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At least 19 records

Support for U.S. Participants at the 18 th International Congress on Catalysis

The 18 th International Congress on Catalysis (ICC) was held Lyon, France on July 14-19, 2024. It provided a premier technical gathering in surface and organometallic catalysis, industrial homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and catalysis in condensed media. This meeting brough together participants from academia, industry, and national laboratories. The organization that overseed this meeting was the Council of the International Congress on Catalysis. This international committee has over 27 signature countries. The United States is represented in the Council of the International Congress on Catalysis through two permanent representatives. These representatives are elected by the Board of Directors of the North American Catalysis Society (NACS), an organization which coordinates and overseas the activities of 12 largely autonomous clubs within the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The critical importance of catalysis is reflected by the fact that 25-30% of all manufactured goods in the United States involve at least one catalytic step. Because advances in a large number of catalytic processes, which are crucial to U.S. interests, were presented at this meeting, it was important to ensure participation from both the U.S. academic and the industrial sectors.

02 PETROLEUM↗

World Congress on High Entropy Alloys (HEA 2019) (Final Technical Report)

The World Congress on High Entropy Alloys (HEA 2019) was a new, cross-disciplinary technical forum designed to share the latest research advances in materials with high configurational entropy, including both single-phase and multiphase (compositionally complex) alloys. This inaugural World Congress on High Entropy Alloys (HEA 2019) was held in Seattle, Washington from November 17-20, 2019 with the goal of HEA 2019 to assemble the international community of HEA stakeholders – including researchers, educators, and engineers – to capture the current state-of-the-art, identify current gaps in HEA efforts, and to set the stage for the future growth and application of HEAs worldwide. HEA 2019 was the environment for leaders in this field to showcase their researc, and network with their peers to informally discuss the latest developments in high entropy alloys, while also making valuable professional connections. The goal of the organizers was to ensure a high-quality conference that held a strong international presence and aimed to highlight the important advances in HEA research on a global scale. Student participation was greatly encouraged in order to give students exposure to recent advances in this field. This meeting was open to all interested individuals and attempted to provide the most advanced technical meeting possible, with a mixture of attendees from research and development, industry, and education.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

7th World Congress on Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME 2023) (Final Technical Report)

Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) has received international attention due to its potential to shorten product development time, while lowering cost and improving design and manufacturing outcomes. ICME is an approach to designing materials solutions for specific applications that use computer modeling programs to predict the behavior of materials and integrate this information into the overall materials, processing, and manufacturing design cycle. The 7th World Congress on Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME 2023) was held in Orlando, Florida from May 21–25, 2023 with the goal to convene stakeholders from across all areas of modeling and simulation, experimental specialization, and design, as well as from across academia, government, and industry, to address ICME tools and techniques and their integration, as well as to examine their application in engineering. This atmosphere facilitated rich interactions between the experimentalists, modelers, and computational and design, from academia, government, and industry, to discuss ICME tools and techniques and their application in engineering.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

PCAST: Report to the President and to Congress on the Seventh Assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is the sole body of advisors from outside the federal government charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President and the White House. Established by Executive Order, it is an independent Federal Advisory Committee comprised of distinguished individuals from industry, academia, and non-profit organizations with a range of perspectives and expertise. On August 18, 2023, PCAST sent a report to the President and Congress with recommendations for updating federal government coordination and support for nanotechnology that reflect the success of the National Nanotechnology Initiative and the maturity and broad relevance of the field.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Report on DOE-Supported Participation in the 18th International Congress on Photosynthesis Research (IPC 2022)

Photosynthesis is the primary natural process for conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. Solar energy is the only clean, renewable source of energy that has sufficient capacity to replace fossil fuels and meet rising global energy needs. Meeting this challenge means understanding photosynthetic energy conversion at a molecular level, a task requiring perspectives from all disciplines of science. The 18th International Congress on Photosynthesis (IPC) is facilitating just that by providing a forum for scientists from all corners of the world to come together to share ideas and build new collaborations that will improve the lives of future generations. A vibrant knowledge of each of the diverse aspects of basic and applied photosynthesis research obviously depends upon a healthy scientific exchange among the members of the research community. While senior scientists are more likely able to make the long trip to this important meeting, the travel costs for students and postdocs would otherwise prohibit participation for talented junior US scientists. At the same time, this is precisely the kind of meeting that strengthens interest and careers in the important scientific directions represented by this conference. For all scientists this is an opportunity to learn firsthand about the very latest advances in the field and to meet and brainstorm with collaborators as well as make new collaborations. For junior scientists, this funding is giving an opportunity to do these things plus it is often the first tangible experience regarding the global, international significance of their own projects. Overall, the diversity of topics and technical approaches is providing an extremely stimulating multidisciplinary environment for junior and senior scientists performing research in a variety of areas that are within the scope to the US DOE mission. In collaboration with the executive members of the North American Photosynthesis Conference Association (NAPCA and the International Society of Photosynthesis research (ISPR), a competitive selection of junior participants is being made based upon the quality of the abstracts and materials submitted by self-identified candidates that have applied following a broadcast call for applications from junior US scientists. Financial support is consisting of waivers for the registration cost of the meeting and partial living expenses at local dormitory facilities at the conference site.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Study of Codes & Standards for Energy Storage Systems: A Report to Congress

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684, 2021) directed the Secretary of Energy to prepare a report identifying the existing codes and standards for energy storage technologies. The stated goals for the report are to enhance the safe development of energy storage systems by identifying codes that require updating and facilitation of greater conformity in codes across different types and usages of energy storage technologies. This paper will focus on the specific codes and standards for stationary energy storage systems (ESS).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Protect Your Family: Reduce Contamination at Home: A Summary of a Study Conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) without including specific provisions for protecting the privacy of healthrelated information. The law gave Congress three years to enact such requirements and provided that if it failed to do so the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was obligated to promulgate regulations to implement the statutory standards. When Congress failed to meet the deadline, the obligation to issue privacy regulations passed to DHHS. DHHS received over 52,000 comments on the proposed regulations. Responses to the comments and the final rule were published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2000. The cost of implementing the regulations over a ten-year period was estimated at $17.6 billion by DHHS. Industry estimates the cost at five times that amount.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Feasibility of Incorporating Engineering within SWAC and OTEC That Would Enhance Open-Ocean Aquaculture

The U.S. Department of Energy transmits to Congress the following Report to Congress on the Feasibility of Incorporating Engineering within Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversation (OTEC) that would Enhance Open-Ocean Aquaculture, as requested in the 2022 House Committee on Appropriations Report 117-98, an update to the previously requested Report on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) systems in noncontiguous states and U.S. territories, as requested in the 2021 House Committee on Appropriations Report 116-449, and more recently requested again in the 2023 House Committee on Appropriations Report 117-394.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Proceedings of the 2021 Airborne Wind Energy Workshop

On March 2-3, 2021, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a virtual workshop to evaluate the status, potential development, and technical viability of AWE systems as a source of energy in the United States. Stakeholder input provided at the workshop will contribute to the report to Congress. This report summarizes key workshop findings, current technology research and development activities in the United States, and opportunities and potential modes of collaboration and coordination for future technology research and development activities. The workshop focused on U.S. stakeholders in AWE, with approximately 100 experts and industry stakeholders from AWE technology developers, operators, engineering firms, consultants, government, national laboratories, and university researchers. The workshop began with an explanation from DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) Technology Manager, Ben Hallissy, of the context and purpose of the workshop, including a request from Congress that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) deliver a "report on the potential for, and technical viability of, airborne wind energy systems to provide a significant source of energy in the United States, including a summary of research, development, demonstration, and commercialization needs, including an estimate of Federal funding requirements, to further examine and validate the technical and economic viability of airborne wind energy concepts over the 10-year period." The workshop began with brief introductions from attendees who explained their interest in AWE. Nicolas El Hayek of Planair summarized the proceedings from the AWE workshop held in September 2020 by the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Task 11. This was followed by a presentation by Roland Schmehl of TU-Delft summarizing European AWE R&D efforts. Chris Vermillion of North Carolina State University and Jason Jonkman of NREL presented an overview of U.S. R&D efforts. Then five panelists discussed AWE markets, sizes of AWE systems, challenges, and opportunities. Panelists included: Cristina Archer, professor at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and associate director at the Center for Research in Wind (CReW) at the University of Delaware; Stephan Brabeck, chief technology officer at SkySails; Thierry Delahave, innovation and technology development lead at Saipem; Rob Creighton, founder and chief executive officer at WindLift; and David Schaefer, founder and chief executive officer at eWind Solutions. The second day of the workshop began with a brief overview of five key topics that are crucial to enabling AWE in the United States. These topics range from estimates of the U.S. wind resource, technical generation potential, economic analysis, environmental challenges, status of current technology and R&D activities, and needed activities to enable commercialization of AWE. This set the stage for a robust discussion in breakout groups where individuals could offer their opinions on the potential opportunities for AWE in the United States. The following topics were discussed in the breakout groups: resource potential and energy output, technical potential, social and environmental impacts, and permitting, techno-economic analysis and markets, technology assessment and upscaling and demonstration and commercialization needs. The second day concluded with reports by the NREL research team, communicating the key themes and outcomes from each of the breakout group discussions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Marshall Islands Dose Assessment and Radioecology Program: Report on the (i) 2018 Visual Study of Exterior Concrete of the Cactus Crater Containment Structure (ii) Periodic Monitoring of Groundwater on Runit Island and (iii) Initial Health Risk Assessment from Contaminants in the Cactus Crater Containment Structure

In 2012, Congress passed P.L. 112-149, Insular Areas Act of 2011, which amended the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 by assigning Cactus Crater containment monitoring and reporting requirements to the Secretary of Energy (Secretary). Effective January 1, 2012, the Secretary was required to “periodically (but not less frequently than every 4 years) conduct -- (I) a visual study of the concrete exterior of the Cactus Crater Containment Structure on Runit Island; and (II) a radiochemical analysis of the groundwater surrounding and in the Cactus Crater Containment Structure on Runit Island.” 48 U.S.C. 1921b(f)(1)(B)(i). The Secretary was also directed to submit to Congress a report describing the results of each visual survey and the radiochemical analysis and “a determination on whether the surveys and analyses indicate any significant change in the health risks to the people of Enewetak from the contaminants within the Cactus Crater Containment Structure.” 48 U.S.C. 1921b(f)(1)(B)(ii)(II).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Nuclear Qualms Intern Poster

A 2022 Reuters poll found that 45% of Americans support nuclear power, 33% oppose it, and 20% are unsure, with opposers primarily concerned about meltdowns and nuclear waste. Establishing trust with the public has historically been a challenge for the nuclear energy development community. Technical jargon, specialized concepts and popular fictional portrayals are among the barriers to reassuring the public of modern reactor designs’ safety. Using ten letters sent in 1993 to Congress by interest groups and other archival sources, we demonstrate how the public’s misguided nuclear qualms contributed to Congress cancelling the promising Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) project at Argonne National Laboratory West’s (later INL) EBR II reactor in 1994. The decision halted the completion of a groundbreaking technology that cost the world 28 years and counting in lost time to validate and commercialize IFR technology.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Technical Evaluation of the Department of Energy Research and Development Activities in Underground Research Laboratories - 20287

Congress created the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) in the 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act (Public Law 100-203) to evaluate the technical and scientific validity of activities undertaken by the Secretary of Energy to implement the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Since 2012, DOE has collaborated in research conducted in several underground research laboratories (URLs) located in Europe and Asia. According to DOE, these international collaborations have been beneficial to its spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level waste radioactive (HLW) disposal research program, particularly after the termination of the Yucca Mountain repository program when DOE began generic research on alternative host rocks (crystalline, clay, and salt) and repository environments very different from those at Yucca Mountain. In accordance with its mandate, the NWTRB is reviewing the DOE research and development (R and D) activities related to URLs. The NWTRB's review is documented in a report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy that will be released in January 2020, and this paper summarizes the NWTRB review and findings. The NWTRB held a fact-finding meeting with DOE and subsequently held a workshop on international URL collaborations in April of 2019. Based on the presentations and discussions at the workshop and at the fact-finding meeting, as well as information from reports published by DOE and others, there are four principal findings related to DoE's URL-related R and D activities. First, DOE participation in URL-related international research greatly benefits the U.S. geologic disposal R and D program by furthering its understanding of generic and site-specific disposal issues relevant to alternative repository host rocks and environments. DOE-funded R and D activities also are benefiting the URL-related research of other countries, especially in the area of complex analytical and numerical model/software development. Second, the more developed repository programs in other countries have focused on creating and strengthening their safety cases and making them transparent to the public. Repository programs in other countries use URLs to explain the technical bases underlying their safety cases, periodically reassess knowledge gaps and define new activities to strengthen the technical bases, and demonstrate the technology that will allow implementation of the proposed safety concept. Third, countries with more developed geologic disposal programs have found domestic URLs essential to their repository programs. DOE needs domestic URLs to advance geologic disposal efforts over the next decades and further its ability to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and skilled technical workers. Fourth, DoE's international URL collaborations have advanced its generic disposal R and D program, including development of modeling capabilities recognized internationally as state-of-the-art, but further work on its coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical models and URL- and laboratory-based research can strengthen its program. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

SIVB's 2024 In Vitro Biology Meeting Proceedings

SIVB's 2024 World Congress on In Vitro Biology took place in Saint Louis, Missouri, from June 8th to 12th, 2024. The conference featured renowned speakers from academic and non-academic institutions who will present recent advancements in critical areas like plant transformation, genome editing, synthetic biology, advanced breeding technologies, cellular agriculture, future food sources, chromosome engineering, epigenetics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) has always considered the education and professional development of young researchers as an integral component of its mission. The 2024 World Congress program, along with SIVB’s student initiatives, was customized to foster scientific growth and professional development among students and young scientists empowering them in their professional journeys. The recording of the DOE supported "Single Cell RNA Sequencing" workshop was made publicly available at https://youtu.be/A0UnuYwefwg for easy retrieval and reference of all information shared during the live event, thereby increasing accessibility and knowledge transfer. Their are 14 articles in the proceedings and the full list of files is located at https://link.springer.com/journal/11626/volumes-and-issues/60-1/supplement.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

CCUS deployment under the U.S. 45Q tax credit and adaptation by other North American Governments: MARKAL modeling results

In 2018, U.S. Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act, known as 45Q [H.R. 3761], expanding the corporate income tax credit for carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS). 45Q provides a performance-based tax credit for carbon capture projects of $30/ton of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) (tCO 2 ) for anthropogenic CO 2 going to enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and $50/tCO 2 if going to straight storage. There are several conditions; for example, there is a 12-year time limit on tax credits for a new plant that commences construction before 2024 [H.R. 3761]. Here, this study aims to test the incremental impact of the 45Q tax credits on CCUS deployment, CO 2 -EOR, and power generation technological changes for North American (the United States, Canada, and Mexico) long-term energy system development. The scenario results show that offering a 12-year CO 2 storage subsidy provides the motivation needed for CCUS investment during the 12-year subsidy period, and the benefits of such investment can be sustained over the 40-year lifetime under CO 2 taxation. The modeling results show that carbon capture generation replaces uncontrolled fossil-fueled power, not new or existing renewables, so power generation and corresponding emission reductions from renewables remain unaffected by the availability of 45Q in the United States. Our scenario with CCUS technological learning indicates that CCUS could play a very important role under stringent environmental constraints. Thus, accelerated support and funding for the large-scale CCUS demonstrations is important for the execution of both short- and long-term climate mitigation goals. Given the significant role of the United States, Canada, and Mexico on the world energy system, our results represent an important contribution to the study of global energy trends.

42 ENGINEERING↗

An overview of the fusion landscape

Fusion is very attractive as a potential energy source, but it is taking a long time to develop into a commercial reality. Given the challenges of climate change and the need for dispatchable power as a complement to renewable energy sources that vary on daily and seasonal timescales, there is great enthusiasm internationally to accelerate the commercialization of fusion energy. Forty-five private companies around the globe, with total financing of $7.1 billion, are engaged in the development of fusion energy. In the United States, the White House has put forward a “Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy,” with bipartisan support from Congress. To develop commercial fusion energy, certain goals must be met. In conclusion, a wide variety of approaches are being pursued to meet these goals.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Wake Effects in Lower Carbon Future Scenarios

In August 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which intended to accelerate U.S. decarbonization, clean energy manufacturing, and deployment of new power and end-use technologies. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has examined possible scenarios for growth by 2050 resulting from the IRA and other emissions reduction drivers and defined several possible scenarios for large-scale wind deployment. These scenarios incorporate large clusters of turbines operating as wind farms grouped around existing or likely transmission lines which will result in wind farm wakes. Using a numerical weather prediction (NWP) model, we assess these wake effects in a domain in the U. S. Southern Great Plains for a representative year with four scenarios in order to validate the simulations, estimate the internal wake impact, and quantify the cluster wake effect. Herein, we present a validation of the ”no wind farm” scenario and quantify the internal waking effect for the ”ONE” wind farm scenario. Future work will use the “MID” scenario (more than 8000 turbines) and the “HI” scenario (more than 16,000 turbines) to quantify the effect of cluster wakes or inter-farm wakes on power production.

17 WIND ENERGY↗