News Release

LabNotes -- Research highlights from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Outsmarting power plant failures - An intelligent system developed at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could outsmart problems that lead to expensive emergency shutdowns at nuclear power plants worldwide. The Self-Diagnostic Monitoring System, or SDMS, uses a wireless architecture of software, smart sensors and data processing to diagnose and predict conditions that may lead to shutdowns.

When fully developed, the system will diagnose and predict potential problems at both the component and systems levels. PNNL engineers built a pilot system to mimic a nuclear power plant’s essential service water loop, in which they will artificially create biofouling, vibration and other conditions.

PNNL findings will be presented at the American Nuclear Society conference held Nov. 12 to 16 in Washington, D.C. DOE’s Nuclear Energy Research Initiative supports this work.

Cold War scientists zap out bugs - Root-chomping bugs that destroy valuable crops worldwide have a new nemesis in an environmentally friendly biocontrol agent developed by Russian scientists with support from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Scientists at Russia’s State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, or Vector, discovered a specific fungal strain has the ability to kill a harmful form of nematodes - tiny organisms that often feed on live plant roots. In greenhouse lab tests, this biocontrol agent reduced nematode infection in tomatoes and cucumbers by more than 61 percent.

Through the Department of Energy’s Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention, PNNL verified Vector’s research results then connected Vector with AgraQuest, a California pest management company. AgraQuest will conduct field tests in 2001 and is considering marketing the technology.

Ukraine energy work recognized - The Association of Energy Engineers will present Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with its prestigious “International Energy Project of the Year” in late October for designing and implementing a multi-million dollar energy efficiency program at the Gostomel Glass Plant in Ukraine.

Together with its partners - the Ukrainian Energy Efficiency Center and the Industrial Real Estate - PNNL helped identify upgrades and secure funding for more than $4.5 million in energy efficiency improvements. For example, Gostomel now uses recovered heat waste to provide space heat required in administrative and production buildings. Energy upgrades implemented to date have resulted in a 20 to 53 percent rate of return on capital investments. More upgrades are planned.

PNNL has worked with Gostomel since 1996 to design and implement a comprehensive energy strategy through the Industrial Energy Efficiency Program, sponsored by the Department of Energy and the Agency for International Development.

Remote learning passes grade - A collaboratory toolkit originally designed for scientists is proving a useful tool at Columbia University. The EMSL Toolkit, named after the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory where it was created, will be the foundation for a three-year project to create an information technology environment that enhances student learning and provides new teaching tools for professors.

The university’s first use of the toolkit will be in a biomedical engineering course. Students can conduct experiments remotely and share data with students in other courses or buildings by using the toolkit’s features.

The toolkit’s flexible architecture will allow students and professors to tailor it to specific courses or research and teaching needs.

The toolkit was designed to enable collaborative scientific research at EMSL, a Department of Energy user facility managed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

###

For more information, contact: Media Relations at 509-375-3776 or email: pnl.media.relations@pnl.go v


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.