Sandia and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) set a new solar-to-grid system conversion efficiency record by achieving a 31.25 percent net efficiency rate. In the SES system at Sandia, a solar dish generates electricity by focusing the sun’s rays onto a receiver, transmitting the heat energy to a Stirling engine. The engine is a sealed system filled with hydrogen. As the gas heats and cools, its pressure rises and falls. The change in pressure drives the pistons inside the engine, producing mechanical power, which then drives a generator and produces electricity. The efficiency rating achievement earned a Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine. (6300) ER&N
On June 3, 2008, DOE’s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management submitted the Yucca Mountain Repository License Application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. After a three-month review to determine the completeness of the application, it was docketed, officially starting the Yucca Mountain licensing process. As the Lead Laboratory for Repository Systems, Sandia was responsible for the development and preparation of the postclosure component of the safety analysis contained in the application and the development of the underlying technical basis. (6700, 6300, 9500, 10660, 10200) ER&N
Oxide semiconductor/conjugated polymer composites couple the environmental stability of the oxide with economical solution-based organic semiconductor processing, attractive for low-cost hybrid photovoltaic devices. Sandia researchers discovered that ZnO/P3HT [zinc oxide/poly (3-hexylthiophene)] hybrid junctions improve in efficiency with insertion of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers. This observation is unexpected given alkanethiol’s electrically insulating properties. The alkanethiol interfacial layer, however, increases the crystallinity of interfacial P3HT, increasing exciton diffusion length or hole mobility, thereby outweighing the added electron-tunneling barrier. This discovery suggests a path to engineering higher-efficiency hybrid photovoltaic devices. (1100, 1800) ER&N
The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) became fully operational at the Emeryville, Calif., location. The move was completed in July 2008 and more than 100 people are working at the facility. The first annual project review by DOE occurred in October and the entire team received outstanding feedback on FY08 accomplishments. Scientists working on the project published 15 peer-reviewed publications, filed seven patent applications, and presented their findings at 53 conferences. The project is on schedule to meet staffing and project milestones for FY09. (8600, 8300) ER&N
Sandia’s battery abuse research program is recognized internationally as the leading research center of its type for electric vehicle applications. Sandia received the Battery Power, Products, & Technology magazine’s Innova Award given to the company “that has shown a commitment to excellence and is a leading innovator in the battery industry.” Sandia’s program also had the highest aggregate score of 21 Advanced Technology Development projects evaluated during the annual merit review of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office of Vehicle Technologies Program. (2500) ER&N
Sandia is part of a US-French team that successfully completed the first-ever demonstration of hydrogen production under prototypic conditions from the sulfur-iodine cycle. Sandia developed a unique bayonet-type heat-exchanger/reactor to decompose sulfuric acid at 850˚C. Sulfur dioxide produced by the Sandia section was used in the French reactor to produce a heavy acid phase that was subsequently processed by the General Atomics reactor to produce hydrogen. It was the first demonstration of hydrogen production from the sulfur-iodine cycle at pressure using engineering materials of construction. (6700) ER&N
DOE is investing as much as $24 million to develop solar energy products that will significantly accelerate penetration of photovoltaic systems in the US. The Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) projects will provide critical research and development funding to develop less expensive, higher-performing products to enhance the value of photovoltaic systems to home and business owners. Sandia will provide project management support to these projects. (6300, 10200) ER&N
Sandia now supports the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of New Reactors in performing license application reviews (multiple plant systems and sites) for early site permits, design certifications, and combined construction and operating licenses for the next round of nuclear reactors in the US. Seventeen construction and operating license applications for 26 new reactors already have been submitted to the NRC, with an additional six applications for nine reactors expected through 2010. (6700) ER&N
In partnership with General Motors, Sandia completed a feasibility study of large-scale biofuel production in the US. The study was uniquely constructed such that it considered least-cost pairing of biomass resources and conversion technologies, dynamic ramp-up of large-scale biofuel production, and constraints with respect to feedstock availability, land use, water requirements, energy use, and the biofuels distribution network. A system dynamics software product, the Biofuels Deployment Model, was developed to quantify complex interactions and sensitivities within the biofuel supply chain. (6300, 8100, 8300, 8600, 8900) ER&N
DOE has committed to building 20 percent of the “First Wall” for the International Thermonuclear Reactor Experiment (ITER), a €10 billion collaborative effort among many nations. Sandia is tasked with developing critical manufacturing processes and has successfully built and tested several First Wall qualification mockups intended to measure the thermomechanical integrity of the beryllium-armored First Wall. The commercial manufacture of First Wall structures is expected to be worth well in excess of $100 million to US industry. (8700, 8200, 1600, 1800) ER&N, ST&E