98-27979. Notice of Restricted Eligibility in Support of Advanced Coal Research at U.S. Colleges and Universities  

  • [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 201 (Monday, October 19, 1998)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 55852-55857]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 98-27979]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
    
    
    Notice of Restricted Eligibility in Support of Advanced Coal 
    Research at U.S. Colleges and Universities
    
    AGENCY: Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC), Pittsburgh, Department 
    of Energy (DOE).
    
    ACTION: Issuance of financial assistance solicitation.
    
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    SUMMARY: The FETC announces that pursuant to 10 CFR 600.8(a)(2), and in 
    support of advanced coal research to U.S. colleges and universities, it 
    intends to conduct a competitive Program Solicitation and award 
    financial assistance grants to qualified recipients. Proposals will be 
    subjected to a comparative merit review by a Peer Review/DOE technical 
    panel, and awards will be made to a limited number of proposers on the 
    basis of the scientific merit of the proposals, application of relevant 
    program policy factors, and the availability of funds.
    
    DATES: The Program Solicitation is expected to be ready for release by 
    October 14, 1998. Applications must be prepared and submitted in 
    accordance with the instructions and forms in the Program Solicitation 
    and must be received by the DOE by November 25, 1998. Prior to 
    submitting your application to the solicitation, check for any changes 
    (i.e. closing date of solicitation) and/or amendments, if any.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Debra A. Duncan, U.S. Department 
    of Energy, Federal Energy Technology Center, P.O. Box 10940 (MS 921-
    143), Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940; (Telephone: 412-892-5700; Facsimile: 
    412-892-6216; E-Mail: duncan@fetc.doe.gov).
    
    ADDRESSES: The solicitation will be posted on the internet at FETC's 
    Home Page (http://www.fetc.doe.gov/business). The solicitation will 
    also be available, upon request, in Wordperfect 6.1 format on 3.5'' 
    double-sided/high-density disk. Requests can be made via letter, 
    facsimile, or by E-mail. Telephone Requests will not be Accepted for 
    any format version of the solicitation.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through Program Solicitation DE-PS26-
    99FT40479, the DOE is interested in applications from U.S. colleges and 
    universities (and university-affiliated research centers submitting 
    applications through their respective universities). Applications will 
    be selected to complement and enhance research being conducted in 
    related Fossil Energy programs. Applications may be submitted 
    individually (i.e., by only one college/university) or jointly (i.e., 
    by ``teams'' made up of: (1) three or more colleges/universities, or 
    (2) two or more colleges/universities and at least one industrial 
    partner. Collaboration, in the form of joint proposals, is encouraged 
    but not required.
        Eligibility. Applications submitted in response to this 
    solicitation must address coal research in one of the solicitation key 
    focus areas in the Core Program or as outlined in the Innovative 
    Concepts Program.
        Background. The current landscape of the U.S. energy industry, not 
    unlike that in other parts of the world, is undergoing a transformation 
    driven by changes such as deregulation of power generation, more 
    stringent environmental standards and regulations, climate change 
    concerns, and other market forces. With these changes come new players 
    and a refocusing of existing players in providing energy services and 
    products. The traditional settings of how energy (both electricity and 
    fuel) is generated, transported, and utilized are likely to be very 
    different in the coming decades. As market, policy and regulatory 
    forces evolve and shape the energy industry both domestically and 
    globally, the opportunity exists for university, government, and 
    industry partnerships to invest in advanced fossil energy technologies 
    that can return public and economic benefits many times over. One means 
    of achieving these benefits is through the development of advanced coal 
    technologies to better use domestic fossil resources in an 
    environmentally responsible manner.
        Energy from coal-fired powerplants will continue to play a dominant 
    role as an energy source, and therefore, it is prudent to use this 
    resource wisely and ensure it's a part of the sustainable energy 
    solution. In that regard, our focus is on a relatively new concept we 
    call Vision 21. Vision 21 is a pathway to clean, affordable energy 
    achieved through a combination of technology evolution and innovation 
    aimed at creating the most advanced fleet of flexible, clean and 
    efficient power and energy plants (an ``energy-plex'') for the 21st 
    century. Clean, efficient, competitively priced coal-derived products, 
    and low cost environmental compliance and energy systems remain key to 
    our continuing prosperity and our commitment to environmental 
    challenges including climate change. It is envisioned that these 
    energy-plexes can produce competitively low cost electricity at 
    efficiencies more than 60% on coal. The class of facilities will be a 
    near ``zero discharge'' energy complex--virtually no emissions will 
    escape into the environment. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide 
    pollutants would be removed and converted into environmentally benign 
    substances, perhaps fertilizers or other commercial products. Carbon 
    dioxide could be concentrated and either recycled or disposed of in a 
    geologically permanent manner or perhaps converted into industrially 
    useful products or by creating offsetting natural sinks for 
    CO2, that is, the ability to achieve closure of the carbon 
    fuel cycle.
        Clean coal-fired power plants remain the major source of 
    electricity for the world while distributed generation, including 
    renewables, will assume a growing share of the energy market. 
    Technological advances finding their way into future markets could 
    result in advanced co-production and co-processing facilities around 
    the world, based upon Vision 21 technologies developed through 
    universities, government, and industry partnerships.
        This ``Vision 21 Energy-plex Fleet'' concept, in many ways is the 
    culmination of decades of power and fuels research and development. 
    Within the Energy-plex, the full energy potential of coal can be tapped 
    through efficiency boosting combinations of state-of-the-art energy 
    systems: coal gasifiers or advanced combustors, high-temperature 
    cleanup systems, future-generation fuel cells and turbines, innovative 
    carbon capture devices, and perhaps technologies that are just 
    appearing on today's engineering drawing boards. Energy modules in the 
    complex will be reconfigurable, allowing the systems to be customized 
    to meet geographical and market requirements. These ``built to order'' 
    modules can be integrated into any system configuration and sized to 
    meet a range of market applications. They will have the capability of 
    producing an array of products such as high value chemicals, high 
    quality steam, liquid fuels, and hydrogen at competitive prices.
        Vision 21 is the ultimate in the fossil fuel cycles--it allows 
    fossil energy to achieve its full potential by being an integral part 
    of enhancing the global environment while meeting the growing energy 
    needs and sustaining economic prosperity. Vision 21 is the successful 
    culmination of the advanced fossil-based power, environmental and fuels 
    portfolio of technologies strategically integrated into an R&D roadmap 
    for clean energy. The destination of this roadmap is the creation of 
    opportunities for long-term, clean and efficient use of our nation's 
    abundant coal resource to meet ever growing energy demands while 
    meeting the climate change challenges. To accomplish the program 
    objective, applications will be accepted in two subprogram areas: (1) 
    the Core Program and (2) the Innovative Concepts Program.
    
    University Coal Research (UCR) Core Program
    
        To develop and sustain a national program of university research in 
    fundamental coal studies, the DOE is
    
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    interested in innovative and fundamental research pertinent to coal 
    conversion and utilization limited to the following six (6) focus areas 
    under the UCR Core Program and six (6) technical topics under the 
    Innovative Concepts Program. The focus areas under the UCR Core Program 
    are listed numerically in descending order of programmatic priority. 
    The DOE anticipates funding at least one proposal in each focus area; 
    however, high quality proposals in a higher ranked focus area may be 
    given more consideration during the selection process. The areas sought 
    in the focus areas and the technical topics are not intended to be all-
    encompassing, and it is specifically emphasized that other subjects for 
    coal research that fall within their scope will receive the same 
    evaluation and consideration for support as the examples cited.
    
    Focus Areas
    
    1. Improved Hot Gas Contaminant and Particulate Removal Techniques
        Integrated Gasification Combined Cycles plants currently rely on 
    sorbents beds for gas cleanup, and barrier filters for particulate 
    control. Both technologies have shortcomings and overall plant 
    efficiencies are limited by restrictions placed on the peak operating 
    temperatures of sorbents and filters. The DOE is interested in 
    developing new approaches to hot gas cleanup and particulate removal 
    and is not interested in fostering incremental improvements to current 
    methods.
        Grant applications are being sought for fundamentally-oriented 
    studies seeking to explore new techniques for removing gaseous 
    contaminants and/or particulate from gasifier exhaust streams having 
    temperatures greater than 1500 deg. F. Proposals must discuss these 
    techniques and suggest ways in which they might be used as the nucleus 
    of an industrial process and subsequently reduced to practice. 
    Techniques that rely on one or more basic methodologies such as 
    agglomeration, acoustics, electrostatics, electrochemistry, membrane 
    technologies, phoresis, novel reaction chemistry, etc. are of interest.
        2. Ambient PM2.5 Sampling and Speciation
        The measurement of the concentration, chemical composition, and 
    physical characteristics of ambient, fine particles smaller than 2.5 
    microns [PM2.5], is a necessary component of a national 
    strategy to better understand linkages between emissions, receptors, 
    and human-health and ecological impacts. It should be noted that 
    ``ambient PM2.5'' does not refer to particles of a single 
    chemical composition, but to particles, either liquids or solids, that 
    may be in a delicate equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere and 
    that consists of hundreds of chemical compounds. Slight changes in 
    temperature or humidity that may occur during collection and sampling 
    can significantly alter the characteristics, composition, and mass of 
    the various species. This characteristic greatly confounds the 
    collection and analysis of these components and makes cause-and-effect 
    relationships difficult to understand.
        Grant applications are being sought for the development and 
    evaluation of new methods and technologies to accurately sample, 
    measure, and analyze ambient PM2.5 while maintaining 
    original compositions. Research is especially needed in the following 
    areas:
        A. Improved technologies such as denuders, particle concentrators 
    and post-filter media for capturing volatile and semi-volatile 
    organics.
        B. Improved methods to characterize the organic component of 
    ambient aerosols.
        C. Alternative collection methods and protocols that can prevent 
    loss of volatile materials from the collection devices and their 
    comparison with existing methods.
        D. Research related to source sampling methodologies such as the 
    development and evaluation of in-stack methods for direct measurement 
    of PM2.5 and dilution-type sampling systems that are 
    representative of PM2.5 formation that can occur at the stack exit.
    3. Production of Premium Carbon Products From Coal
        The U.S. and global market for carbon and carbon products is 
    increasing significantly. It is economically and strategically 
    desirable to find processes that use coal, a low cost, abundant 
    feedstock, for their production. Proposals are sought that would 
    investigate methods that could produce premium carbon products from any 
    of our domestic coals (anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous and other 
    low-rank coals) as well as carbon derived from waste coals and waste 
    carbonaceous products from coal combustion and gasification.
        Examples of potential technologies that would be responsive to this 
    topic area include, but are not limited to, technologies that produce 
    premium carbon and graphite products from coal (including structural 
    materials), catalytic graphitization, gas and liquid sorbents for 
    emission control or separation technologies, hydrogen storage and 
    separation applications, new coke production methods, electrical 
    battery components, fuel cell applications, chemically tailored carbon 
    molecular sieves, adsorption for water pollution control, and heat-
    resistant materials.
    4. Advanced Diagnostics and Modeling Techniques for Three-Phase Slurry 
    Reactors (Bubble Columns)
        Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis reaction represents an important 
    route to convert coal derived synthesis gas to hydrocarbon fuels. 
    Slurry phase F-T processing is considered a potentially economic method 
    to convert synthesis gas into liquid fuels, largely due to its 
    relatively simple reactor design, improved thermal efficiency, and 
    ability to process CO-rich synthesis gas. The application of three-
    phase slurry reactor system for coal liquefaction processing and 
    chemical industries has recently received considerable attention. To 
    design/scale-up and efficiently operate the three-phase slurry 
    reactors, the hydrodynamic parameters, the chemistry of the F-T 
    reaction, and a reliable model must be fully understood. Hydrodynamics 
    includes the rate of mass transfer between the gas and the liquid, gas 
    bubble size, gas, liquid and solids holdups, and their axial and 
    radical distributions, velocity distributions and flow regimes. 
    Measurement of these parameters must be made under reaction conditions, 
    such as high temperature and pressure, and with the presence of 
    reaction liquid medium and high gas and solids holdup. Therefore, the 
    advanced diagnostic techniques are required to conduct the measurements 
    under the reaction conditions. A reliable model must encompass all 
    reaction engineering, hydrodynamic parameters and reaction kinetics (F-
    T). The model must be able to predict the phases holdup (gas, liquid, 
    and solids), temperature and pressure profiles, and concentration 
    profiles for individual reactants and products. The model is needed for 
    better understanding of the design/scale-up of the three-phase slurry 
    reactor.
        Grant applications are sought for investigations of the advanced 
    diagnostic techniques for the measurement of hydrodynamic parameters 
    under F-T reaction conditions. Novelty and innovation coupled with the 
    likely prospect of providing new insight on these long standing 
    problems must be demonstrated in the successful application. Proposals 
    based on
    
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    extensions of traditional methods or past results are strongly 
    discouraged.
        Grant applications are sought for investigations of the development 
    of models for three-phase slurry reactor. The model must incorporate 
    the hydrodynamic parameters and reaction kinetics. Novelty and 
    innovation coupled with the likely prospect of providing new insight on 
    these long standing problems must be demonstrated in the successful 
    application.
    5. Advanced Hydrogen Separation Technologies
        Production and purification of hydrogen are an important part of 
    the Vision 21 co-production concept. All proposed Vision 21 plant 
    configurations produce hydrogen either as a product, for power 
    production in a fuel cell, or as a reactant to produce fuels and 
    chemicals. Better hydrogen separation technologies can significantly 
    affect the economics of the plant and reduce downtime due to 
    maintenance and failures. A gasifier using coal or coal-biomass 
    feedstocks would produce a complex gas mixture that could contain 
    CO2, SO2, COS, NH3, and 
    CH4, in addition to CO and H2.
        Grant applications are sought to develop advanced hydrogen 
    separation techniques that have the potential for substantial 
    reductions in capital and operating costs compared to present 
    separation technologies and that would result in improved overall 
    process efficiencies. A process that would produce hydrogen of 
    sufficient purity for use in solid oxide fuel cells would be looked on 
    favorably. The proposed technologies should address the robustness of 
    the process and its resistance to disruption by other gases present. 
    Such technologies are not further defined but could include advanced 
    molecular sieve membranes, advanced absorption technologies, or 
    transport membranes. The proposed concept need not be a stand alone 
    technology and those that require integration into specific processes 
    to achieve the desired cost and efficiency improvements are acceptable.
    6. Water Gas Shift with Integrated H2/CO2 
    Separation Process
        Options currently under study to obtain deep reduction in 
    CO2 from power stations are mainly directed to removing 
    CO2 from power station's flue gases, i.e., post-combustion 
    decarbonization. Pre-combustion decarbonization is an alternative 
    approach to reducing green house gases from power generation. In this 
    approach, a fossil fuel such as coal is gasified and the product gas is 
    converted to a clean gaseous fuel with a minimal carbon content, e.g., 
    hydrogen or hydrogen-rich gas mixtures.
        Augmenting the water-gas shift reaction (WGS) via hydrogen 
    separation technology offers the promise of making hydrogen from coal 
    with zero pollution for fuel cell and other applications. One of the 
    methods to circumvent thermodynamic equilibrium limitations is to move 
    the equilibrium displacement to the product side. From the energy-
    efficiency viewpoint, this should be achieved by continuous removal of 
    one of the product components directly at its place of formation.
        A promising approach to reach the above is to demonstrate the 
    feasibility of driving the WGS reaction toward higher levels of 
    hydrogen production by removal of hydrogen from the product stream. 
    This means that the WGS reaction must be driven far to the right, and 
    that the hydrogen produced must be separated from the remaining gases 
    at elevated temperatures and pressures. In order to achieve the goals 
    of the concept, it is assumed that a hydrogen separation device is used 
    to obtain a pure hydrogen product stream as well as to drive the shift 
    reaction toward further hydrogen production.
        The hydrogen separation device could be a catalytic membrane 
    reactor, in which the WGS reaction is combined with hydrogen separation 
    from the reaction mixture in one reactor, using membranes selectively 
    permeable to hydrogen. Alternatively, capture or removal of 
    CO2 from the product gas following WGS, sorption/desorption, 
    or other promising technology could be a viable option.
        Grant applications are invited that addresses scientific issues 
    emerging from the above concept as stated below:
        A. There is a need to perform WGS studies, both experimental and 
    theoretical, to ascertain that the driving force can be maintained 
    without very high steam addition levels. In other words, will the shift 
    reaction realistically and practically keep the H2 partial 
    pressure at the stated level, and correspondingly, a high H2 
    product flux and H2 product purity? Grant applications 
    should propose research that would answer these questions.
        B. The H2-separation device or the CO2-
    capture device should be capable of withstanding temperatures above 
    500 deg. C. For example, some membranes are subject to pore coarsening, 
    especially in the presence of steam. Grant applications should propose 
    research addressing the stability of the device under the operating 
    conditions while maintaining the selectivity of the device.
    
    UCR Innovative Concepts Program
    
        The goal of the Innovative Concepts program is to develop unique 
    approaches for addressing fossil energy related issues. These 
    approaches should represent significant departures from existing 
    approaches not, simply, incremental improvements. The Innovative 
    Concepts Program seeks ``out-of-the-box'' thinking, therefore, well-
    developed ideas, past the conceptual stage, are not eligible. 
    Applications under the Innovative Concepts Program are invited from 
    individual college/university researchers. Joint applications (as 
    described under the Core Program) will also be accepted, although, no 
    additional funds will be made available for joint versus individual 
    applications. Unlike the Core Program, student participation in the 
    proposed research project is strongly encouraged, however, not a 
    requirement of the Innovative Concepts Program.
        As the twenty-first century approaches, the challenges facing coal 
    and the electric utility industry continue to grow. Environmental 
    issues such as pollutant control, both criteria and trace, waste 
    minimization, and the co-firing of coal with biomass, waste, or 
    alternative fuels will remain important. The need for increased 
    efficiency, improved reliability, and lower costs will be felt as an 
    aging utility industry faces deregulation. Advanced power systems, such 
    as a Vision 21 plant, and environmental systems will come into play as 
    older plants are retired and utilities explore new ways to meet the 
    growing demand for electricity.
        Innovative research in the coal conversion and utilization areas 
    will be required if coal is to continue to play a dominant role in the 
    generation of electric power. Topics, like the ones that follow, will 
    need to be answered.
    
    Innovative Concepts Technical Topics
    
    Novel CO2 Capture and Separation Schemes
        Concerns about Global Climate Change and the possibility of its 
    stimulation by anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide CO2 
    have begun to stimulate research on CO2 capture. If carbon 
    emission controls are mandated, options for capture and separation of 
    CO2 in a cost-effective manner will be necessary to minimize 
    economic impacts. One area where CO2 capture and separation 
    would have a significant impact is in power generation. Vision 21 
    plants are able to take advantage of
    
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    integrated design to facilitate capture and separation but the retrofit 
    of existing plants poses a greater challenge, yet. This challenge is 
    problematic in that it would require a technology that would be able to 
    capture CO2 from a dilute flue gas stream containing 
    nitrogen, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, water vapor, oxygen, and 
    particulate matter among others.
        Grant applications are being sought for the exploration of novel 
    processes, or the development of novel process chemistry, that offers 
    the promise of cost-effective CO2 capture and separation 
    from power plant stack gases.
    Computational Chemistry To Support Clean Liquid Fuels Production
        The DOE is interested in the production of clean liquid fuels to 
    meet the demands of tomorrow's transportation fleets. One important 
    type of new fuel is produced by the F-T synthesis of alkanes from 
    synthesis gas. Since synthesis gas is readily produced from domestic 
    resources such as coal, such fuel production facilities can become 
    integral parts of the Vision 21 concept. The production of clean diesel 
    fuels in such a process now typically involves the synthesis of high 
    molecular weight waxes which are then hydrocracked to form useable 
    fuels in the diesel boiling range. The efficiency of the overall 
    process could be improved by obtaining better control of the catalytic 
    hydrocracking process. Computational chemistry now offers promise that 
    progress toward optimizing the catalytic hydrocracking process could be 
    accelerated by the generation of suitable models of the reaction 
    kinetics. These models would define the top performance to be expected 
    from available catalytic systems, specify the reaction parameters that 
    lead to optimal productivity and selectivity, and identify critical 
    barriers that need to be overcome by additional laboratory research. It 
    is believed that computational chemistry will provide a powerful 
    adjunct in devising more cost effective and less time consuming avenues 
    to the improvement of catalytic processes.
        Applications are sought for development of computational chemical 
    approaches to modeling of catalytic hydrocracking of high molecular 
    weight alkane waxes. The applications must include a clear route from 
    available kinetic data to the calculation of global kinetics of 
    conversion. Key results from this work include the ability to specify 
    the results of changes in reaction parameters such as reaction time, 
    temperature, and catalyst properties. The influences of catalyst 
    activity and selectivity on a product distribution and reactor 
    throughput are also key results desired from the model.
    Development of Innovative, Protective Surface Oxide Coatings
        Protection from corrosion and environmental effects arising from 
    damaging reactions with gases and condensed products is required to 
    exploit the potential of advanced high-temperature materials designed 
    to improve energy efficiency fully and reduce deleterious environmental 
    impact (e.g., to achieve the performance goals of the Vision 21 
    powerplants). The resistance to such reactions is best afforded by the 
    formation of stable surface oxides that are slow growing, compact, and 
    adherent to the substrate and/or by the deposition of coatings that 
    contain or develop oxides with similar characteristics. However, the 
    ability of brittle ceramic films and coatings to protect the material 
    on which they are formed or deposited has long been problematical, 
    particularly for applications involving numerous or severe high 
    temperature thermal cycles or very aggressive environments. This lack 
    of mechanical reliability severely limits the performance or durability 
    of alloys and ceramics in many high-temperature utility and powerplant 
    applications and places severe restrictions on deployment of such 
    materials. The beneficial effects of certain alloying additions on the 
    growth and adherence of protective oxide scales on metallic substrates 
    are well known, but satisfactory broad understandings of the mechanisms 
    by which scale properties and coating integrity (i.e., corrosion 
    resistance) are improved by compositional, microstructural, and 
    processing modifications are lacking.
        Grant applications are sought for expanding the scientific and 
    technological approaches to improving stable surface oxides for 
    corrosion protection in high-temperature oxidizing environments. The 
    needs are associated with developing innovative oxide coatings and 
    characterizing oxide-metal interfaces and stress affects on scale 
    growth as part of DOE's efforts to establish a sound technical basis 
    for the formulation of specific compositions and synthesis routes for 
    producing materials with tough, adherent, stable, slow growing oxide 
    scales or coatings that exhibit the improved elevated temperature 
    environmental resistance crucial to the success of many of Fossil 
    Energy's advanced fossil energy systems.
    Identification of Promising Vision 21 Configurations
        The Vision 21 concept encompasses the idea of interchangeable 
    modules that are capable of assembly into various configurations that 
    may co-produce power and fuels, chemicals, or other high value 
    products. Most of the proposed configurations include a gasifier and a 
    power generating facility with a specific fuel or chemical production 
    capability. These configurations, which appear to be most likely to be 
    commercialized, at first, may not include all potential applications of 
    the Vision 21 concept.
        Novel Concept grant applications are being sought which seek to 
    examine the feasibility of advanced central station or smaller 
    distributed power plant configurations or cogeneration plant designs 
    which are specifically intended to take advantage of common or 
    complimentary industrial or agricultural process requirements. These 
    processes may use, for example, internally generated wastes, combustion 
    by-products, or low grade heat, in ways that improve process economics 
    or environmental performance. The study should include mass and heat 
    transfer calculations along with sensitivity studies of the economics 
    of the proposed processes.
    Efficient Power Cycles
        The thermal efficiency of a conventional coal-fired steam (Rankine) 
    cycle is 33-35% from coal's heating value to electricity. The other 65-
    67% of the energy is lost during the conversion process of power 
    generation. By increasing the operating temperatures and pressures over 
    the supercritical condition of steam, the cycle efficiency can be 
    increased to 42-45% (based on coal's higher heating value). However, 
    there are limitations in materials for high-temperature applications. 
    On the other hand, a system with a binary working fluid of ammonia and 
    water has shown an improved cycle efficiency of 45-50% by extracting 
    heat from hot streams at variable boiling temperatures of the ammonia-
    water mixtures. The cost has been a concern for commercializing this 
    binary system.
        Grant applications are being sought for:
        (A) Binary fluid cycles that demonstrate the potential for a higher 
    cycle efficiency than the conventional system. Also, working fluids 
    other than steam are of interest (i.e., CO2 is an 
    interesting possibility).
        (B) Concepts for a bottoming cycle to extract the low temperature 
    heat from
    
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    the flue gas of a coal-fired plant in an economical way. By reducing a 
    typical stack gas temperature of 350-380  deg.F to 180-200  deg.F, the 
    plant efficiency can be increased by 3-5%. The cost has been an issue 
    for the low temperature heat recovery system.
        (C) New concepts that could be drastically different from the 
    conventional system using a gas or steam turbine (i.e., fuel cells) to 
    generate electricity from coal.
    Effect of Concentrated CO2 Release on Ocean Biology
        The effects of increased anthropogenic emissions of CO2 
    into the atmosphere and its effects on marine life in the upper portion 
    of the ocean is now under investigation. If, as a method of carbon 
    sequestration, direct injection of CO2 takes place in the 
    middle to lower depths of the ocean, it is postulated that the liquid 
    plume formed would have an adverse effect on marine life in the 
    immediate vicinity of the release. This is of greater importance than 
    it seems because of effects that may accrue all along the food chain. 
    Unfortunately, little data is available on the subject as indicated in 
    a study by MIT.
        Grant applications are sought for controlled laboratory experiments 
    on the effects of high concentrations of CO2 on marine biota 
    under simulated middle to lower ocean depth conditions.
        Awards. DOE anticipates awarding financial assistance grants for 
    each project selected. Approximately $2.9 million will be available for 
    the Program Solicitation. An estimated $2.4 million is budgeted for the 
    UCR Core Program and should provide funding for approximately one to 
    three (1-3) financial assistance awards in each of the six (6) focused 
    areas of research. The maximum DOE funding for individual colleges/
    universities applications in the UCR Core Program varies according to 
    the length of the proposed performance period as follows:
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Maximum
                          Performance period                        funding
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    0-12 months..................................................    $80,000
    13-24 months.................................................    140,000
    25-60 months.................................................    200,000
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        The maximum DOE funding for UCR Core Program joint applications is 
    $400,000 requiring a performance period of 36 months.
        Approximately $0.5 million is budgeted for the UCR Innovative 
    Concepts Program and should provide support for approximately ten (10) 
    financial assistance awards. The maximum DOE funding for UCR Innovative 
    Concepts Program awards is $50,000 with 12-month performance periods.
    
        Issued in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 9, 1998.
    Raymond D. Johnson,
    Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
    [FR Doc. 98-27979 Filed 10-16-98; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
10/19/1998
Department:
Energy Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Issuance of financial assistance solicitation.
Document Number:
98-27979
Dates:
The Program Solicitation is expected to be ready for release by October 14, 1998. Applications must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms in the Program Solicitation and must be received by the DOE by November 25, 1998. Prior to submitting your application to the solicitation, check for any changes (i.e. closing date of solicitation) and/or amendments, if any.
Pages:
55852-55857 (6 pages)
PDF File:
98-27979.pdf