Lab receives two Awards of Excellence in Technology Transfer

May 5, 2010—The Laboratory recently received two Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards from the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC). The FLC Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer recognizes science and technology employees in more than 250 FLC laboratories who have accomplished outstanding work in the process of transferring federally developed technology to industry. LANL was recognized for the ENDURE™ SCR Catalyst and the Hyperion Power Module, both of which support the Lab's Energy Security mission. The awards were presented during a ceremony at the FLC national meeting in Albuquerque last week.

ENDURE™ SCR catalyst system design

Kevin Ott of Materials Chemistry (MPA-MC) designed and developed the ENDURE™ SCR catalyst system, an advanced catalytic system that mitigates environmentally problematic forms of nitrogen oxide (NOx) compounds inherent in exhaust systems from diesel engines and other lean-burn combustion processes found in many factory operations.

The catalyst system functions efficiently over a broad range of temperatures, reducing up to 95 percent of the NOx omissions. ENDURE™ SCR includes an iron zeolite catalyst augmented with cerium-manganese oxide to produce an optimum ratio of exhaust components at low temperature. Unlike competing solutions, the ENDURE™ system does not consume additional fuel and, thus, retains diesel's inherent efficiency. The Laboratory's patented catalyst composition and structure enables efficient NOx reduction at a broad temperature range unattainable by competing technologies.

The invention was developed as part of a long-term Partnership for New Generation of Vehicles/FreedomCAR Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. automotive companies, which was funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Vehicle Technologies, formerly the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of Transportation Technology.

The Laboratory has been collaborating with the Santa Fe-based CleanAIR Systems Inc. to commercialize this technology. CleanAIR Systems manufactures emissions control systems with a worldwide distribution. In 2008, CleanAIR signed an agreement with the Lab for an exclusive patent license for use of the technology. CleanAIR is developing the technology for applications in stationary diesel and natural gas engines, pipeline compressors, on- and off-road equipment, and gas turbines. The company recently introduced a new product that incorporates the LANL technology called E-POD™ - a hybrid technology designed for large diesel and natural gas stationary engines that dramatically reduces emissions. In 2008, the Caterpillar Corporation announced its selection of CleanAIR as its strategic alliance partner for emissions control products. Installation of the new system has been completed recently on seven Caterpillar 3512 diesel generator set units operating on drill rigs in Wyoming's Pinedale Anticline Project Area.

Hyperion Power Module

Conventional nuclear reactors cost billions of dollars to build and are designed to serve large regions. Lab researchers Otis Peterson and Patrick McClure of International and Nuclear Systems Engineering (D-5) and former employee Turner Trapp, now retired, developed the Hyperion Power Module (HPM) reactor to be the world's first small mobile nuclear power reactor.

The Hyperion Power Module uses the energy of low-enriched uranium fuel and meets all the non-proliferation criteria of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. Each unit will produce 70 megawatts—enough to provide electricity for 20,000 average American-sized homes or the industrial equivalent. Approximately 1.5 meters wide (slightly less than 6 feet) by 2 meters tall (slightly over 6 feet), the units can be transported by ship, rail, or truck to produce power for five to seven years, depending on usage. The Hyperion Power Module could be installed wherever power is needed - remote industrial operations, communities wanting to supplement grid-supplied power, oil and gas recovery sites, and remote military installations. This invention could change the world of civilian power reactors and enable growth of distributed electrical generation. The HPM avoids the need for the costly and complex construction of massive conventional fossil-fueled or nuclear power plants. The Hyperion Power Module could make clean affordable power a reality where it was never before thought possible.

Conceived at LANL, the intellectual property portfolio was licensed exclusively to Hyperion Power Generation, Inc., in June 2008. In July 2009, Hyperion entered into an umbrella cooperative research and development agreement with LANL to further the development of the Hyperion Power Module. Over a hundred letters of interest to purchase the Hyperion Power Module have arrived from communities and industries on every continent of the globe.

The FLC's mission is to promote and facilitate the rapid movement of federal laboratory research results and technologies into the mainstream of the U.S. economy. A panel of technology transfer experts from industry, state and local governments, academia, and the federal laboratory system chose the award winner.