs using more diagnostics applied during the entire fabrication and cell build process, and (b) development of rapid, yet simple quality control measurement techniques for use by industry.

08 HYDROGEN↗

U.S. Wind Energy Manufacturing & Supply Chain: A Competitive Analysis

The Global Wind Network (GLWN) assessed the key factors that determine wind energy component manufacturing costs and pricing on a global basis in order to provide a better understanding of the factors that will help enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, and reduce installed system costs.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing for Composite Part Molds

The ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) collaborated with Tru-Design to test the quality and durability of molds used for making fiber reinforced composites using additive manufacturing. The partners developed surface treatment techniques including epoxy coatings and machining to improve the quality of the surface finish. Test samples made using the printed and surface finished molds demonstrated life spans suitable for one-of-a-kind and low-volume applications, meeting the project objective.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NEET-AMM Final Technical Report on Laser Direct Manufacturing (LDM) for Nuclear Power Components

Final technical report summarizes the program progress and technical accomplishments of the Laser Direct Manufacturing (LDM) for Nuclear Power Components project. A series of experiments varying build process parameters (scan speed and laser power) were conducted at the outset to establish the optimal build conditions for each of the alloys. Fabrication was completed in collaboration with Quad City Manufacturing Laboratory (QCML). The density of all sample specimens was measured and compared to literature values. Optimal build process conditions giving fabricated part densities close to literature values were chosen for making mechanical test coupons. Test coupons whose principal axis is on the x-y plane (perpendicular to build direction) and on the z plane (parallel to build direction) were built and tested as part of the experimental build matrix to understand the impact of the anisotropic nature of the process.. Investigations are described 316L SS, Inconel 600, 718 and 800 and oxide dispersion strengthed 316L SS (Yttria) alloys.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Adv. Simulation for Additive Manufacturing: 11/2014 Wkshp. Report for U.S. DOE/EERE/AMO

The overarching question for the workshop was as following: How do we best utilize advanced modeling and high-performance computing (HPC) to address key challenges and opportunities in order to realize the full potential of additive manufacturing; and what are the key challenges of additive manufacturing to which modeling and simulation can contribute solutions, and what will it take to meet these challenges?

42 ENGINEERING↗

Field Evaluation of Advances in Energy-Efficiency Practices for Manufactured Homes

Three side-by-side lab houses were built, instrumented and monitored in an effort to determine through field testing and analysis the relative contributions of select technologies toward reducing energy use in new manufactured homes. The lab houses in Russellville, Alabama compared the performance of three homes built to varying levels of thermal integrity and HVAC equipment: a baseline HUD-code home equipped with an electric furnace and a split system air conditioner; an ENERGY STAR manufactured home with an enhanced thermal envelope and traditional split system heat pump; and a house designed to qualify for Zero Energy Ready Home designation with a ductless mini-split heat pump with transfer fan distribution system in place of the traditional duct system for distribution. Experiments were conducted in the lab houses to evaluate impact on energy and comfort of interior door position, window blind position and transfer fan operation. The report describes results of tracer gas and co-heating tests and presents calculation of the heat pump coefficient of performance for both the traditional heat pump and the ductless mini-split. A series of calibrated energy models was developed based on measured data and run in three locations in the Southeast to compare annual energy usage of the three homes.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Field Evaluation of Advances in Energy-Efficiency Practices for Manufactured Homes

Through field-testing and analysis, this project evaluated whole-building approaches and estimated the relative contributions of select technologies toward reducing energy use related to space conditioning in new manufactured homes. Three lab houses of varying designs were built and tested side-by-side under controlled conditions in Russellville, Alabama. The tests provided a valuable indicator of how changes in the construction of manufactured homes can contribute to significant reductions in energy use.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Additive Manufacturing of Tooling for Refrigeration Cabinet Foaming Processes

The primary objective of this project was to leverage the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) process and materials into a long term, quick change tooling concept to drastically reduce product lead and development timelines and costs. Current refrigeration foam molds are complicated to manufacture involving casting several aluminum parts in an approximate shape, machining components of the molds and post fitting and shimming of the parts in an articulated fixture. The total process timeline can take over 6 months. The foaming process is slower than required for production, therefore multiple fixtures, 10 to 27, are required per refrigerator model. Molds are particular to a specific product configuration making mixed model assembly challenging for sequencing, mold changes or auto changeover features. The initial goal was to create a tool leveraging the ORNL materials and additive process to build a tool in 4 to 6 weeks or less. A secondary goal was to create common fixture cores and provide lightweight fixture sections that could be revised in a very short time to increase equipment flexibility reduce lead times, lower the barriers to first production trials, and reduce tooling costs.

3d Printing↗

Manufacturing of Low Cost, Durable Membrane Electrode Assemblies Engineered for Rapid Conditioning

Over the past 20 years significant progress in membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) technology development for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs) has resulted in the PEMFC technology approaching a commercial reality for transportation applications. However, there remain two primary technical challenges to be addressed in the MEA. First and foremost is meeting the automotive cost targets: Producing a fuel cell stack cost competitive with today’s internal combustion engine. In addition to the material cost, MEA (and other components) and stack assembly production methods must be amenable for use in low cost, high speed, automotive assembly line. One impediment to this latter goal is that stack components must currently go through a long and tedious conditioning procedure before they produce optimal power. This so-called “break-in” can take many hours, and can involve quite complex voltage, temperature and/or pressure steps. These break-in procedures must be simplified and the time required reduced if fuel cells are to become a viable automotive engine. The second challenge is to achieve the durability targets in real-world automotive duty cycle operations. Significant improvements in cost, break-in time, and durability for the key component of fuel cell stacks, MEAs were achieved in this project. Advanced modeling was used to guide design of the new MEA to maximize performance and durability. A new, innovative process and manufacturing approach utilizing direct in-line coating using scalable, cost-competitive, continuous high volume 3-layer rolled-good manufacturing processes was developed and validated by single cell and short stack testing. In addition, the direct coating methods employed were shown to reduce the cost for sacrificial films. Furthermore, Gore has demonstrated a 10 µm reinforced membrane that is used in the new low-cost process and can meet automotive power density and durability targets. Across a wide range of operating conditions, the direct-coated MEA outperformed the commercial baseline MEA, and did so through a process that delivers MEAs at $92.35/m2 at a volume of 500,000 systems per year, according to Strategic Analysis (SA) estimates.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Additively Manufactured IN718 Components with Wirelessly Powered and Interrogated Embedded Sensing

A methodology is described for embedding commercial-off-the-shelf sensors together with wireless communication and power circuit elements using direct laser metal sintered additively manufactured components. Physics based models of the additive manufacturing processes and sensor/wireless level performance models guided the design and embedment processes. A combination of cold spray deposition and laser engineered net shaping was used to fashion the transmitter/receiving elements and embed the sensors, thereby providing environmental protection and component robustness/survivability for harsh conditions. By design, this complement of analog and digital sensors were wirelessly powered and interrogated using a health and utilization monitoring system; enabling real-time, in situ prognostics and diagnostics.

embedded sensing↗

In-Pile Instrumentation Advanced Manufacturing: Devleopment of Pt, Mo, and Nb Inks

This report summarizes the nanoparticle ink synthesis for in–pile nuclear sensor applications. Bulk nanopowders of Pt, Mo, and Nb were dispersed in aqueous solvents and printed into in–pile nuclear sensor structures to demonstrate their compatibility with aerosol jet printing and plasma jet printing. While we did not directly demonstrate plasma jet printing, due to delays in equipment installation from the manufacturer, compatibility with aerosol jet printing technology is expected to transfer to the plasma jet printer based upon the manufacturer’s specifications for ink compatibility.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of Ultraviolet Curable Binder Technology to Reduce Manufacturing Cost and Improve Performance of Lithium ion Battery Electrodes (Final Report)

Miltec UV International and its partners, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) undertook this project to demonstrate the use of UV curable binder to replace conventional solvent based binders such as PVDF as a means of reducing the manufacturing cost of Lithium ion battery (LIB) electrodes. The project involved an iterative Research and Development (R&D) effort: making coin cells and pouch cells from electrodes made with varying UV chemistries and active materials, followed by testing and analyses, then by adjustments in UV chemistry, mixing, coating, and UV curing to produce layered pouch cells at high processing speeds with performance equal or greater than that of a conventional PVDF cell. The effort focused on cathodes made with UV curable binders and multiple active cathode materials such as NMC, NCA, Sulfur, and LMO and anodes made with LTO. A primary objective of the project is to provide performance data sufficient for Lithium ion battery manufacturers to commit to the first steps of making their own HEV, PHEV and/or EV Lithium ion batteries with a UV process. In addition, the project successfully demonstrated coating and UV curing a cathode layer on top of an existing UV cathode layer to produce a thicker high energy cathode with good porosity and no discontinuity between layers. It also demonstrated the potential advantages of one layer of a power loading with a second layer of an energy loading.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Retrofit of Blown Attic Insulation in Existing HUD-Code Manufactured Homes: Needs Assessment Report

This needs assessment was conducted by the Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program and Building Science Corporation (BSC), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Office. The primary goal of this research was to identify moisture durability, energy savings, and savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) research needs related to the retrofit of attic insulation in the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Specifically, manufactured homes that comply with building codes established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) built after 1976 and sited in colder climates. This project assessed current practice of WAP insulation and/or roof venting solutions that improve attic insulation energy savings and durability. WSU and BSC conducted outreach to stakeholders via email, phone, one-on-one interviews, and group meetings designed to inquire about relevant issues that they may have observed. Needs assessment feedback was provided from stakeholders involved with attic insulation retrofits in existing HUD-code manufactured housing in the colder climates of the United States. The list of more than 50 stakeholders who provided input into this needs assessment is provided in Appendix A.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Retrofit of Blown Attic Insulation in Existing HUD-Code Manufactured Homes: Needs Assessment Report

This needs assessment was conducted by the Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program and Building Science Corporation (BSC), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Office. The primary goal of this research was to identify moisture durability, energy savings, and savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) research needs related to the retrofit of attic insulation in the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Specifically, manufactured homes that comply with building codes established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) built after 1976 and sited in colder climates. This project assessed current practice of WAP insulation and/or roof venting solutions that improve attic insulation energy savings and durability. WSU and BSC conducted outreach to stakeholders via email, phone, one-on-one interviews, and group meetings designed to inquire about relevant issues that they may have observed. Needs assessment feedback was provided from stakeholders involved with attic insulation retrofits in existing HUD-code manufactured housing in the colder climates of the United States. The list of more than 50 stakeholders who provided input into this needs assessment is provided in Appendix A.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Thermoplastic Composites Parts Manufacturing Enabling High Volumes, Low Cost, Reduced Weight with Design Flexibility – Phase 2

The deliverable of this IACMI PHASE II project is an innovative thermoplastic composite parts manufacturing process that addressed some of the most challenging aspects for commercial adoption in high volume market applications with requisite design flexibility while lowering cost and weight. The collaborative 15-month joint effort built upon the collective collateral value that was validated in PHASE I, as well as the synergies of a cross- functional team members comprised & lead by DuPont, Fibrtec & Purdue. Specifically, Fibrtec’s uniquely flexible coated tow (FibrFlex®) with DuPont's Rapid Fabric Formation (RFF) technology and a proprietary DuPont polyamide resin, were used to create near net shapes, while Purdue developed new simulation tools to predict the behavior of material system preforms in molding processes. These were ultimately deployed for the manufacturing with “informed” performance of industrially-interesting CFRP parts. Experiments, modeling, and simulations have shown that this process/materials combination offers advantages for producing lower cost continuous fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials that drape well during molding while maintaining outstanding physical properties. This newly deployed process is ideally suitable for adoption in the automotive and other higher volume industries because of the associated cost savings due to reduction of waste and embodied energy. Furthermore, it overcomes the drawbacks of the prevalent two other typically deployed processes; the slow speed and expensive part formation associated with the usage of the stiff and brittle UD tapes, or the release of short conductive carbon fiber strands into the environment associated by the alternate layering of fiber woven fabric with resin film.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

PD21A680: Additive Manufacturing Process Optimization and Qualification FY21 Year-end Report

This project builds upon knowledge gained from previous projects on Additive Manufacturing (AM) operation, process control and monitoring, repeatability, and process improvement. This project will exclusively focus on metal powder bed additive manufacturing (PBAM). Objective 1: Advance metal powder bed AM R&D capabilities. Perform enhanced R&D on increased build volumes and throughput, safety and handling controls, process monitoring, and diagnostics with a focus on production end-states. Objective 2: Build upon knowledge gained from previous PDRD projects to develop deeper understanding of process controls, essential for transitioning metal AM processes for future applications. Objective 3: Maintain business development and research advantages through collaborations with external industry and university partners.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evaluation of Envelope Energy in a High-Performance Manufactured Home in California

There are important applications for a robust energy model for new construction manufactured homes that can characterize the individual performance of the opaque wall and ceiling components of the building envelope. The efficacy of different insulation materials can be assessed with the confidence that modeled performance will closely predict installed performance. This study uses careful calibration of a standard energy model with a short-term co-heating test in an installed manufactured home to de-aggregate the contributions of planar wall sections from overall building envelope thermal resistance. The methodology takes into account thermal mass effects, solar gains, and physical adjustments to the structure to achieve successful calibration and to inform adjustments to the test procedure for future study.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗