Fusion experiments at Z machine detect record neutron numbers
A relatively new method to control nuclear fusion that combines a massive jolt of electricity with strong magnetic fields and a powerful laser beam has achieved its own record output of neutrons at Sandia’s Z Pulsed Power facility.
Machine-learning technique could improve fusion energy outputs
Machine-learning techniques, best known for teaching self-driving cars to stop at red lights, may soon help researchers around the world improve their control over the most complicated reaction known to science: nuclear fusion.
Women @ Energy features Brooke Marshall Garcia
Sandia civil engineer Brooke Marshall Garcia has been recognized by DOE’s Women @ Energy: STEM Rising website, which honors women in STEM fields throughout the DOE complex. During her time at Sandia, Brooke has been involved in research, including grid resiliency, neutron generator production, mechanical processes and supply chain development.
Turning up the heat on molten salt valves
Sandia is partnering with Flowserve Corp. and Kairos Power LLC on a $2.5 million, three-year DOE Advanced Valve Project grant to lower the cost and boost the efficiency of concentrating solar power in the U.S.
PNM, Sandia partner on energy tech development
Sandia and New Mexico’s largest electricity provider, PNM, have teamed up to bring energy resilience, security and stability to the state and country. They have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to collaborate in numerous fields, with Sandia's work funded by the DOE Office of Electricity's Energy Storage Program.
Bike to Work Week re-imagined
Bike to Work Week has been moved to September this year, due to the pandemic, and since many Labs employees are still working from home, the Sandia Bicycle Commuter Group is adapting the annual event a little further, encouraging participants to “bike to get somewhere.”
NM companies may receive up to $150K in technical assistance
Eligible New Mexico companies have submitted statements of intent to work with scientists and engineers at Sandia or Los Alamos national laboratories through the Technology Readiness Gross Receipts Tax Credit Initiative. The new program allows selected companies to receive up to $150,000 in direct technical assistance per year for prototyping, proof-of-concept, field demonstrations, technical validation, testing and development or other activities.
A year of change
Lab News sat down for a conversation with Associate Labs Director Andy McIlroy, head of the Integrated Security Solutions Division, as he starts his second year in that role following a year permanently marked by a new reality for Sandia and the nation.
Experiments at solar thermal test facility break new ground
Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility will host a number of “firsts” in 2020, including testing a particle-to-supercritical carbon dioxide heat-exchanger system, and the world’s first on-sun falling particle receiver connected to a supercritical CO2 loop.
DOE Under Secretary visits Sandia
The Honorable Mark Wesley Menezes, DOE under secretary of energy, visited Sandia’s Albuquerque campus on July 8 to tour facilities and attend briefings showcasing the Labs’ energy program and other national security contributions. He was accompanied