Polyphase wireless power transfer system achieves 270-kilowatt charge, sets record

Clean Energy at ORNL researchers have successfully demonstrated the first 270-kW wireless power transfer to a light-duty electric vehicle. The demonstration used a Porsche Taycan and was conducted in collaboration with Volkswagen Group of America using the ORNL-developed polyphase wireless charging system. Read more

Researchers harness AI for autonomous discovery, optimization of materials

A novel tool developed at ORNL that leverages those technologies has demonstrated that AI can influence materials synthesis and conduct associated experiments without human supervision. Read more

New ORNL inventions

Continuous AM-CM Manufacturing

202205078 // Transportation ?// Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing followed by compression molding (AM-CM) is a hybrid manufacturing process that combines the benefits of AM and CM to produce high-performance functional composite structures for automotive production. But the process is limited due to the size of the press platen for compression molding, 4-foot by 4-foot. Also, the size limitation also comes from the printing speed as the printed material can cool down before compression in larger prints. This technology provides continuous additive compression not limited by length.

Inventors: Vlastimil Kunc , Vipin Kumar , Ahmed Arabi Hassen, PhD

QRAM: Method and Apparatus for Quantum Spectroscopy and Imaging with Raman and SERS

202205113 //?Detectors and Sensors // Healthcare and Biology

Technologies directed to quantum spectroscopy and imaging with Raman and surface-enhanced Raman scattering are described.?

Computing at ORNL inventors: Claire Marvinney , Ali Passian

Electrical Fault and Power Quality Monitoring using Distributed Ledger Technology

202305403 // Energy and Utilities //?Manufacturing

Power utilities are increasingly deploying intelligent electronic devices inside and outside substations. Sharing data in substations between utility-owned devices and customer-owned distributed energy resources (DERs) risks the integrity and confidentiality of that data. A means to protect this information is crucial. This technology is a cyber-grid guard system using distributed ledger technology?that includes substation architecture plus DERs. The power system applications evaluated included electrical fault and power quality detection, DER control and dispatch, and a simulated cyber event.

Inventors: Emilio Piesciorovsky , Gary Hahn, Aaron Werth, Ph.D. , Raymond C Borges Hink

A Topographic Mapping (ATOM) Method to Design Magnetic Cores

202305479 //?Transportation ?//?Energy and Utilities

Efficient and widespread wireless charging is necessary to meet demand of electric vehicles, but adoption of EVs is hampered by long duration charging and limited range. Wireless charging pads require magnetic components. This technology consists of the design of a magnetic core that is compact, cost effective and charges with little core loss for wireless charging of EVs.

Inventors: Omer Onar , Emrullah Aydin , Burak Ozpineci

Polarization-Frequency Hyperentangled Photon Generation and Characterization

202305483 // IT and Communications

Photonic hyperentanglement involves pairs of photons entangled in multiple degrees of freedom (DoF), which hold promise for quantum communication protocols. However, the frequency DoF has received less attention due to constraints in evaluating such hyperentangled states. This technology provides scalable approaches capable of generating photons entangled in both frequency and polarization DoFs while enabling comprehensive state characterization. Additionally, this hyperentangled photon source supports wavelengths across the optical fiber communication band (1530 nm - 1625 nm), making it highly suitable for integration into existing fiber-optic networks.

Inventors: Hsuan-Hao Lu , Jospeh Lukens, Muneer Alshowkan, Nicholas Peters

Synthesis of Spherical Carbonaceous Particles via Spray Drying from Coal-Based Precursors for Energy

202305501 // Materials ?// Energy and Utilities

ORNL has developed a process?to convert coal?or waste streams from coal processing into graphite for use as anode in lithium-ion batteries.

Physical Sciences at ORNL inventors: Edgar Lara-Curzio , Frederic Vautard , Eric Wolfe

An Approach for Foundry-Fabricated Silicon Sources of Broadband Hyperentanglement

202305537 //?IT and Communications

ORNL's fully on-chip CMOS-fabricated integrated photonic circuit can generate polarization or frequency entangled photons for use in quantum communications and networking.

Inventors: Joseph Lukens, Alexander Miloshevsky , Hsuan-Hao Lu

INSET (In-Pile Steady-State Extreme Temperature Testbed)

202305542 // Analytical Instrumentation //?Materials ?

Currently there is no capability to test materials, sensors, and nuclear fuels at extremely high temperatures and under radiation conditions for nuclear thermal rocket propulsion or advanced reactors. This technology is a low-cost, modular, vacuum furnace that is compatible with nuclear reactors and other irradiation facilities. Made of aluminum, its unique graphite insulation and heating element give this furnace unique capabilities for testing of materials, sensors and fuel up to 2300 C. Capable of steady state or rapid thermal transits, it can be used in the lab and also placed inside a nuclear reactor or other irradiation facility.

Fusion and Fission at ORNL inventors: Brandon Wilson, PhD , Nora Dianne Bull Ezell

A bHLH Family-Derived Orphan Gene Enhances Plant Productivity

202405551 //?Energy and Utilities ?//?Healthcare and Biology

Orphan bHLH enhances plant biomass gain. The orphan bHLH gene has an exclusive nuclear subcellular localization with a transcriptional activator activity. Subsequently, the change in the expression levels of bHLH is associated with an increase in plant biomass accumulation; enhanced plant growth; an increase in atmospheric carbon sequestration; and plant leaf area.

Biology and Environmental Sciences at ORNL inventors: Dr. Wellington Muchero , Biruk Feyissa

Scalable Nitrogen-Carbon Catalyst for CO2 Reduction Using Nitrogen Plasma (N2) Treatment

202405555 //?Materials ?// Energy and Utilities

This technology overcomes the limitations of carbon materials like carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene in carbon dioxide reduction. These materials show significant inactivity in electrochemical carbon dioxide (Na-CO2)reduction applications. This technology is a unique solution focusing on enhancing the efficacy of sodium-carbon dioxide (Na-CO2) batteries. It uses a specialized treatment process applied to carbonaceous materials. The result is much improved efficiency and effectiveness of next generation metal-CO2 batteries.

Inventors: Xiang Lyu, Alexey Serov , Ilias Belharouak

Roll-to-Roll Processing of Hierarchically Porous Acrylic Fibers through Guided Spinodal Decomposition

202405561 //?Materials ?//?Manufacturing

The disclosed technology provides a new pathway for roll-to-roll processing of hierarchically porous acrylic fibers through spinodal decomposition. The production of continuous fibers with tailorable architecture provides a scalable solution for the manufacture of woven articles requiring porous or ultra-high surface area filaments, including articles for selective capture of small molecules and particles, absorbents, thermally insulating fabrics, filtration devices, and more.

Inventors: Michael Toomey, Christopher Janke, Amit Naskar , Logan Kearney

Catalytic Regeneration of Amino Acid

202405582 //?Energy and Utilities ?// Chemicals

Regeneration of solvents used for carbon dioxide capture requires high temperature and high energy, which is a roadblock to commercialization and large-scale deployment of absorptive carbon capture plants. This technology decreases solvent regeneration energy and temperature with the use of a catalyst. It incorporates ways of introducing catalysts into traditional packing elements which will enable their usage directly into conventional regeneration columns.

Inventors: Gyoung gug Jang , Costas Tsouris, Radu Custelcean , Diāna Stamberga

Flux Synthesis of Single Crystal Nanofillers for Solid Composite Electrolytes

202405583 //?Manufacturing ?//?Materials

Inorganic fillers play an important role in improving the ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability, and mechanical strength of solid composite electrolytes (SCEs) for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Among inorganic fillers, perovskite–type lithium lanthanum titanate (LLTO) stands out for its high bulk Li ionic conductivity. The ideal LLTO filler should feature a single crystal structure to minimize grain boundary, small particle size to enlarge filler/polymer interface, 1D morphology to provide fast interface channels, and cubic phase to ensure fast bulk Li-ion diffusion in filler. However, the synthesis of such a single crystal 1D LLTO nanomaterials with cubic phase is challenging. Herein, ORNL has developed a flux strategy to synthesize single-crystal LLTO. SCEs using LMTO described herein as a filler material exhibited more than twice the conductivities of polymer electrolytes, and those SCEs using commercial LLTO or TiO2 as filler materials. Moreover, LMTO-based SCEs exhibited much lower overpotentials and better cycling stability than the polymer electrolyte counterpart in both Li symmetric cells and full cells.

Inventors: Sheng Dai, Tao Wang

Spectral Correlation Function-Based Detection and Classification Method for Grid Signal Distortions

202405586 //?Energy and Utilities ?//?Detectors and Sensors

This invention disclosure proposes a novel method for signal detection and feature extraction based on the spectral correlation function, enabling improved characterization of grid-signal distortions. ORNL's approach differs from existing treatments of signal distortion in its analysis of the varied spectral content of signals observed in real-world scenarios. The method proposed has state-of-the-art discriminative power that provides meaningful and understandable characterizations of various grid events and anomalies and classification of power grid anomalies.

Inventors: Ali R?za Ekti , Ozgur Alaca , Aaron Wilson, PhD , Elizabeth Piersall

Apparatus and Method for Microwave Carbonization of Polymeric Materials for Carbon Fiber Production

202405598 //?Manufacturing ?//?Materials

Carbon fiber is used in a wide range of manufacturing that utilize composite materials, from aerospace to golf clubs, as it has high strength and is lightweight. The process for manufacturing carbon fiber is complex and requires several stages. This technology is an apparatus and method for carbonizing the already oxidized polymeric fibers using near-field electromagnetic treatment with the help of a material used as a susceptor in a resonant cavity.

Inventor: Felix Paulauskas

Inducible Promoter for Gene Expression Control in Clostridium Thermocellum

202405602 // Chemicals //?Healthcare and Biology

This technology can activate gene expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner in the thermophilic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum. This system will mediate inducible gene expression for strain engineering in C. thermocellum as well as in genotype-to-phenotype discovery studies. C. thermocellum is an anaerobic thermophile capable of degrading lignocellulose to sugars and fermenting those sugars into commodity chemicals such as ethanol, which eliminates the need for extra feedstock processing, a process known as consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). The inducible promoter used in this technology works at high temperatures, unlike other promoters.

Inventors: Adam Guss , Carrie Eckert , Nandhini Ashok, Yasemin Kaygusuz

A New Hybrid Explicit-Implicit Method to Accelerate Large-Scale Transient Thermal Stress Analysis

202405606 //??IT and Communications ?//?Manufacturing

Finite element (FE) numerical computation method is widely used to facilitate the design and optimization of manufacturing processes using two types of solvers, implicit and explicit. The implicit solver is difficult to handle very large-scale problems due to the complexity to solve a large matrix of equations. The explicit solver has a requirement of a very small time increment. This technology is a novel hybrid explicit-implicit FE numerical method designed to accelerate simulation of very large-scale transient thermomechanical processes such as welding and additive manufacturing.?

Inventors: Feng Zhili , Jian Chen

To learn more about these technologies, email [email protected] or call 865-574-1051.

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