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LLNL and Case Western Reserve University to continue collaboration
The leaders of Case Western Reserve University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to accelerate their efforts in shared areas of excellence. After three years of growing institutional collaboration in such areas as energy, materials science and polymer processing, Case Western Reserve President Eric W. Kaler…
An open-source, data-science toolkit for energy GridDS
As of 2020, 102.9 million smart meters — devices that record and communicate electric consumption, voltage and current to consumers and grid operators — have been installed in the United States. As the number of smart meters and the demand for energy is expected to increase by 50 percent by 2050, so will the amount of data those smart meters produce. While energy standards…
Research finds mechanically driven chemistry accelerates reactions in explosives
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Energetic Materials Center and Purdue University Materials Engineering Department used simulations performed on the LLNL supercomputer Quartz to uncover a general mechanism that accelerates chemistry in detonating explosives critical to managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile. Their research is featured in the…
DOE announces new funding for High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the latest funding round for the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) initiative, awarding $3 million for 10 projects applying DOE supercomputing to advance clean energy technologies and improve manufacturing efficiency. HPC4EI is the umbrella initiative for the HPC4Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) and…
3D printing allows for faster charging and higher-energy-density lithium-ion batteries
The next generations of lithium-ion batteries require higher energy and power densities at a lower cost. Current battery manufacturing, based on slurry casting and coating, is struggling to further improve these key metrics. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is partnering with Ampcera Inc. to develop solvent-free Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) additive…
Americans move to more solar and wind power in 2021
The national economy is reenergizing, quite literally. In 2021, Americans used 5% more energy than in 2020, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Each year, LLNL releases flow charts that illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy. In 2021, Americans used 97.3 quads (quadrillion BTU) of energy,…
White House summit celebrates fusion milestones, discusses 'bold' 10-year plan for commercialization
Recent scientific advancements in fusion, combined with increasing private investments and the urgent need to address climate change, mean the “time is now” for accelerating fusion energy commercialization, fusion experts said at a White House summit on March 17. Hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE…
Newly funded HPC4Mfg project targets more energy-efficient steelmaking
A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)-led collaboration targeted at using machine learning to reduce defects and carbon emissions in steelmaking is one of eight new projects receiving Department of Energy (DOE) funding through the High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Program. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)…
Four graduate students selected as Graduate Student Research Program recipients
Four graduate awardees selected by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program’s 2021 Solicitation 1 cycle will be hosted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The four graduate students are among 65 individuals representing 29 states who will conduct research at various DOE national laboratories. The students…
Manufacturing Day webinar highlights industry collaboration, emerging technologies
To celebrate Manufacturing Day 2021, the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) initiative will hold a special webinar on Oct. 1 featuring speakers from the Department of Energy (DOE), presentations by DOE scientists and students and virtual tours. The free event runs from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT and is open to all. The webinar’s plenary session…
DOE-funded project to advance portability of heterogenous HPC applications
A project involving researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and national lab and academic collaborators has received U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding as part of an effort to adapt scientific software for next-generation high-performance computing (HPC) systems. The project, “ComPort: Rigorous Testing Methods to Safeguard Software Porting,” will…
National Ignition Facility experiment puts researchers at threshold of fusion ignition
On Aug. 8, 2021, an experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) made a significant step toward ignition, achieving a yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ). This advancement puts researchers at the threshold of fusion ignition, an important goal of the NIF, and opens access to a new experimental regime. The experiment…
Nuclear forensics international group holds 25th anniversary meeting
Several Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists played key roles in the 25th annual meeting of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG), which met last month. The event, which was conducted in a virtual setting for the first time, was attended by more than 100 experts from 30 countries and highlighted the group’s notable…
Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm virtually visits LLNL
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm virtually visited Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Friday, June 25, where she met with leading scientists and engineers, toured lab facilities and learned about key research efforts. Granholm, the nation’s 16th Secretary of Energy and only the second woman to lead the Department of Energy (DOE), is conducting…
DOE funds 13 new High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation projects
The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced awards of $3.7 million for 13 new High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) projects, including a collaboration involving Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) targeted at improving CO2 conversion. DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) – an office within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and…
LLNL, other labs to study hydrogen storage
A team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers, in partnership with two other national laboratories, has launched a project studying the viability of large-scale hydrogen storage in geologic formations. Researchers from LLNL, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNNL) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will receive up to $6.75 million over…
LLNL’s Bill Pitz earns Department of Energy lifetime distinguished achievement award
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) engineer Bill Pitz has earned a lifetime distinguished achievement award from the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (DOE VTO) for his significant contributions to the field of chemical kinetics. Pitz, along with retiree Charles Westbrook, produced a chemical kinetic study of fuel additives for engine knock in…
Pandemic drives down U.S. energy use in 2020
Americans used approximately 7 percent less energy in 2020, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Each year, LLNL releases flow charts that illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy. Americans used 92.9 quads (quadrillion BTU) of energy, which is 7.2 quads less or 7…
No miracles required: Scientists, industry experts agree California’s carbon capture and storage can be a reality
When it comes to California implementing a carbon capture and storage program to reach the state’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2045, nothing too newfangled needs to take place. During a forum titled “Carbon Capture and Sequestration in California: Regional Insights and Community Attitudes,” a group of scientists, California policymakers and industry leaders came together…
Stepped-up U.S. investment in fusion energy
An influential Department of Energy (DOE) advisory committee has recommended that the nation move aggressively toward the deployment of fusion energy, including investments in technology and equipment to support one of the core missions of LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) — laying the groundwork for the development of inertial fusion energy (IFE). The report,…
