Assemblies, Riveted Assemblies, Methods for Affixing Substrates, and Methods for Mixing Materials to Form a Metallurgical Bond (iEdison No. 0685901-22-0263)
This invention is a process and tool for performing mechanical fastening of materials using magnesium rivets.
SELF-REPAIRING CEMENT POLYMER COMPOSITES AND PROCESSES OF MAKING AND USING SAME
New cement-polymer composites and processes of making and using are detailed. One exemplary cement-polymer composite include a Portland cement, an epoxide polymer, a thiol-containing crosslinking agent, and an optional phase separation inhibitor. These composites are dynamically self-healing, mechanically robust, and thermally stable in high temperature environments and can be expected to increase service lifetimes in various applications including energy producing wellbores.
DEVICES AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING SHEAR-ASSISTED EXTRUSION, EXTRUSION FEEDSTOCKS, EXTRUSION PROCESSES, AND METHODS FOR PREPARING METAL SHEETS
A process for forming extruded products using a device having a scroll face configured to apply a rotational shearing force and an axial extrusion force to the same preselected location on material wherein a combination of the rotational shearing force and the axial extrusion force upon the same location cause a portion of the material to plasticize, flow and recombine in desired configurations. This process provides for a significant number of advantages and industrial applications, including but not limited to extruding tubes used for vehicle components with 50 to 100 percent greater ductility and energy absorption over conventional extrusion technologies, while dramatically reducing manufacturing costs.
Aquatic Organism Tracking Devices, Systems and Associated Methods
Compared with MHK energy, widely-used hydropower have also been facing similar environmental concerns. To help investigate the potential of fish injury and mortality from passage through hydropower turbines, PNNL developed the JSATS. Recent JSATS development included several state-of-the-art acoustic transmitters, such as the injectable transmitter and the juvenile eel/lamprey transmitter. The latter is the world's smallest acoustic tag. Both these small transmitters have been successfully demonstrated in field studies and helped gather information on species of early life stages that had previously been unobtainable. The highly efficient transducer and circuit designs as well as the high-density micro-battery technology specifically developed for these transmitters were the innovations that made these technological advancements possible. The JSATS operates at 416.7 kHz, a relatively high acoustic frequency that works well filtering out acoustic noises in freshwater environments. With hardware and software modifications, these technologies can be readily adopted for a lower-frequency transmitter for use in marine environments. Our feasibility assessment and laboratory benchtop testing of the transmitter concept at three different frequencies around 200 kHz have shown significant improvements (detailed results listed in the attached document).
VARIABLE THICKNESS EXTRUSION FOR VARIABLE EXTRUDATE PRODUCT PROPERTIES (iEdison No. 0685901-21-0136)
This invention is to fabricate axisymmetric or asymmetric parts/components having variable mechanical/physical/thermal properties in one component, for example, variability in strength, formability, impact toughness, creep, and conductivity, via solid phase processing techniques such as shear assisted processing and extrusion, friction stir welding/processing, and cold spray.
MATERIAL SEPARATING ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS (iEdison No. 0685901-22-0268)
Here we disclose a Boycott Separator to separate, dilute/concentrate, or remove particles from flows. To perform particle separations, this new class of separators uses the Boycott effect, in which which settling particles interact with an angled surface to accelerate particle motion toward the bottom of the channel. Here the angled surface is oriented with at least partially with some orthogonality with respect to the flow. Fin arrangements of such surfaces are also disclosed. Numbering up of such surfaces or fins is also disclosed. We also disclose a shallow angle of entry to minimize the length of the device by eliminating recirculating entry zones. Please see subsequent sections for history, problem, relative advantages, etc.
Capture and Release of Acid-Gasses with Acid-Gas Binding Organic Compounds
“Switchable Solvents,” recently discovered by Philip Jessop (Queens University, Canada) and David Heldebrant (Nature, 2005, 436, 1102), show promise as attractive CO2 capture and transfer agents. The alcohol/amidine or guanidine liquid blend chemically binds CO2 at any CO2 pressure to form an ionic amidinium (R2 = C) or guanidinium (R2 = N) alkylcarbonate salt, which is liquid at room temperature (ionic liquid, Figure 1). Switchable Solvent systems are liquid, non-corrosive CO2 trapping agents, whether CO2 is bound or not. The homogeneous liquid phase without a precipitate offers tremendous engineering advantages compared to corrosive liquid, solid or multi-phase chemical trapping agents. Switchable Solvents can be regenerated with gentle heating (50 ˚C) under N2, releasing bound CO2. The release of CO2 is also attainable at room temperature by sparging the system with N2, however the rate of CO2 release is much slower. Switchable Solvents are highly tunable, reversible, and recyclable.
ELECTROCHEMICAL CO2 RELEASE AND PHOTOSYNTHETIC STORAGE (iEdison No. 0685901-22-0191)
Oceans are the planet's largest carbon sink, and when carbon dioxide (CO2) reacts with seawater it forms carbonic acid and subsequently H+ and bicarbonate. The increased seawater acidity has direct impacts on coastal industry, communities, and ecosystems. Reversal of ocean acidification is a primary co-benefit of implementing marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) strategies for decarbonization. mCDR interventions alter the ocean's CO2-bicarbonate-carbonate equilibrium in favor of lowering ocean acidity. mCDR is a topic of growing interest both with DOE (FECM, WPTO etc.) and private sector (Climate Works, Ocean Visions etc.), and based on current state-of-technology and its anticipated benefits, bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED) and related electrochemical methods for ocean alkalinity enhancement have received significant interest and investment as promising mCDR technology interventions. Generally, the electrochemical systems produce an acid and base stream from seawater and electricity. While the base is used for ocean alkalization (which allows more CO2 capture by seawater), the acid is a waste stream. Management of the waste stream is a current Go/No-Go challenge for these systems (including the pilot system approved for installation at PNNL). In fact, the acid waste management renders the process net CO2 positive (acid storage, neutralization, and transport are carbon intensive). Here we report a novel approach that utilizes the waste acid on-site to double the overall CO2 capture of the process and makes the process net carbon negative (i.e. effective decarbonization strategy). We show for the first time the benefits of using the acid to increase marine photosynthetic CO2 capture rates by 3.5x to increase overall CO2 capture by 2x. This is the first example of coupling electrochemical and biological mCDR strategies.