- Number 328 |
- January 10, 2011
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NETL researchers aided Gulf spill estimate efforts
Because an accurate estimate of the leak rate of oil from the BP Macondo MC252 Well was needed to set the level of response in the Gulf of Mexico, and because there was widespread doubt about early leak rate estimates, the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Incident Commander (NIC) established a Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG) to generate an independent scientific estimate of the oil leak rate.
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Energy Innovation Portal links energy technologies with market opportunities
Technology seekers know that finding that new "aha" technology can be like finding a proverbial needle in a haystack. To help simplify this, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the Energy Innovation Portal for DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE).
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NanoSIMS suggests arsenic as a life building block
Arsenic -- an element that triggers death for most Earthly life forms -- is actually allowing for bacterium to thrive and reproduce.
In a study that may prompt the rewriting of textbooks, a team of astrobiologists and chemists has found the first known living organism that can use arsenic in place of phosphorus in its major macromolecules.
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The surface swap
Two tiny molecular layers in a liquid that traps carbon dioxide constantly swap places, influencing how much of the greenhouse gas is absorbed, according to scientists at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, and Louisiana Tech University.
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NETL explores solid oxide fuel cells
DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory has been conducting research to improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Recent laboratory tests conducted at NETL have focused on quantifying exposure thresholds for hydrocarbons (benzene and naphthalene) and process chemicals.