Create New Biodiesel Fuel

Posted on | April 3, 2009 | Comments Off

Defense Department Program Aims to Create New Biodiesel Fuel

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2009 – Ever imagine filling up the fuel tanks on a military aircraft with french fry grease? It’s no April Fools’ Day joke — that’s exactly what the Air Force could do someday if a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research program proves successful.

DARPA is the Defense Department’s scientific agency that pushes the envelope toward what Anthony J. Tether, its long-time previous director, described as “the far side” of science and technology development to support military requirements.

So in an effort to reduce the military’s huge reliance on imported oil, DARPA is on the fast track exploring ways to convert so-called “yellow grease oil” or plant-based “cellulosic and algae sources” into JP8 jet fuel.

The goal, explained Barbara McQuiston, director of the Strategic Technology Office and program manager for biofuels, is to come up with nonpetroleum sources to power military aircraft, ground vehicles and non-nuclear ships. Two side benefits, she said, will be lower fuel costs and fewer environmentally unfriendly carbon emissions.

The DARPA-funded biofuels program has the scientific community looking into some seemingly unlikely petroleum alternatives: algae, seeds and corn husks among them. These crops produce a type of oil that can be converted through a complicated process into biofuel, McQuiston said.

The private sector is exploring this possibility, too, in the quest for cheaper, domestically produced fuel. In fact, several commercial airlines already have conducted test flights using a blend of petroleum and biofuel.

This research may have some military application, McQuiston said, but the biodiesel produced through current commercial processes isn’t necessarily suitable for military uses. The military, for example, needs a fuel that meets exceptionally high standards; it must be as efficient at minus 20 degrees as at 140 degrees.

Some participants in the DARPA program have produced samples that meet these standards. They could, if produced in a big enough scale and at a low enough cost, potentially serve as stand-ins for JP8 jet fuel, McQuiston said.

Within the next few years, she said, she expects to have a proven biodiesel alternative that meets all the established requirements, and to be able to present it to the military services so they can consider using it.

“Our interest is in being able to prove out the technology and be able to demonstrate that these goals are achievable,” she said. “We want to show that this can be done, and that it can be done within a feasible and manufactureable and scalable process.”

Developing alternative energies has strategic importance to the United States, McQuiston said. “Being able to develop this alternative energy independence is good for the military, and it’s good for the nation,” she said.

This recognition, McQuiston said, is a great motivator for her and her team. “I think all of us are here because we want to do service to the country,” she said. “And at DARPA, we get to be able to do this high-risk, high-return investment that we feel is critical to the nation. We’re able to not only address some of the more challenging problems, but also to provide leadership into the future.”

DARPA was established in response to the Russian Sputnik launch, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last month. Its work has built the foundations for the NASA space program, the World Wide Web and myriad other technologies.

Technologies developed by DARPA have revolutionized warfare as well. Stealth aircraft, advanced precision munitions and the Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles used in Iraq and Afghanistan today all began on DARPA’s drawing boards.

Refrigeration Problems: a Magnetically Attractive Solution

Posted on | April 1, 2009 | Comments Off

by NIST

Your refrigerator’s humming, electricity-guzzling cooling system could soon be a lot smaller, quieter and more economical thanks to an exotic metal alloy discovered by an international collaboration working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s Center for Neutron Research (NCNR).*

The alloy may prove to be a long-sought material that will permit magnetic cooling instead of the gas-compression systems used for home refrigeration and air conditioning. The magnetic cooling technique, though used for decades in science and industry, has yet to find application in the home because of technical and environmental hurdles—but the NIST collaboration may have overcome them.

Magnetic cooling relies on materials called magnetocalorics, which heat up when exposed to a powerful magnetic field. After they cool off by radiating this heat away, the magnetic field is removed, and their temperature drops again, this time dramatically. The effect can be used in a classic refrigeration cycle, and scientists have attained temperatures of nearly absolute zero this way. Two factors have kept magnetic cooling out of the consumer market: most magnetocalorics that function at close to room temperature require both the prohibitively expensive rare metal gadolinium and arsenic, a deadly toxin.

But conventional gas-compression refrigerators have their own drawbacks. They commonly use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), greenhouse gases that can contribute to climate change if they escape into the atmosphere. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to improve traditional refrigeration. “The efficiency of the gas cycle has pretty much maxed out,” said Jeff Lynn of NCNR. “The idea is to replace that cycle with something else.”

The alloy the team has found—a mixture of manganese, iron, phosphorus and germanium—is not merely the first near-room-temperature magnetocaloric to contain neither gadolinium nor arsenic—rendering it both safer and cheaper—but also it has such strong magnetocaloric properties that a system based on it could rival gas compression in efficiency.

Working alongside (and inspired by) visiting scientists from the Beijing University of Technology, the team used NIST’s neutron diffraction equipment to analyze the novel alloy. They found that when exposed to a magnetic field, the newfound material’s crystal structure completely changes, which explains its exceptional performance.

“Understanding how to fine-tune this change in crystal structure may allow us to get our alloy’s efficiency even higher,” says NIST crystallographer Qing Huang. “We are still playing with the composition, and if we can get it to magnetize uniformly, we may be able to further improve the efficiency.”

Members of the collaboration include scientists from NIST, Beijing University of Technology, Princeton University and McGill University. Funding for the project was provided by NIST.

Dean Kamen Asks Children to Consider Global Climate Solutions

Posted on | April 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

Dean Kamen Asks Children Worldwide to Consider Global Climate Solutions through the 10th Anniversary Season of FIRST LEGO® League

-Milestone season set to be biggest ever with 135,000 children in 40 countries exploring robotic solutions to climate conditions-

by FIRST

Manchester, NH – As concern for the global environment increases, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, is turning to 135,000 children, ages 9 to 14, in 40 countries to explore robotics solutions through hands-on, minds-on teamwork revolving around the 10th Anniversary FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) Challenge: “Climate Connections.”

To ensure that the tenth FLL season will be one to remember, FIRST worked with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, professors at MIT and University of Massachusetts, Amherst and experts from LEGO Education, to develop a theme and challenge missions reflective of the hurdles that scientists experience relative to climate study, an issue that has significant and immediate impact on every person on the globe.

“For 10 years, our annual challenges have put kids in the driver’s seat to explore and test solutions in a fun and engaging way. We have been fascinated by the enthusiasm, passion, and creativity our kids have demonstrated in rising to the challenges,” said Dean Kamen. “Our world faces many issues for the future, so why not give kids real-world problems to solve now?”

“Climate Connections” challenges teams of children, ages 9 to 14, to use robotics to unite communities in the research and study of a global atmospheric phenomenon: the climate. The Challenge goal is for teams to program their robots to learn about past climates, delve into questions about our current climate and explore conditions for the future through missions including: connecting research resources, minimizing climatic influences, polar experiments, sequestering greenhouse gases, studying wildlife, preparing for climatic conditions and gathering communities of people.

“‘Climate Connections’ gives kids a hands-on, real-world experience allowing them to use their imaginations and creativity in combination with science and technology. It provides a process whereby they work together to experience first-hand the challenges that even the top scientists face surrounding this broad and important topic, Kamen continued. “As a result, FLL kids develop the curiosity, creative problem-solving skills, and confidence they need to face tomorrow’s challenges. FLL kids are what our society needs, to build the workforce of the future in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.”

The tenth FLL season will engage more teams than ever before, with more than 135,000 children in 40 countries competing in hundreds of qualifying events and Championship Tournaments to win honors and the chance to participate at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival, to be held in conjunction with the FIRST Championship, April 16-18, 2009 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.When the program launched in 1998, there were 200 children in the United States participating.

In conjunction with the 2008 season Kickoff, FIRST LEGO League will launch its redesigned Website at www.FIRSTLEGOLeague.org. The site establishes a fun and inviting, global, online community where users can learn about the FLL program, see season schedules, register teams, create a Team Site, or join in on a Forum. Teams will also be able to upload avatars, files, and photos all while communicating with others in their own team, in their country, or with other international teams in several languages.

FLL is an international program for 9 to 14 year-old children created in a partnership between FIRST and The LEGO Group in 1998 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Each September, FLL announces the annual challenge to teams, engaging them in authentic scientific
research and hands-on robotics design. Using LEGO MINDSTORMS technologies and play materials, children work alongside adult mentors to design, build, and program robots to solve real-world challenges.

After eight intense weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments. “FIRST LEGO League provides a fun and engaging experience for children around the world to stretch their imaginations, creativity and problem solving skills,” said Jens Maibom, vice president, LEGO Group.

“Using a real-world issue to drive a process where children are in control provides them with a chance to take what they learn and apply it to their own lives, not only during this Challenge, but to their future adventures and endeavors.”

FIRST will continue to offer the Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL) program. Now in its fifth year, Jr.FLL is geared towards teams of 6 to 9 year-olds, introducing them to the wonders of science and technology through traditional, open-ended LEGO building with a mini-challenge based on the annual FLL project.

More About Robotics

About FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. With the support of many of the world’s most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge for high-school students, FIRST LEGO® League for children 9-14 years old, and the Junior FIRST LEGO League for 6 to 9 year olds. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org. To learn more about the “Climate Connections” Challenge, go to www.FIRSTLEGOLeague.org.

About the LEGO Group
LEGO Systems Inc. (LSI) is the Americas (North America and Latin America) division of the LEGO Group, a privatelyheld firm based in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children’s creative and imaginative abilities through high-quality, creatively educational play materials, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: “Only the best is good enough.” For more information, visit www.LEGO.com

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of The LEGO Group. © 2008 The LEGO Group.

Rich Diversity Across U.S. Fishing Communities

Posted on | March 29, 2009 | Comments Off

A new report by NOAA’s Fisheries Service detailing the diverse demographics of 222 American saltwater fishing communities will help the agency design management strategies that will lead to more sustainable fisheries.

“Fisheries management depends on an understanding of how people in coastal communities interact with marine ecosystems and how their economies work,” said Jim Balsiger, NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “This report gives a clearer picture of the people living in America’s fishing communities and their needs.”

Fishing Communities of the United States, 2006 is NOAA’s first national reference guide featuring snapshots of selected fishing communities and ports from the nation’s 23 coastal states. The ports that are profiled were chosen by experts around the country, primarily on the basis of commercial fisheries landings in 2006 and the historical significance of fishing in a community. The report is a companion to the recently released Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2006.

The report shows that fishing communities range in size from small Downeast communities such as Winter Harbor, Maine, pop. 988, to cities such as San Diego, Calif., pop. 1,223,400. Some have large populations of people who speak a language other than English at home such as Ni’ihau, Hawaii (93.1 percent), while others have far fewer such as Theodore, Ala. where all but 2.8 percent of persons speak English at home.

Statewide trends from 1997 to 2006 about the number of building permits issued, fishery disaster declarations made, and unemployment rates also are included. This helps show which communities are experiencing some of the most rapid development or the most economic distress.

The report also contains information on education levels, poverty levels and ethnicity to help paint a clearer picture of each of these coastal towns and cities and how they compare to other communities in their states and the nation.

The report is the culmination of several years of data collection and analysis. NOAA plans to update this report once the agency has information from the upcoming 2010 national census.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.