Latest News & Analysis
HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Transit Infrastructure Projects Receive Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said that 40 projects will receive a share of $3.59 billion in federal disaster relief funds to help public transportation systems in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to become more resilient.
Transit Infrastructure Projects Receive Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said that 40 projects will receive a share of $3.59 billion in federal disaster relief funds to help public transportation systems in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to become more resilient in order to withstand the impact of future natural
Enabling New Age Knees
Over the course of 50 years, the average person takes about 140 million steps. Add tennis, jogging and a gym membership and it’s no wonder that knee replacement surgeries increase 10% year over year. In 2010, American doctors replaced more than 590,000 knees. All this repair work requires
5MW Battery Storage Unit Enters Service in Germany
One of Europe’s largest commercial battery power plants entered service on September 16. The 5 megawatt (MW) lithium-ion unit was designed by Berlin-based grid and storage company Younicos for WEMAG, an electricity supplier.
Solar Microinverter and Power Optimizer Market to Top $1 Billion in 2018
The market for global photovoltaic (PV) solar microinverters and power optimizers is forecast to more than triple in the coming years, rising to more than $1 billion in 2018, as both established and new regions increase their adoption of the emerging technology, according to a new report, PV
Are Energized Fluids an Economic Alternative?
Suppliers, researchers and service companies working in unconventional oil and natural gas plays look to displace large volumes of hydraulic fracturing water with energized fluids and foams.
Lowering Motor Speed with a Variable Speed Drive
Adding a variable-frequency drive (VFD) upstream of an AC motor can lower energy use, reduce peak demand and improve power factor in many applications. Reducing motor speed at startup and during operation can cut maintenance costs, increase uptime and extend equipment life.
Motor Makers Tackle the Efficiency Challenge
Motor manufacturers have made a number of efficiency-boosting changes to their product designs. One common practice has been to increase the amount of so-called active material in the motor's core to reduce total losses, which translates into higher efficiency.
NRC Approves GE-Hitachi Nuclear Power Plant Design
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a rule to certify GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR) design for use to generate electric power in the United States.
Turbine Engine Testing During Extreme Operating Conditions
A research team has developed an in-situ facility for use at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source that accurately simulates extreme turbine engine conditions.
Water Filtration Trends
Demand growth worldwide for water is placing a burden on available resources and creating competition among industrial, agricultural and municipal users. At the same time, environmental regulations continue to impact water intake and effluent purity.
IEEE Forms New Standards Working Groups
IEEE is forming the IEEE P2415 Unified Hardware Abstraction and Layer Working Group and IEEE P2416 Power Modeling Meta-standard Working Group. Both will draft standards that are intended to support development of more powerful and economically affordable electronics.
ISA100 Wireless Standard Gains Final IEC Approval
The International Society of Automation (ISA) says that ANSI/ISA-100.11a-2011, "Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation: Process Control and Related Applications," has been unanimously approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as an international standard and will be
Unemployment for Engineers and Doctoral Scientists Below National Average
A new National Science Foundation (NSF) report says the 2013 unemployment rate for individuals with research doctoral degrees in science, engineering and health (SEH) fields was one-third the rate for the general population aged 25 and older--2.1% versus 6.3%.
Wearable Chemical Sensors for Asthma Sufferers
Imagine a phone app that warns you in advance of potentially dangerous air pollution at your location. That’s one proposed benefit from wearable air monitors under development by a California-based startup, Chemisense. The monitors will track about a dozen pollutants, including carbon
A Look to the Future of Wearable Computers
A decade ago there was little demand for smartphones. Even as technology developed to the point where smartphones and tablets could be mass produced, the market was limited to early adopters and developers. Apple changed that when it introduced the iPhone, an attractive and easy-to-use product that
ASTM B989 Specification for High Fluidity Zinc-Aluminum Alloy in Ingot Form for Thin Wall Die Castings
Thinner cell phone casings and business card holders are just two of the applications for a new high fluidity zinc die casting alloy. This casting is covered by a new ASTM standard, ASTM B989, “Specification for High Fluidity (HF) Zinc-Aluminum Alloy in Ingot Form for Thin Wall Die Castings."
Cloud Computing Testbeds Receive NSF Funding
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced two $10 million projects to create cloud computing testbeds--called "Chameleon" and "CloudLab"--that will enable academic researchers to develop and experiment with cloud architectures and pursue architecturally-enabled applications of cloud
Energy Department Awards $18 Million for Geothermal
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced up to $18 million in support for 32 projects that it says will advance geothermal energy development in the U.S. The projects target research and development in three areas: advancing subsurface analysis and engineering techniques for enhanced
Envisioning European Semiconductor Supremacy
The European Commission announced an effort last year to secure a solid share of semiconductor manufacturing for the European Union by 2020. Entitled EU 10|100|20, the initiative is being overseen by the European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council.