U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs Topics FY 2016 Phase I Release 2 Version 4, November 23, 2015 Participating DOE Research Programs • Office of Defense Nuclear • Office of Fossil Energy Nonproliferation • Office of Electricity Delivery • Office of Fusion Energy and Energy Reliability Sciences • Office of Energy Efficiency and • Office of High Energy Physics Renewable Energy • Office of Environmental • Office of Nuclear Energy Management Schedule Event Dates Topics Released: Monday, November 02, 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcement Issued: Monday, November 30, 2015 Letter of Intent Due Date: Monday, December 21, 2015 Application Due Date: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 Award Notification Date: Early May 2016* Start of Grant Budget Period: Monday, June 13, 2016* * Dates Subject to Change Table of Changes Version Date Change Ver. 1 November 02, 2015 Original • Modification to Topic 13 topic description Ver. 2 November 04, 2015 • Change of point-of-contact for Topic 9 subtopic b • Modification to Topic 9 subtopic c Ver. 3 November 12, 2015 description, targets for reverse osmosis cost, energy requirements, and carbon emissions were revised • Modification to Topic 14 subtopic d (Change from “Are viable in current Ver. 4 November 23, 2015 passenger car engines with only minor hardware design changes.” Changed to, “Are viable in current passenger car reciprocating engine architectures.” 2 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES .......................................................... 9 PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW: OFFICE OF DEFENSE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION ......................................................................................... 11 1. ALTERNATIVE RADIOLOGICAL SOURCE TECHNOLOGIES ................................................... 11 a. Alternative Formation Density Well Logging Tool ............................................................................... 12 b. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 12 2. INTERNATIONAL SAFEGUARDS ........................................................................................ 13 a. Instruments for Nondestructive Fast Neutron Analysis in the Context of International Safeguards. ........................................................................................................................................... 13 b. Instruments for Gamma Ray Imaging in the Context of International Safeguards. ............................ 13 c. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 14 3. RADIATION DETECTION ................................................................................................... 14 a. Scintillators for Gamma-ray Spectroscopy........................................................................................... 15 b. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 15 4. TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE MONITORING FOR NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS ........................ 16 a. Ground-Based Radionuclide Aerosol Collection Technology Improvements and Commercialization ............................................................................................................................... 17 b. Flight-Based Radionuclide Aerosol Collection Technology Improvements and Commercialization ............................................................................................................................... 18 c. Advanced or Unique Active Seismic or Infrasound Sources ................................................................ 19 d. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 20 5. IN-SITU SAMPLE PREPARATION ....................................................................................... 21 a. Methods to Reduce or Eliminate Interferences for In-Situ Analytical Instruments ............................ 21 b. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 22 6. ADVANCED SAMPLE REGISTRATION AND MANIPULATION FOR MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ 22 a. Optical Microscopy .............................................................................................................................. 23 b. Electron Microscopy ............................................................................................................................ 23 c. Micro/Nano Analytical Spectroscopy ................................................................................................... 23 d. Spectrometry ....................................................................................................................................... 23 e. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 23 7. REMOTE SENSING ........................................................................................................... 25 a. High-Time-Resolution Photon-Counting Imagers ................................................................................ 25 b. Alternative Methods for Materials Measurements ............................................................................. 25 c. Electronically Tunable, Narrow Bandpass Sensor for Imaging Proliferation Threats in the SWIR ....... 26 d. Remote Detection of Extremely Small Vibrations ............................................................................... 26 e. Other .................................................................................................................................................... 27 PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW: OFFICE OF ELECTRICITY DELIVERY AND ENERGY RELIABILITY ....................................................................................................... 29 8. ADVANCED GRID TECHNOLOGIES .................................................................................... 29 3 a. Convergent Smart Grid Communications and Application Architecture ............................................. 30 b. Next Generation Connectors for Cables and Conductors .................................................................... 31 PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW: OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY ........................................................................................ 33 9. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ........................................................................................ 33 a. Technology for the US Petroleum Refining Industry ........................................................................... 33 b. Natural Gas and Manufacturing .......................................................................................................... 34 c. Energy-Water Nexus ............................................................................................................................ 35 d. Atomically Precise Structures and Devices for Catalysis ..................................................................... 35 10. BIOENERGY ................................................................................................................... 37 a. Design and Fabrication of Solids Handling for Biomass Conversion Systems ...................................... 38 b. Liquefaction of Wet Organic Waste Streams using Sub- and Supercritical Fluids ............................... 38 c. Co-utilization of CO2 and CH4 to Produce Biofuel and Bioproduct Precursors ................................... 39 11. BUILDINGS .................................................................................................................... 42 a. Energy Efficient Solid-State Lighting Luminaires, Products, and Systems ........................................... 42 b. Technologies for Sensing and Managing Indoor Air Quality in Buildings ............................................ 44 12. FUEL CELLS .................................................................................................................... 46 a. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Durable, High Activity Electrocatalyst with Low Platinum Content and Low Cost for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Applications .............. 46 b. Magnetocaloric Materials Development ............................................................................................. 48 c. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: H2 Safety Sensors for H2 Infrastructure Applications ....... 48 13. SOLAR ........................................................................................................................... 50 a. Controls and Systems for the On-Site Consumption of Solar Energy .................................................. 51 b. Shared Solar Energy Development Tools ............................................................................................. 51 14. VEHICLES ....................................................................................................................... 52 a. Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries ...........................................................................................................