UFTO Bulletin #14

October 6, 1995

To: UFTO Members:

. . in this issue: . . . . . . . . .

1. Enclosed is the report for Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL).

Things to watch for especially:

• INEL’s radical and aggressive new approach to tech transfer,
• Some nifty power systems innovations — in addition to IDMS** —
• nuclear and non-nuclear waste management;
• Risk management, as applied in nuclear and also applicable to fossil
• Human factors,
• Systems engineering,
• and more

** One additional point on IDMS– it can serve as a system upgrade — using RTU’s already in place. So it shouldn’t be viewed only as a complete replacement for existing SCADA systems.

Also, we can look forward to a follow up memo that I’ll be working on with INEL to tell about a number of the interesting spin-off startup companies that are commercializing INEL technology. One that I already know about is an “alarm-filtering” capability — AI software that helps operators sort things out when a lot of alarms start going off. Another is the truck mounted processing machine for cleaning up soils from small oil spills, mentioned in the report.

2. Tech Nugget FYI:

• FLU-ACE was developed by Thermal Energy International in Ontario Canada. It’s an efficient mass transfer and heat exchange system made of corrosion resistant alloy steel, and smaller than a conventional smoke stack. Hot flue gases from any kind of boiler are fed in. Waste heat is recovered and many air pollutants are captured or eliminated — claims are reductions of 90% of soot and ash, 90% of CO, 90% of SOx, 80% of NOx and 99% of hydrocarbons. It also condenses and recycles water vapor. They’ve been installed on industrial and hospital boilers and may be put on Eastern European waste incinerators soon. Let me know if you’d like more information.

PS As I mentioned in my recent email to you, I will be at the Technology 2005 conference in Chicago October 24-26. Have you all received a copy of their program? As yet, no one has indicated they plan to attend, but please do let me know if someone will be there from your company. It’ll be a great opportunity for UFTO to renew acquaintances with all the labs we’ve already visited, to make contact with the DOE labs we’ve yet to do, and to get off to a big start with DOD and others. I’ll give you a full report.