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DOE Pulse
  • Number 296  |
  • September 28, 2009

SRNL, automakers to develop high-performance wireless sensors networks

Several industries use wireless sensors, which can monitor chemical processes or equipment activity and then transmit the data over a wireless network.  Still, many facilities that could benefit from the use of wireless sensors must continue to use a wired network instead, because the reliability, speed and security of the current generation of wireless sensors do not meet their needs.

DOE's Savannah River National Laboratory and the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR) now have teamed up to develop a new high-performance platform for these sensors that not only serves the industry’s needs, but also meets the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration’s requirements for security and reliability for use in its facilities.
 
SRNL will develop designs and specifications for the new wireless hardware, then engage a qualified wireless manufacturer to make a prototype, which the partners will test and validate.  This agreement between a DOE laboratory and USCAR to produce a single, agreed-upon platform will broaden the customer base for resulting sensor designs, making it more attractive for developers to design hardware that meets the NNSA requirements.  NNSA sensors typically exist in gloveboxes or “hot cells,” which protect workers from exposure to radioactive or chemical hazards.  Using wireless sensor networks in these facilities would result in significant cost savings.

[Bruce Cadotte, 803.725.3879,
bruce.cadotte@srs.gov]