Number of Projects	Total Value* (Million $)	DOE Share (Million $)	Job Benefits**
Coal & Power Projects	6	$55.31	$48.42	1,576
Oil & Gas Projects	1	$1.03	$1.03	29

*Includes DOE and private sector cost-sharing

**An average of 28.5 direct and indirect jobs per $1 million in R&D funding is used based on the Department of Commerce's Regional Input-Output Modeling System II formula.

National Laboratory Developing Cleaner Power Options, Addressing Climate Change

• The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, is the site of three entirely DOE-funded projects with a total combined value of $37.79 million.

  • Low-Cost SOFC Development - One project at PNNL will develop and test reliable low-cost, modular SOFC systems. Fuel cells are expected to make significant in-roads in the 21st century power market because they are clean, quiet, and efficient. In this project, laboratory engineers will emphasize the development of cost-effective materials and fabrication techniques for the various components in SOFC systems. Models will be developed to optimize SOFC design and SOFCs will be fabricated and tested based on these designs. The $29.4 million project is fully-funded by DOE.

  • Solid State Electrolyte Systems - This fully DOE-funded $7.42 million project at PNNL will develop functional ceramic materials that will lead to more efficient utilization of fossil fuels. This project will evaluate the stabilities of materials and interfaces in solid oxide fuel cells and develop ion-conducting ceramics for oxygen separation from air. Accordingly, the project will develop materials for increased efficiency, longer lifetimes, and lowered cost of manufacture of solid oxide fuel cells and ceramic gas separation membranes.

  • Fossil Energy Technology Strategy - This fully DOE-funded $975,000 multi-phase project at PNNL will use a structured analytical process, based on economic modeling of the energy system, to create a common basis of understanding among industrial/government stakeholders that are involved in ongoing debate surrounding the future of coal within the U.S. energy system and the future of energy R&D. There are two major elements of this effort: a scoping study, and a detailed analytical effort directed at FE interests and priorities.

Washington Researchers Are Developing Advanced Materials and Sensors, and CO2 Compression Technology

• Ceramic Coatings in Coal-Fired Environments - Researchers at the University of Washington will perform corrosion testing and mechanical property evaluation of nanoparticle reinforced polymer derived ceramic matrix coatings.  Corrosion tests on coatings will be carried out in simulated coal-fired environment to evaluate their performance. The toughness, hardness and interfacial properties of the coatings will be evaluated. DOE is contributing $199,000 to this $259,000 project. 

• CO2 Compression Technology - Ramgen Power Systems, Bellevue, WA is designing and developing unique stationary power plant compressor products (air and carbon dioxide) based upon aerospace shock wave compression theory. The project will show the feasibility of commercial compressor products based upon Ramgen's unique shock wave compression concepts that claim higher efficiency, smaller foot print, and more competitive costs than traditional axial compressors. DOE is contributing $9.50 million to this $16.1 million project.
  

• Sensors for Gasifiers - Enertechnix, Inc., Maple Valley, WA will develop an acoustic pyrometer, a relatively new non-intrusive technique to continuously monitor gas temperature in a gasifier, and demonstrate a fully functional sensor on the Global Energy Gasification facility at Wabash River. The technique may reliably monitor temperature inside a gasifier where the environment is quite severe because of variable gas composition, high pressure, and slagging conditions. DOE is contributing $924,000 to this $1.16 million project.
  

National Laboratory Investigating Methane Hydrate Production

• Characterization of Methane Hydrate - The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richaland, Washington, will conduct measurements of methane hydrate dissociation and the effects of dissociation on flow and transport properties of hydrate-bearing sediments using a high-pressure cell and state-of-the-art analytical equipment.  This new model can then be used to more accurately predict the transient response of a gas hydrate reservoir to pressure and temperature perturbations. DOE is fully funding this $1.03 million project.