[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 190 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51089-51090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24977]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Restricted Eligibility in Support of Advanced Coal
Research at U.S. Colleges and Universities
AGENCY: U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Pittsburgh Energy Technology
Center (PETC).
ACTION: Issuance of Financial Assistance Solicitation.
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SUMMARY: The PETC 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 proposal, application of relevant
program policy factors, and the availability of funds.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary S. Price, U.S. Department of
Energy, Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, P.O. Box 10940 (MS 921-
143), Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940; (Telephone: 412-892-6179; Facsimile:
412-892- 6216; E-Mail: [email protected]). The solicitation will be
posted on the internet at PETC's Home Page (http://www.petc.doe.gov/
business). The solicitation will also be available, upon request, in
Wordperfect 5.1 format on 3.5'' double-sided/high-density disk. Paper
copies can be obtained, upon request, only if the above two modes are
not attainable. 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-PS22-
97PC97200, the DOE is interested in applications from U.S. Colleges and
Universities (and university-affiliated research centers submitting
applications through their respective university). Applications will be
selected to compliment and enhance research being conducted in related
Fossil Energy (FE) 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) a
historically black college/university and at least two or more other
colleges/universities, or (3) 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 under this solicitation may be accepted
in two subprogram areas: (1) University Coal Research (UCR) Core
Program, and (2) University Coal Research Innovative Concepts Program.
Applications must address coal research in one of the solicitation
key focus areas. Details on the UCR Core Program and the Innovative
Concepts Program eligibility requirements, budget limitations, and
technical topic descriptions are contained in the Program Solicitation.
Focus Areas and Technical Topic(s)
University Coal Research (UCR) Core Program
The DOE is interested in innovative and fundamental research
pertinent to coal conversion and utilization limited to the following
two (2) focus areas: (1) NOX Control and (2) Catalysts for Coal
Conversion and Utilization. The UCR Core Program is governed by these
focus areas. The examples provided under each focus area are not
intended to be all-encompassing. Offers on other subjects that fall
within the scope of the focus areas will receive the same evaluation
and consideration as the examples cited.
NOX Control
As environmental regulations become more stringent, the
restrictions placed upon emissions from coal combustion processes will
require either an improved understanding of the combustion process
itself or tight post-combustion control or some combination of both.
Currently, significant NOX control can be achieved both
through decreased formation of NOX and NOX destruction prior
to its exit from the combustion chamber. Further decreases in NOX
emissions and control of the Products of Incomplete Combustion (PICs)
from all combustion sources may be achieved with advances in our
understanding of the combustion process and an ability to control it.
Products of Incomplete Combustion includes: unburnt carbon; formation
of trace, complex, organic compounds; and liberation and reaction of
trace inorganics.
Additional reductions in NOX emissions may also be sought
through post-combustion control. Direct conversion of NOX, from
dilute flue gas streams, to nitrogen or a saleable/ marketable product
would be highly desirable. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is a
commercially available post-combustion control that converts NOX
to nitrogen. One of the limitations to the widespread use of SCR is the
possibility that increased toxic emissions, ammonia and carbon
monoxide, will occur when NOX removals greater than 90% (85% by
some estimates) are desired. Research is necessary to identify
alternate reductants, catalysts, and/or chemical pathways that will not
result in the release of toxic emissions when high removals (> 95%) are
required.
Examples of research areas of interest include:
Research to develop the knowledge and understanding of the
staged combustion of coal that will allow modifications to existing
boilers to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides to below 0.2 pounds per
million Btu.
Development of techniques that would allow measurements to
be taken in the combustion zone, thus enhancing our understanding of
the combustion process and leading to improved designs for low
emissions of nitrogen oxides.
[[Page 51090]]
Examination of the mechanisms of low-grade activated
carbon formation under low-NOX conditions, including the variables
that affect carbon pore size distribution and practical means of
controlling the pore size distribution.
Identification of alternatives to the traditional NOX
reductants, catalysts, and/or chemical pathways that will not result in
the release of toxic emissions when high NOX removal efficiencies
(>95%) are required.
Direct conversion of NOX from dilute flue gas streams
to NOX or a valuable byproduct.
Catalysts for Coal Conversion and Utilization
Catalysts are used in a host of coal conversion and utilization
reactions. Although a vast and highly specialized literature exists for
catalysts, a thorough understanding of the fundamental nature of
catalytic coal conversion and utilization processes is still lacking.
Systematic studies focused on understanding these fundamentals would
lay the foundation for efficient development of catalysts for
application in processes such as gasification, liquefaction, waste
minimization, and contaminant control.
New or improved catalysts for controlling product distribution,
removing pollutants, upgrading products, and reducing the severity of
reaction conditions are needed. Regenerable, poisoning-resistant, and
attrition-resistant catalysts for cleaving specific bonds in coals,
converting cyclic saturates to branched saturates in coal-derived
liquids, or promoting selective conversion of gasification products
(into condensible and non-condensible hydrocarbons) and oxygenates are
also of interest. Methods focused on the recovery of catalysts and the
removal of catalyst-deactivating species would also be valuable.
Examples of research areas of interest include:
Develop a structure-reactivity relationship for supported
metal complexes as catalysts for applications in coal conversion and
utilization reactions, including those for contaminant control.
Develop a thorough understanding of the nature of the
acidic catalysts used in hydrocarbon reactions at low temperatures and
of the catalysts used in producing oxygenates for fuel applications.
Develop a thorough scientific understanding of the
dispersed/slurry catalysts used in direct coal conversion processes
such as liquefaction, co-processing of coal with heavy oil and
municipal wastes, and conversion of bio-waste materials, and develop
new or improved catalysts that would promote conversion into liquid or
distillable products, increase hydrogen content, prevent coking, and
remove heteroatoms. An integrated study of the behavior of these
catalysts through generation, maturation, and recovery phases would be
beneficial.
Characterization of the reacting surfaces of heterogeneous
coal conversion catalysts using modern analytical and microscopic
instrumentation. The characterization might include determination of
active sites and surface structure change due to sintering, site
blockage, or poisoning. Novel methods for studying catalyst activity in
real time on a continuous basis would also be desirable.
University Coal Research (UCR) Innovative Concepts Program
The DOE is interested in innovative and fundamental research
pertinent to coal conversion and utilization limited to the following
technical topic. The UCR Innovative Concepts Program is governed by
this topic area. The examples provided under the technical topic are
not intended to be all- encompassing. Offers on other subjects that
fall within the scope of the area will receive the same evaluation and
consideration as the examples cited.
Innovative Concepts Technical Topic(s):
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 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. Questions, like the ones that follow,
will need to be answered:
How can net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide from the
combustion of fossil fuels be achieved?
What are the implications of lowering the particulate
matter standards (i.e. PM-2.5)?
How can adaptive control systems and neural networks be
integrated into the electric utility industry?
Where can the largest efficiency gains be realized in a
power plant?
How can the trace element emissions from power plants
(i.e. mercury, selenium) be cost-effectively controlled?
How do we develop and test materials for advanced power
systems?
Successfully answering these and other questions in innovative ways
will help us move confidently to the year 2000 and beyond.
Awards. DOE anticipates awarding financial assistance grants for
each project selected. Approximately $2.8 million will be available for
the Program Solicitation: $2.4 million is budgeted for the UCR Core
Program and should provide funding for about 8-12 financial assistance
awards. Maximum DOE funding for individual colleges/universities
application varies according to the length of performance period as
follows:
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Maximum
Performance period funding
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0-12 months............................................... $80,000
13-24 months............................................... 140,000
25-60 months.............................................. 200,000
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For joint applications, the maximum DOE funding is $400,000
requiring a performance period of 36 months.
Approximately $0.4 million is budgeted for the UCR Innovative
Concepts Program and should provide support for eight financial
assistance awards (Maximum DOE funding, $50,000 for a 12-month period).
Solicitation Release Date. The Program Solicitation is expected to
be ready for release by October 9, 1996. Applications must be prepared
and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms in the
Program Solicitation and must be received by the Department of Energy
by November 22, 1996. Upon receipt of the solicitation document, check
for any changes (i.e. closing date of solicitation) and/or amendments,
if any, prior to submittal of proposal.
William R. Mundorf,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 96-24977 Filed 9-27-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
