ENTREPRENEURS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, INC.

ENTREPRENEURS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, INC. Our mission: to promote successful commercialization of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies developed with the support of the Department of Energy’s Inventions & Innovation E-3: A Commercialization Cooperative Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. (E-3) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation organized by former grantees of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Inventions & Innovation (I&I), formerly the Energy-Related Inventions Program. E-3 promotes the commercialization of new, energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies developed by individuals and small businesses that receive grants through the I&I and other programs in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The founders of E-3 saw their successes were due in large part by receiving the right kind of help, at the right time. Developing a commercialization strategy is not just about finding the money; it’s finding a solution a customer will buy. E-3 members span the commercialization spectrum, from recent grantees to the individuals and small businesses that received grants ten or fifteen years ago that are now operating mature businesses, to serial entrepreneurs. Our members are also trusted and knowledgeable service providers and individuals in the corporate, financial, and legal communities who have an interest in the entrepreneur and their contribution to the economy and productivity. Participation in E-3 is not limited to just I&I, SBIR, or other grant recipients. E-3’s goal is to increase the number of successful, entrepreneurial ventures. We undertake this mission in multiple ways: (1) use our successes to promote the I&I and increase the number of grants funded; (2) provide education and training to first-time entrepreneurs to shorten the time and reduce the cost to commercialization; (3) use the experience, contacts, and capabilities of this community to find solutions, big and small; (4) offer specialized mentoring services by experienced entrepreneurs; (5) develop relationships in the financial community to expand access to capital. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ How does E-3 help the entrepreneur? Information, exposure and contacts • the eeeluminator, the E-3 quarterly newsletter publicizes members’ successes and provides valuable information; bulletins and announcements concerning topics of interest to entrepreneurs, such as, federal solicitations, new regulations and laws, private funding sources, state initiatives, etc. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS President & Chairman James Echols Sidtec Services, Inc. Houston, TX Vice-President Robert De Saro Energy Research Company Staten Island, NY Secretary George Dzyacky 2ndpoint, Inc. St. John, IN Treasurer Redmond Clark, Ph.D. Metalforming Controls Corp. Cary, IL Larry K. Acker ACT Metlund D’Mand Systems Costa Mesa, CA Masood Akhtar, Ph.D. Center for Technology Transfer, Inc. Madison, WI Joseph Fabiano Fabiano Cutting Tools, Inc. Rockford, IL Kenneth L. Smedberg Smedberg Machine Corp. Crete, IL ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ • Semi-annual meetings. Networking, seminars, presentations on topics of interest and support from other entrepreneurs. Annual Spring Meeting in Washington, DC in late April or early May. Fall Meetings in late October. 2003 - Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City 2004 - Houston Technology Center • Website - www.e3energy.org • Connections to experts and professional services that members have used and will endorse. • Assist in identifying the resources that will be most valuable in addressing their needs. • Promoting their technology, products and companies through joint participation in trade shows and conferences, the E-3 website, newsletter and other media. Inventions & Innovation (I&I) Individuals and small businesses face many obstacles developing an energy-saving invention. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Inventions and Innovation (I&I) offers financial and technical support to inventors and businesses for promising energy-saving concepts and technologies. I&I selects technologies to receive grants through a competitive process. Technologies that offer significant energy savings and future commercial market potential are eligible for I&I support. http://www.eere.energy.gov/inventions April, 2005 Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. www.e3energy.org U.S. – Kzakhstan Energy Partnership Working Group Washington D.C. September 7, 2005 1. 2. Encouraging Small Business Development Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. Personal background Treasurer of E-3, current President/CEO of three companies Former university professor Serial entrepreneur Over $50,000,000 in raised capital Five commercialized technologies, services in us and international markets Focus in energy, environmental sectors Presentation focus At the present time Kazakhstan has over 30% of GDP coming from oil production Country leaders wish to diversify economy further This presentation will focus on how E-3 experience can guide government actions to: Support in-country small business creation Support small company growth Commercialization Cooperative Non-profit founded by successful former grantees Over 50 members in industry verticals aligned with EERE programs Unique perspective on challenges confronting inventors Guiding hand to recent grantees Vital feedback to DOE program offices What does E-3 offer members? Critical bridges to commercialization Education and training by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs Meeting agendas, Oct 2003 – April 2005 Contacts, networks and mentors Business and strategic planning support Access to seed capital (DOE, angels) Introduction to potential investors Access to national exposure through newsletter, exhibitions and website Excerpts from quarterly newsletter E-3 Expertise: Representative Technologies Building Technologies Insulating concrete forms – Lite-Form International i 3. 4. 5. 1-2 3-6 7 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Water and energy conservation – ACT Inc. Metlund Systems 3R High efficiency A/C – Allied Energy Systems 8 Renewable Energy & Remote Infrastructure Commercial PV – PowerLight Corp. 9 Passive Solar – SolarRoof.com 10 Concentrating Solar – Solar Focus, Inc. 11 Thermal PV – JX Crystals, Inc. 12 Potable water – Fluxtron Holdings, Inc. 13 Industrial Laser Diagnostics - Energy Research Co. 14 Advanced Materials – Allomet Corporation 15 Transportation & advanced propulsion Diesel to natural gas conversion – Energy Conversions Inc. 16 Forming High Strength Steel - Metalforming Controls Corp. 17 Jirov turbine – General Vortex Energy 3L Oil & Gas Distillation column efficiency – 2ndpoint LLC 18 Pipe inspection - Tubular Ultrasound / Oil Country Tubular Goods, Inc. 19 Positive displacement pump – Newton Technologies, Inc. 20 Pipeline monitoring – LaSen, Inc. 21 What Do Entrepreneurs Want / Need Based on our combined experience, entrepreneurs have some common needs: Access to technical resources, Access to strong management resources Access to capital markets Readily available information and information flows A degree of market stability As these ingredients become available, new businesses grow Needs Change as Companies Evolve Early stage companies need very broad spectrum support because inventors are rarely good managers and capital needs are great As the company matures and the management team improves, needs tend to focus more on financial support Government support of small businesses Support/develop investment capital markets Provide non-cash resources Facilities, laboratories, technical support Develop/improve infrastructure Communications, transportation, education Consistent regulations Protection of intellectual property Labor policies Consume goods and services How can E-3 contribute? Perspective from small business / entrepreneur Help structure training programs Input on appropriate technologies Promote best practices in business creation Provide successful examples of growth strategy ii Contact Information Workshop Participants Echols, James Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. (713) 660-7948 3740 Garnet St.; Houston; TX 77005 www.e3energy.org E-mail: jechols@e3energy.org Clark, Redmond Metalforming Controls Corp. (847) 639-1165 760-A Industrial Dr.; Cary; IL 60013-1959 www.metalformingcontrols.com E-mail: rclark@mfcontrols.com Boras, Ken BCS, Incorporated (410) 997-7778 , x-212 5550 Sterrett Place, Ste 306; Columbia; MD 21044 www.bcs-hq.com E-mail: kboras@bcs-hq.com Building Technologies Insulating concrete forms – Lite-Form International Boeshart, Pat Lite-Form Technologies (402) 241-4402 1950 West 29th Street; South Sioux City; NE 68766 www.liteform.com E-mail: pboeshart@liteform.com Water and energy conservation – ACT Inc. Metlund Systems Acker, Larry K. ACT Inc. Metlund D'mand Systems (714) 668-1200 3176 Pullman St Ste 119; Costa Mesa; CA 92626 www.gothotwater.com E-mail: larry@gothotwater.com High efficiency A/C – Allied Energy Systems Merritt, John Allied Energy Systems (512) 658-5775 1903 Westridge; Austin; TX 78704 www.alliedenergysystems.com E-mail: jmerritt@productvoice.com Renewable Energy & Remote Infrastructure Commercial PV – PowerLight Corp. Shugar, Daniel S. PowerLight Corporation (510) 540-0550 www.powerlight.com E-mail: dshugar@powerlight.com Passive Solar – SolarRoof.com Rich, Al SolarRoofs.com Inc. (916) 481-7200 5840 Gibbons Drive; Carmichael; CA 95608 www.solarroofs.com E-mail: richsolar@aol.com Concentrating Solar – Solar Focus, Inc. Frazier, Scott Solar-Focus, Inc. (301) 681-0696 812 Northwest Dr.; Silver Spring; MD 20901 www.solar-focus.com E-mail: sfrazier@solar-focus.com Thermal PV – JX Crystals, Inc. Fraas, Lewis JX Crystals, Inc. (425) 392-5237 1105 12 Ave NW Ste A 2; Issaquah; WA 98027 www.jxcrystals.com E-mail: lfraas@jxcrystals.com Potable water – Fluxtron Holdings, Inc. Cozad, John Fluxtron Holdings, Inc. (713) 539-1442 www.fluxtronholdings.com E-mail: jcozad@fluxtronholdings.com Industrial Laser Diagnostics - Energy Research Co. De Saro, Robert Energy Research Company 2571-A Arthur Kill Road; Staten Island; NY 10309 www.er-co.com E-mail: rdesaro@er-co.com Advanced Materials – Allomet Corporation Toth, Rick Allomet Corporation (724) 864-4787 509 Hahntown-Wendel Road; North Huntingdon; PA 15642 www.allomet.net E-mail: ricktoth@aol.com iv iii Transportation & advanced propulsion Diesel to natural gas conversion – Energy Conversions Inc. Jensen, Paul Energy Conversions Inc. (253) 922-6670 6411 Pacific Hwy East; Tacoma; WA 98424-1587 www.energyconversions.com E-mail: paul@energyconversions.com Forming High Strength Steel - Metalforming Controls Corp. See Clark, Redmond Jirov turbine – General Vortex Energy Kramer, Ken General Vortex Energy, Inc. (713) 781-3552 , X-258 2900 Wilcrest, Ste 245; Houston; TX 77042 www.generalvortexenergy.com E-mail: kenkramer@3mark.com Oil & Gas Distillation column efficiency – 2ndpoint, LLC Dzyacky, George 2ndpoint, LLC (219) 712-0434 524 Pinehurst Ln; Schererville; IN 46375 www.2ndpoint.com E-mail: gdzyacky@2ndpoint.com Pipe inspection - Tubular Ultrasound / Oil Country Tubular Goods, Inc. Siverling, David Tubular Ultrasound / Oil Country Tubular Goods, Inc. (713) 426-1072 9200 Sheldon Rd.; Houston; TX 77049 www.octg.org E-mail: david@octg.org Positive displacement pump – Newton Technologies, Inc. Newton, Carl Newton Technologies, Inc. (504) 340-4149 Suwannee Dr.; Marrero; LA 70072 www.newtontechnologies.com E-mail: carl.neweton@cantv.net Pipeline monitoring – LaSen, Inc. Jennett, Rusty LaSen, Inc. (505) 522-5110 300 N. Telshor, Ste 400; Las Cruces; NM; 88011 www.laseninc.com E-mail: rjennett@zianet.com 2005 Fall Meeting Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. ________________________ Hyatt Regency O’Hare 9300 W. Bryn Mawr Chicago, IL 60018 Announcing a New Model for the Fall Meeting: This year we are deviating from the form of our first two fall meetings. Instead of a day-long series of presentations in the middle of the week, we are planning a more participatory, workshop environment with two distinct segments. An Introduction to Commercialization Training In this session, Mr. Ron Steuterman, Director, Technology Transfer Initiative, Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Purdue University; and Brian O’Riordan, the Springbourne Consultancy, will present an overview of a week-long, intensive workshop, describing the innovation process, product development, market analysis and commercialization strategies. This will be followed by "Planning for Commercialization - What is a commercialization plan and why do one? How do you begin? How do you use it? How hard is it?" Al Brizzolara, the former Research Manager, DuPont Fibers Pioneering Research Laboratory, will introduce this critical aspect of the commercialization process. Member Presentations Using the model of the industry venture forums, four or five members will make 12-20 minute presentations on their technology and commercialization plan before a panel of senior E-3 members, guests from the venture capital and financial community, and other professionals. After lunch, individual breakout sessions will convene for each presenter where smaller groups will brainstorm on barriers to entry or other challenges dealing with presentation, partnering, or market definition. The emphasis will be on addressing the needs of the individual member and working to build relationships within the organization. Preliminary Agenda 8:00 AM Continental breakfast, introductions 8:30 AM An Introduction to Commercialization Training Brian O’Riordan, The Springbourne Company Ron Steuterman, Purdue University 9:30 AM Planning for Commercialization Al Brizzolara, Research Manager, DuPont Fibers Pioneering Research Laboratory (ret.) 10:30 AM Member presentations [10:40, 11:00, 11:20, 11:40] Noon Lunch Key Note Address: Kenneth Haseley, The Ammerman Experience 1:30 PM Breakout sessions, brainstorming 3:30 PM Summaries and discussion 5:00 PM Adjourn v vi 2005 Annual Meeting Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. (E-3) ___________________ Key Bridge Marriott 1401 Lee Highway Arlington, Virginia 22209 2004 Fall Meeting Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. ________________________ Houston Technology Center www.houstontech.org 410 Pierce St. Houston, TX 77002 October 28, 2004 Thursday, October 28, 2004 Angel Investors Paul Frison, CEO Houston Technology Center Venture Capital Perspectives on Alternative Energy John Berger, Cantango Capital Management www.contangocapital.com E-3 member success story Red Clark, Metalforming Controls Grant writing / proposals Dr. Wayne Hayden, MMPaCT, Inc. Technology Valuation Thomas Murphy, PH.D., J.D., Senior Manager, Quantitative Services Global Energy and Capital Markets Practice Deloitte & Touche LLP Matt Kelley, Senior Associate Deloitte & Touche LLP Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Wendell Leimbach, American Express/MLE Consulting Panel Discussion with E-3 Officers and Board What would our attendee's like to hear from future speakers. What do our attendee's consider the benefits of E-3 and relationship of E-3 to I & I. Do our attendee's have suggestions on adding new members to E-3. Future goals of E-3 in developing relationships between new technology, funding opportunities and expanding responsibilities of E-3. April 27, 2005 7:30-8:30 8:30 - 9:15 9:15 - 10:00 10:00 - 10:30 10:30 - 11:30 Breakfast buffet & Introductions, Jim Echols David Johnston - What's Working, Inc., a nationally recognized pioneer company that transforms markets in the U.S. residential green building sector. Larry Acker - CEO, ACT Inc. Metlund Systems Moving into International Markets – Experience with Certification in Australia Break Ashok Jain – Principal, Financial Advisory Services, Deloitte & Touche Matthew Rychetsky - Financial Advisory Services, Deloitte & Touche Technology Commercialization and Valuation Framework Prepare for Luncheon (move to dining room & thru buffet) Keynote Presentation: Barry Moltz, co-founder Prairie Angels (www.prairieangels.org), author of You Need to be a Little Crazy Dr. David Bonner – President & COO, Ideation International, Inc. Innovative and Effective Solutions to Resolve Vexing Challenges David Terry - Executive Director, Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) Presents an overview of ASERTTI and the State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) Break A panel discussion with representatives from state agencies, moderated by Gary Klein, California Energy Commission Chis Vandenberg, Illinois Finance Authority Miriam Pye, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Masood Akhtar, Wisconsin Center for Technology Transfer Jim Echols, E-3: Expanding the “Commercialization Cooperative” 11:30 - 12:00 12:00 - 1:00 1:15 – 2:00 2:00 - 2:30 2:30 – 3:00 3:00 – 4:30 4:30 – 5:00 Meeting Agenda, 03-25-05 2004 Annual Meeting Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. (E-3) ___________________ Marriott Crystal City 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, Virginia 22202 2003 Fall Meeting Entrepreneurs for Energy Efficiency, Inc. ________________________ Conference Center at Kauffman Legacy Park Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation 4801 Rockhill Road Kansas City, MO 64110-2046 November 10 & 11, 2003 Monday, November 10, 2003 (Board Meeting, All Members Invited) 2:00 pm 2:15 2:30 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 6:30 7:30 Welcome & Introductions Mentoring Projects; Progress & Plans Review E-3 Business Plan & Budget 2003 Appropriations for I&I Proposed Strategy for Fiscal Year 2004 New E-3 Officer Nominations Membership Goals Adjourn Reception No-host dinner Jim Echols, President E-3 Dave Jamison, ORNL Bob De Saro, Vice President Jim Echols, Dave Jamison Jim Echols, Bob De Saro April 28, 2004 7:30-8:30 8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast buffet & Introductions, Jim Echols Success Story: Creating Alliances to Gain Product Endorsements and Penetrate Distribution Channels, Larry Acker, ACT Inc. Metlund Systems Break Why? Why Not? In Addition to That? (a highly interactive session about mentoring) , Gary Klein, Director, California Energy Commission Prepare for Luncheon (move to dining room & thru buffet) Keynote Presentation: Moving New Technology to the Market: Lessons Learned from Energy Star , Sam Rashkin, National Director, Energy Star for Homes, Environmental Protection Agency Crafting the Licensing Agreement, Jan Haerer, President, Topaz Consulting Group. Entrepreneurial Innovation Approach to Large Corporations, Denny Wenrick, Consultant, Strategic Signals, Inc. (Retired Executive of Owens-Corning) E-3 Challenges, Jim Echols 9:30 - 10:00 10:00 - 11:00 Dave Jamison 11:00 - 11:30 11:30 - 1:00 Tuesday, November 11, 2003 (Members & Invited Guests & Potential New Members) 7:30 am 8:00 8:30 9:30 10:15 10:45 11:30 12:00 12:45 2:00 3:00 3:20 5:00 Buffet breakfast open Welcome and Introduction of New Members “Prepare to be Quoted” Presentations that Win Investments Success Story: Concrete Wall Forming System that’s revolutionized construction Break Panel: Securing Your Customers “Dollars for Commercialization” Buffet Lunch Keynote: “New Entrepreneurial Tools and the Foundation’s Experiences” Business & Industrial Strategy through Intellectual Property Analysis Break Developing Financial Strategy & Exit Adjourn Jim Echols Lynn Segall, President Professionally Speaking Pat Boeshart, President Lite-Form Concrete Systems Bob De Saro, George Dzyacky Red Clark Bill Harrington, President Vista Ventures, LLC Marianne Hudson Kauffman Foundation Kurt Baumgartner, President Devine Corp. Dennis Grahl, Strategic Advisory Services. 1:00 - 2:00 2:00 - 3:00 3:30 – 4:00 the eeeluminator entrepreneurs for energy efficiency the eeeluminator Page 2 of 6 For new home or commercial construction Metlund D’MAND Systems are designed into the home or business through a procedure called “STRUCTURED PLUMBING”. www.gothotwater.com Over 50,000 Metlund D’MAND Systems have been sold and distributed in the US and Canada, since 1990. The Metlund D’MAND System has been tested and approved by the Oak Ridge National Laboratories (DOE funded) to save both energy and water. In the US, the Metlund D’MAND Systems have received several awards and also receive rebates from water utilities in the country. They are GreenSpec Listed and receive LEEDS building credits for new construction. D’MAND Systems are also under EPA consideration for ENERGY STAR Credits. In the last year ACT Inc. Metlund Systems have received the Australian SAI WATERMARK LISTING. This Australian testing procedure is the most difficult government testing for water and energy in the world. The Metlund D’MAND System is the only “on demand” hot water distribution system to receive the WATERMARK LISTING. ACT Inc. Metlund Systems has entered into a partnership distribution agreement with Diamond-Shimmer/ Marbletrend Kitchen & Bath Manufacturer, headquartered in Melbourne Australia. Marbletrend is one of Australia’s leading suppliers of kitchen & Bath products for residential and commercial use. www.marbletrend.com.au/gothotwater The quarterly newsletter of E-3 www.e3energy.org January, 2005 Vol.3 No.1 Our mission: to promote successful commercialization of energy efficient technologies developed with the support of the Department of Energy’s Inventions & Innovation Program General Vortex HTC Energy Forum leads to HBJ article Navy funds power engine project Small-scale success spurs development of potent turbine made by Russian scientists E-3 member, Ken Kramer, was featured in a January 7, 2004 article in the Houston Business Journal, reported by Monica Perin. A team of Russian scientists and a Houston entrepreneur hope to develop a revolutionary new engine with a fresh round of funding from the U.S. Navy. Principals of General Vortex Energy Inc. claim their creation will burn any kind of fuel — liquid, gas, or biowaste — at twice the efficiency of other engines. And at the same time, emissions are sharply reduced. The patented Jirnov Vortex Turbine engine, they contend, could one day replace most of the internal combustion engines and gas turbines that power everything from cars to air conditioners to electricity generation plants. In 2003, the Office of Naval Research gave General Vortex $100,000 to construct a 30-kilowatt prototype of the engine. Test results impressed the navy so much that they upped the ante for a larger version. General Vortex recently received a $1 million grant to produce an upgraded 125-kilowatt prototype engine that will undergo more extensive tests at a Navy facility. The Jirnov engine was invented and patented by Russian scientist Alexei Jirnov in collaboration with group of colleagues that included Anatoli Borissov. Both Jirnov and Borissov came to the United States around 1990 and continued their research at the University of Houston. General Vortex was formed in 1994 by Borissov, his brother Alexander, and Ken Kramer, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” with a degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University. The partners launched the startup to develop and commercialize the four patented technologies for separate components of the Jirnov Vortex Turbine. Early on, the company received a $155,000 research grant from the Texas Council of Environmental Technology for developing a combustion chamber technology that exceeded the council’s targets for fuel efficiency and emission reduction. That was followed by the $100,000 grant from the Navy to build the small prototype engine, and the $1 million now being used to duplicate the engine on a larger scale. If the 125-kilowatt engine exceeds performance standards along the lines of the first prototype, General Vortex could receive a purchase order and a $3 million grant from the Navy to establish a production facility. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2005/01/10/ story1.html Act Inc. Metlund Systems Supplies Metlund D'Mand Hot Water Distribution Systems to Australia And New Zealand. ACT Inc. D’MAND Systems is an emerging technology firm from the I & I grant program. The original grant was to study a “Recovery Hot Water System” that saved energy by returning hot water that was trapped in the line after hot water was used by the residential home owner. In 1990 the Hot water D’MAND System was created to save energy and water by electronically pumping the hot water to the fixture on the demand of the user. The Metlund D’MAND Systems is a process of moving the hot water to the fixtures in the home or business without the loss of water down the drain. In existing homes the cold water in the hot water line is rapidly transferred back into the water heater by reversing the cold water line. This occurs only on the demand of the user. Activation can be by buttons, motion sensors, flow switches, and in June of 2005, introducing “Voice Activation”. The electronics and sensor built into the D’MAND System operates on a Delta-T or rise of temperature and once hot water is in the line, the D’MAND System will not reactivate. Larry Acker, CEO and Donna-Marie, President, met with the principals of Marbletrend and several of the Governmental Agencies of Australia the end of January to review introducing the Metlund D’MAND System into their water and energy regulations. Attending the meetings were one of Australia’s largest builders, Masterton Homes. Australia is currently in a major drought and reviewing all water savings programs that are proven to save both energy and water. The government of Australia sets the regulations for energy and water use through the Dept. of Energy Utilities and Sustainability, Sydney and Melbourne Water Agencies and the NSW Government Initiatives. Because of these controls, decisions can be made and regulations put into place rapidly. It is estimated that sales for export of Metlund D’MAND Systems to Australia in the next 16 months will be between 40,000 to 60,000 D’MAND Systems. This will represent additional sales of $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 for ACT Inc. Metlund Systems. ACT Inc. will also introduce other energy savings products in the next year to the US, Canada and Australia. Heat Traps should be ready for shipment sometime in the next 6 months. E-3 2005 Annual Meeting April 27, 2005 Washington, D.C. Marriott Key Bridge 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington VA the eeelluminator Vol 2 No 4 Page 3 of 9 the eeelluminator Page 4 of 9 E-3 Sponsors Booth at World Energy Engineering Conference distribution; provide summer cooling; and decrease maintenance costs. SOLARWALL is an award-winning technology. Popular Science magazine, Research & Development Magazine, and the United States Department of Energy all agree that SOLARWALL is a technology at the top of its field. SOLARWALL systems have been designed and installed for the Ford Motor Company, the U.S. Army, Bombardier, Federal Express, and the Windsor Housing Authority. E-3 Trade Show and Industry Forum Initiative As a result of the WEEC show, E-3 is proposing to expand this experiment to other industry groupings and trade shows. If you’re interested in participating in an annual conference, trade show or industry forum, let us know what show or conference, and if you can, identify other E-3 members that would benefit. Professional associations or Industry Trade Show WEEC, Austin, TX, Sep 14-15, 2005 IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference and Exhibition, Lake Buena Vista, FL, Jan 3-7, 2005 Industry Forums Energy Technology Venture Capital Conference, Houston, TX, Nov 30 – Dec 2, 2004 Cleantech Venture Forum VI, SF, CA, Mar 22-24, 2005 World’s Best Techology, Arlington, TX, Mar 28-30, 2005 18th NREL Industry Growth Forum, SF, CA, Nov 7-9 ‘05 Lite-Form International SOLARWALL ACT, Inc. D’Mand Systems In September, E-3 sponsored a 10 x 20 booth at the World Energy Engineering Congress, the annual convention of the Association of Energy Engineers. The WEEC is considered the most important energy event of national scope for end users and energy professional in all areas of the energy field. The attendees are concentrated in commercial, institutional and industrial applications. Areas of interest included: Renewable and alternative energy Combined heat & Power / cogeneration / distributed generation Lighting efficiency HVAC systems and controls Integrated building automation energy management Thermal storage and load management Boilers and combustion controls Geoexchange technologies Solar and fuel cell technologies Applications specific to federal energy management programs Energy services and project financing In late July, all E-3 members involved in building technologies were contacted to determine the interest in participating in this trade show, with the concept being that some of our members would consider taking a booth on their own would be too expensive. After conferring with Rolf Butters, a couple of other leads were pursued and within a couple of weeks, three companies signed on to display: ACT, Inc. Metlund®Systems Web-site: www.gothotwater.com ACT, Inc. Metlund Systems is the technology and product leader of water and energy saving hot water demand distribution pumping systems in North America. Our superior performance, high quality, cost-effective Metlund D'MAND® Systems are electronically controlled and operated on demand, conveniently and rapidly bringing hot water from the water heater to the fixtures. The Metlund Hot Water D'MAND System has been saving water and energy on approximately 25,000 homes since 1992. Over 300 builders nationwide specify the Metlund D'MAND System on their new homes. Lite-Form International Web page: www.liteform.com Lite-Form® International is responsible for the worldwide distribution of the Lite-Deck® Insulating Concrete Formand the Fold-Form® Insulating concrete system. The FoldForm systems use high density rigid polystyrene to contain the monolithic concrete wall. Unlike framed construction, there are no bridges or cold spots in this permanent blanket of insulation. Fold-Form blocks have an insulating value of R-18 by test. The insulating value of finished walls can be in excess of R-23, depending on the concrete wall thickness and finishing materials selected. For Safe Room Applications, Fold-Form’s solid concrete walls was proven to be the best protection against flying debris created by winds as high as 200 miles per hour, when compared to conventional framed walls or hollow concrete block walls. Fold-Form has been specified for structures which require bullet-proof and impact resistant walls. Recent tests conducted by the Department of Defense demonstrate that solid concrete walls can even withstand the destructive forces of explosive devices. Conserval Systems Inc. Web-site: www.solarwall.com SOLARWALL® Fresh Air Heating System is an efficient and cost effective way to solar heat large buildings. Our patented metal wall cladding and air handling system can: heat intake air; improve indoor air quality; improve heat Akady Horak, Pat Boeshart (Lite-Form), Jonathan Tracy (SOLARWALL), Mark Franklin, Jerry Johnson (Water Savers) Inventions Evaluated for Use in Zero Energy Homes The DOE Building America program is a public-private partnership sponsoring the development of energy-efficient homes. The program promotes the use state-of-the-art, building technologies in efforts to provide marketable near net Zero Energy Homes (ZEH) by 2010. ZEHs will incorporate a variety of customized innovations to produce enough on-site energy to offset their energy consumption from utility grids. The use of solar photovoltaics, biomassmicroturbines, fuel cells, and thermal and electric storage are among the technologies anticipated for use in achieving this goal. Through the Building America program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) Building Technology Center (BTC) has constructed four Habitat for Humanity homes in Lenoir City, Tennessee. The homes integrate and monitor the use of ORNL-tested technologies, and they serve as prototypes of zero net energy designs. Jeff Christian, director of the BTC, states that “Building America designs for this area can save from 50%-70% on energy requirements and at little or no extra cost to the builder over his previous construction methods.” As Christian plans the construction of 20 more Habitat homes, he is considering the inclusion of the several I&I inventions of E3 members. The following technologies are of interest and being evaluated for use in the program: Ice Bear™ of Ice Energy, Inc. - Efficient, affordable, off-the-shelf distributed energy storage module that offsets on-peak air conditioning electric demand by shifting energy consumption to lower priced off-peak hours Solar SKYLITE® Water Heater of American Solar Network, Ltd. - Hot water provided on demand from lightweight, low-cost rooftop collector the eeelluminator Page 5 of 9 the eeelluminator Vol 2, No. 3 Page 3 Improved Poured Concrete Wall Forming System of Lite-Form International - An innovative system for pouring concrete wall and foundations that can achieve an R-22 insulating barrier Electrochromatic Windows: Advanced Processing Technology of SAGE Electrochromics, Inc. Windows with the ability to adjust to changing sunlight conditions to conserve energy. Power Rim™ High-Wattage Energy-Saving Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Adaptor for Recessed Downlights of Power Lux Corporation - Easily installed adaptor kit that allowing a CFL to screw into the incandescent socket of a downlight to reduce energy and costs High-Efficiency Variable Dehumidification for Air Conditioners of Advantek Consulting, Incorporated - Energy-efficient air conditioning technology that lowers indoor humidity to maintain comfort at higher thermostat settings D’MAND® Hot Water Waste Prevention System of Advanced Conservation Technology, Inc. (ACT, Inc.) - Reduction of water-heating energy requirements and water waste through a new system that returns water in the hot water pipe to the boiler or water heater through the cold water line. Christian is currently evaluating the above technologies for use in residential settings. In addition, the following inventions are being considered for commercial and industrial settings: Electronic Starter Device for Fluorescent Lamps of Beacon Light Products, Inc. RR-1 Insulating Screw Cap of Romine Company Simple Control for Single-Phase AC Induction Motors in HVAC Systems of Opto Generic Devices, Inc. Cromer Cycle Air Conditioner of Solar Engineering Company Phosphors for Use in High Efficiency Lighting and Displays of Brilliant Technologies For more information about the use of I&I inventions in ORNL BTC projects, contact David Jamison at 865-5769679 or jamisondk@ornl.gov. Jeff Christian can be contacted regarding ORNL BTC programs at 865-5745207 or christianje@ornl.gov. Doing Business in Turkmenistan Gary W. Thacker There are some huge business opportunities in Turkmenistan, however they present some very unique challenges. This former Soviet Republic borders Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The head of the KGB in Turkmenistan took control of the country and now runs it with absolute control. Mr. Niyazov is president for life, and since surviving an assassination attempt in November 2002 he has run the country as a tightly controlled police state. We’re not in Kansas anymore. Turkmenistan possesses the fifth largest oil reserves in the world. Gas and oil account for 83% of the country’s exports. These revenues have enabled the country to avoid much of the economic disruption that most of the other former Soviet Republics have experienced. Most of the oil is under the Caspian Sea, where mostly expatriate workers live and work on the offshore oil platforms. While this produces a lot of hard currency, it does not employ many Turkmen. The only other significant industry in Turkmenistan is agriculture. Half of the irrigated land is planted to cotton. Cotton and textiles are the next largest of Turkmenistan’s exports. To build up the agriculture industry and to keep people employed, the government is investing heavily in new farm equipment. The Rome-Pegasus cotton plow is an energy saving invention developed in the Inventions & Innovation Program. The agriculture minister of Turkmenistan saw the demonstration video and became enthusiastic about the cost and time savings of the machine. It is now sold worldwide by the Rome Plow Company of The Rome Plow in Turkmenistan Cedartown, Georgia. An on-site demonstration was required, which started Rome Plow’s sales manager and I on a very interesting adventure. Just getting into Turkmenistan is difficult. To get a visa, you must be invited in by the government or by a company based there. Politics and personal connections are everything in this country, and Rome NEWS MEDIA CONTACT October 15, 2004 Jack Solomon, Vision2020 Chairman 203-837-2164 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Partners Needed to Collaborate on R&D for Chemicals Industry The Chemical Industry Vision2020 Technology Partnership (Vision2020) and the Council for Chemical Research (CCR) will hold a unique Workshop to Identify Research Collaborations on December 2, 2004, in Baltimore, MD. Technical experts and R&D managers are invited to join this one-day workshop to develop new R&D partnerships. Participants will generate ideas for innovative R&D projects, describe the economic benefits, find complementary R&D partners, and identify potential sources of project funding. The workshop will focus on funding opportunities with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Vision2020 and CCR are sponsoring this event to bring together potential partners from academia, government, and private industry. “We’re creating an environment for key players to discover new opportunities for working together on areas of importance to the chemical industry,” said Jack Solomon, chair of Vision2020. “Our goal is to secure funding for innovative research that can deliver realistic economic benefits,” he explained. Program managers from DOE and NSF will present their research focus areas and identify available funding in five areas: alternative energy production, storage and transmission, alternative fossil based feedstocks and chemistries, energy efficient process alternatives, energy conversion, and environmental science. Researchers will then describe their interest areas and expertise. Participants will scope out difficult scientific or technological challenges that could be effectively tackled by the available resources to produce important economic and societal benefits. Early registration for the workshop is encouraged. To see a preliminary agenda and register, visit our website at http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/collaboration.html. the eeelluminator Page 4 the eeelluminator Page 5 Plow Company’s connections are through Kaywan Trading LLC, a Dubai-based farm equipment dealer who specializes in doing business in the Arab world and the CIS. It gets stranger yet. Kaywan Trading’s connections in Turkmenistan are with the IPC Group, which is a dealer that sells Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Case New Holland (CNH), John Deere and Caterpillar under the same roof. We are not aware of any other place on the planet where the major farm equipment manufacturers allow their brands to be sold alongside the competition. The bottom line is that IPC has the political connections to the government, and if you want to sell farm equipment in Turkmenistan IPC is your only choice. In the case of our “short-line” farm equipment, Rome Plow manufactures equipment and sells it wholesale to Kaywan Trading, who imports it into Turkmenistan and sells it to IPC, who sells it to the government (this is still a Soviet-style economy). Although this is an unusual way of doing business, I must give the government credit for investing in more productive farm equipment. With the extra layer of marketing and the high cost of getting heavy machinery into the country, machinery is extraordinarily expensive. After running clapped-out Soviet machinery, the Turkmen farmers are enthralled with Americanmade machinery. We were welcomed by the all of Turkmen we met; I suppose in no small part because of the technology we bring. The capital is Ashgabat, which is just north of the border with Iran. Ashgabat is well developed with good Western-style accommodations. It has a Soviet appearance, with most citizens living in socialist-style apartment blocks. There are some very ostentatious monuments to the nation and president Niyazov. We demonstrated the Rome-Pegasus cotton plow in Dasoguz, a small city near the border with Uzbekistan. It took us 12 hours to drive the 600-kilometer distance, negotiating around potholes big enough to park a pickup in, old Soviet trucks, donkey carts, sand dunes on the highway and the occasional camel. Accommodations were not nearly as nice as in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan’s vast agricultural resources are underutilized and poorly managed. The country is ringed with mountains that shed considerable runoff for irrigation, and the Soviets built very large canal systems to move the water around. The irrigation canals are poorly maintained, and none are lined with concrete to minimize conveyance losses of water. In irrigated agriculture, applying the water to the land is only half of the problem. The other half of the problem is to remove the saline drainage water. To do this, the Soviets dug drainage canals that are below the water table depth of the farmland. The idea is to allow the saline water to drain away and keep the soil profile from accumulating salt. All of the drainage canals were full of water, but are so choked with weeds that the water does not flow. Most of the land is water logged and much of it has a thick white crust of salt. With the KGB following us around, we never forgot that we were in a police state. They even followed us out to the cotton field where we demonstrated the cotton plow. Agents had orders not to touch us, but to report on everything we did. I suppose they were armed, so maybe we were safer with them nearby. The Rome-Pegasus cotton plow performed magnificently. Our dealer shot videotape for review with other officials who would be involved in the purchase decision. I have sold farm equipment in the US and Mexico, where farmers are some of the most price-sensitive customers on the planet. That was not the case in Turkmenistan. The machine worked well, and they wanted 100 of them (they don’t buy in small quantities). As of this writing, the deal is still making its way through the peculiar politics of doing business in the region. One consideration The team at work The road to Somewhere The donkey cart as transportation Nizazov’s Palace in the capital, Ashgabat is the time and difficulty of shipping heavy equipment into the country. The preferred route is by sea to St. Petersburg, then into Turkmenistan via the old Soviet rail system. This takes a minimum of 75 days from the US, and our Dubai-based dealer must be alert for any Russian along the way who may waylay the containers and demand a bribe. There is a lot of corruption, and you can expect to pay a bribe just to get your bags loaded onto your flight. I have no idea what kind of a margin it requires to do business in that part of the world. If we had just gone in there representing the Rome Plow Company, as we do in the rest of the world, we would not have known where to start. We do know for certain that there are some very large transactions to be made. Page 2 ALLIED ENERGY SYSTEMS The Total Concept Energy Conservation Company Allied Thermal~Flow - Commercial Product Line Allied’s approach to energy conservation is to exploit the undisputed performance advantage of water-cooled air conditioning (evaporative based condensing). Allied has developed a line of Cooling Towers, Evaporative Condensers, Evaporative Fluid Coolers, Water-Cooled chillers, and the Thermal-Loop retrofit kits. It is no accident that large commercial buildings use water-cooled air conditioning systems. Allied has taken this commercial concept and redesigned a product line for the Residential and Light Commercial applications. Water-cooled air conditioning systems enjoy a 40% to 60% efficiency advantage over conventional air-cooled systems. The most dramatic efficiency gains are in the dryer climates of the Western United States. Fortunately, the western states of California, Nevada, and Arizona have the greatest need, highest electric rates, best rebates, and the fastest growth rate in the nation. It is our plan to exploit this market on both the residential and commercial sectors. Our commercial products include our Thermal~Flow fiberglass cooling towers, our new Demand~Buster closed-circuit cooling tower, our Commercial Thermal~Loop retrofit package. The complete equipment package is a perfect fit for the energy service contractors that are very active in the west. Historically, the energy service contractors have had no options with respect to the high energy cost of the air-cooled DX units in the extreme heat of the west. Now, for the first time we can offer a retrofit solution to the poor performing air-cooled DX systems in the extreme heat of the West. Thermal~Flow Fiberglass Cooling Towers- 10 to 50 Tons Non- Corrosive Light Weight Modular Design Freeze Proof Light Block Air Intake Chemical Free Operation The fiberglass cooling tower line can be offered in several configurations : Open cooling tower design for conventional applications Closed-Circuit design for remote condensing jobs and industrial process heat applications, geothermal heat pump loop augmentation etc. Evaporative Condenser designs with multiple circuits With this product line we will list with a national manufactures representative. Allied Demand~Buster Line 25 to 40 Tons Closed Circuit Fluid Cooler Stainless Steel Heat Exchangers Patent Pending Chemical Free Tower Flex-I-Clean Design Drift Lock Design Lightweight Durable stainless steel heat exchanger design provides for a hands off maintenance profile. Installations on any buildings do not require a maintenance staff for support. The Demand Buster is a closed circuit cooling tower designed to be used with our ThermalLoop applications. The lightweight tower can be installed on any roof with out structural upgrades. Can be acid cleaned with out damage. The Thermal-Loop is a retrofit concept to convert inefficient roof top units from air-cooled to water-cooled to enhance energy efficiency. Peak energy savings of 40% to 60% are possible with this very cost effective retrofit package. Allied will provide the installing contractor, a complete pre-designed package, the modular cooling tower, compressor modules, pump module, and control package. Rebates form $350 to $750 per peak kilowatt saved with this retrofit package. Other applications utilizing the closed circuit tower (using the condensing loop with a heat exchanger) to sub-cool the liquid refrigerant circuit on large air-cooled condensers and chillers. We also build this unit as a multi-circuit evaporative condenser. Allied Thermal~Flow Packaged Water-Cooled Chiller Package A new product for Allied is a modular packaged chiller system. The unit will utilize the Demand~Buster tower as a two circuit evaporative condenser mated with two 12.5 Scroll compressors, evaporators, pumps, and all controls in one skid mounted module. The plug and play chiller can be installed in parallel with additional units for the desired capacity. With EER’s greater than 14 the system will easily outperform typical 9 EER air cooled chillers. The modular design provides unparalleled part load performance and system redundancy. The plug and play design provides for a very cost effective installation, competitive with air-cooled systems. Future variations of this design will offer a Duel-Fuel option with a natural gas fired engine driven chiller add on package that will utilize the same evaporators, and cooling tower package. The system can be timed to off set electrical load during high peak power rates with time of day metering. Significant utility rebates will drive the market for this option. This system will be ready for market in 2003. c a s e s t u d y c a s e s t u d y Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Torrance, California ® S O L A R E L E C T R I C S Y S T E M S Toyota Motor Sales USA Torrance, California Specifications Toyota Motor Sales USA Headquarters, Torrance, California Background Toyota Motor Sales is the sales, marketing and customer service arm of Toyota in the United States, and a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. Toyota vehicles are manufactured in 25 countries and are renowned for their quality, reliability and value. In 2002, Toyota Motor Corp. and its subsidiaries produced more than 6.17 million vehicles worldwide. Toyota is the world’s third largest vehicle manufacturer and the fourth largest automaker in North America. Challenge Toyota elected to pursue LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for their new headquarter complex as part of the company’s Earth Charter guidelines established in 1992. This charter called on Toyota to reduce its impact on the environment in every aspect of its business. Building a green complex, however, also had to be based on smart business practices. Solution Toyota is a leader in advanced technology transportation options such as electric, gas-electric hybrid, and fuel cell hybrid vehicles. Toyota chose to incorporate solar power at their new headquarters as a key component of its energy portfolio to help meet the company’s electricity needs, lower energy costs and benefit the environment. The U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) awarded a Gold rating to Toyota’s headquarters. In April 2003, PowerLight Corporation completed the installation of a 536 kW solar system at Toyota Motor Sales’ headquarter facility in Torrance, California. This system makes innovative use of an unused asset – five building rooftops – to generate 20% of the facility’s electricity and help reduce the company’s operating costs. Toyota’s solar system covers more than 53,000 square feet, making it one of the largest commercial solar rooftop installations in the nation. Benefits The Toyota Motor Sales solar project is an integral part of Toyota’s commitment to environmental stewardship. By using clean, renewable energy resources, this gridconnected solar system reduces Toyota’s electrical load, especially during peak demand times when the utility grid is most strained and electricity is most expensive. Toyota’s on-site solar electric system generates enough electricity during the daytime to power over 500 homes. By avoiding the purchase of fossil fuel generated electricity, Toyota’s solar system spares the environment from thousand of tons of harmful emissions, such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, which are major contributors to smog, acid rain and global warming. Over the 25-year life of the photovoltaic system, the solar generated electricity will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by nearly 12,300 tons. These emissions reductions are equivalent to planting 853,000 trees or not driving 54 million miles. Location: 19001 S. Western Avenue, Torrance, CA 90509 Date Completed: December 2002 System Peak Capacity: 536 kW PV Surface Area: 53,000 square feet Solar Electric Tiles: 3,575 Photovoltaic System Configuration Toyota’s rooftop photovoltaic (PV) array is made up of 3,575 solar panels, designed to provide both power for the facility and added insulation and protection for the roof. The PowerLight tiles feature two high efficiency solar modules. The tiles are electrically connected into 275 strings, with each string containing 26 photovoltaic modules. Each tile has a maximum rated output of 150 watts. Photovoltaic System Description The photovoltaic system installed at Toyota’s headquarters building uses PowerLight’s PowerGuard® technology, a lightweight building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing assembly that is installed over an existing roof membrane. The photovoltaic modules use solar cells made of solid-state semiconductors to convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. The DC output from the PV modules is converted to 208 V AC by means of five inverters, and then stepped up to 480 volt, three-phase AC power by five transformers for direct connection to the buildings service panels. The PowerGuard tiles fit together with interlocking tongue-and-groove side surfaces that enable them to resist wind uplifts without penetrations. In addition to generating electricity, PowerLight’s PowerGuard solar roof system provides thermal insulation and protects the roof membrane from harsh UV rays and thermal degradation. These benefits result in decreased heating and cooling energy costs and extended roof life. About PowerLight PowerLight Corporation is the nation's leading designer, manufacturer and installer of grid-connected solar electric systems. Founded in 1991, PowerLight's distributed generation products produce reliable, affordable clean power for businesses and government agencies worldwide. Inc. Magazine has ranked PowerLight Corporation among the top 500 fastest growing privately held companies for the past four consecutive years. Today, PowerLight has worldwide offices and a full line of commercial solar electric products. PowerLight's Mission PowerLight is committed to making clean power a mainstream and affordable source of the world's energy supply. Our solar products enable companies to reduce operating costs by transforming clean, abundant solar energy into electricity. “Environmental stewardship and energy improvements are at the heart of Toyota’s operation. Generation of solar electricity is very consistent with Toyota’s commitment to improving every aspect of our company’s operation. This solar electric system supports Toyota’s top initiative regarding environmentally responsible business practices and our commitment to the environment.” Sanford Smith Corporate Manager Real Estate & Facilities Toyota Motor Sales ® S O L A R E L E C T R I C S Y S T E M S PowerGuard Interlocking Panels ® 2954 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley, CA 94702 main 510.540.0550 fax 510.540.0552 www.powerlight.com © 2004 PowerLight Corporation Solar Water Heating - For All The Right Reasons You have found SolarRoofs.com, manufacturer of the exciting "Skyline" 10-01 and 20-01 Solar Water Heater Collectors and Systems. Solar Water Heating has SolarRoofs' Systems Are Designed For You! High power density photovoltaics A path to cost-competitive solar electric power Thermo PV and solar PV systems are natural allies, allowing electricity to be day, created rain using PV night winter and and or shine, summer. The payback times are short, too. Here LEWIS FRAAS and BOB McCONNELL summarize the remarkable progress being made in this field, especially in conjunction with new high-efficiency cells. The idea of producing cost-competitive electric power using terrestrial photovoltaic cells in sunlight became the dream of the PV community during the oil embargo in the early 1970s. During that decade, three approaches for doing so were formulated. The first approach, using planar crystalline silicon, was simply to bring down to earth the silicon solar panels used on satellites with straightforward improvements in manufacturing. In these planar modules, 90% of the illuminated area is made up of crystalline silicon cell. This approach has come a long way in cost reduction, with improvements such as cast polycrystalline silicon ingots, screen printed grid lines and wire saws. This approach dominates the terrestrial solar cell market today. The second method was the thin-film PV approach. MAIN PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIMEDES 2x concentrator array uses planar Si cells with side mirrors for lower-cost solar water pumping Researchers observed that single crystals, rather like gemstones, are intrinsically expensive, and remarked, wouldn’t it be nice if we could find a thin film as cheap as paint that could produce electricity in sunlight? They dropped the idea of single crystal cells in search of a thinfilm cell material that would generate electricity inexpensively and efficiently, although they did encounter the problem that non-single-crystal materials reduce cell conversion efficiencies. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory has led the development of this PV technology. With the third approach, using solar concentrators, researchers observed that one could use an inexpensive lens or mirror to concentrate the sunlight onto a small, single-crystal cell and so reduce the cost impact of the single crystal. This approach is depicted in Figure 1a. It should be noted that the concentrator approach is Sunlight most appropriate in sunny locations, because the optics need to ‘see’ Concentrating lens the sun and track it in order to keep it focused on the cells. Referring to Figure 1b, this approach is believed by some1 to be the lowest-cost approach in the long term. When enthusiasm for PV cell solar dampened in the 1980s and early 1990s, Heat spreading back plate the first generation solar FIGURE 1a. High power density solar cell module market continued with concentrated sunlight to grow in spite of the adversity because these 98 Renewable E N E R GYWorld/November– December2001 Renewable E N E R GYWorld/September– October2 0 0 2 99 Fluxtron Holdings, Inc. Novel Electrochemical Technology “Purifying the Liquid of Life” Electrocoagulation Technology for Water Treatment Treatment of wastewater using Electrocoagulation (EC) technology has been practiced for most of the 20th century with limited success and popularity. In the last decade or two, this technology has been used in a limited manner in South America and Europe for treatment of industrial wastewater containing metals, and in North America for wastewaters from pulp & paper, mining, and metal processing industries. During this same period, significant efforts have been spent on developing applications for the EC technology in the treatment of wastewater containing foodstuffs wastes, oily wastes, dyes, suspended particles, chemical and mechanical polishing wastes, organic matter from landfills, defluorination of water, synthetic detergents, mine wastes, various heavy metal containing wastes, and other applications. EC has been shown to be effective for many of these wastes, both separately and in mixtures, but typically only in a lab setting or at a pilot scale and for a limited operating duration. Understanding the conditions required for minimizing electrical consumption and maximizing throughput have all been optimized for various streams. Unfortunately, commercialization from lab or pilot studies to viable commercialized operating units has been limited by mechanical problems associated with electrode fouling and/or corrosion. Advantages of EC EC requires simple equipment, is easy to operate and has operational latitude to handle many pollutants. Wastewater treated with EC gives palatable, clear, colorless, and odorless water. Less sludge is formed with EC than with conventional techniques and is more readily settable and easy to dewater. EC floc is larger, contains less water, is acid resistant, and more stable, making it easier to separate by filtration. EC produces effluent with less total dissolved solids (TDS) than chemical treatments. EC removes smaller colloidal particles. The electrical field causes faster motion to facilitate coagulation. EC does not require the addition of chemicals that can cause secondary pollution. Gas bubbles produced during the electrolysis facilitate floatation removal of floc With the exception of “keeping the electrodes clean”, the EC process requires few moving parts and less maintenance than other techniques. EC can be used anywhere, even rural areas with no electricity, by providing power using solar panels or simple generators. EC process also kills pathogens to non-detectable levels. Although EC technology has obvious advantages, the disadvantages of corrosion and fouling have made it difficult to successfully bring the technology into broad commercial application. UNTIL NOW !! Check out ……. Water Treatment System www.fluxtronholdings.com FluxCell Fluxtron’s Patented FLUXCELL Technology Can Provide Cost Effective Solutions for Your Water Treatment Problems The FLUXCELL system operates by routing a contaminated water stream through an electrolytic cell chamber containing electrodes parallel to each other. The electrodes generate a DC field, which releases ions from the electrodes. These ions combine with the contaminants in the water to form a “floc”, which in turn can complex additional contaminants as the water flows through the charged field. The liquid and flocculated solids are then separated in a settling tank or other separation device. The solids are concentrated and routed to disposal. The processed water (free of contaminants and pathogens) is decanted from the tank and routed through a polishing filter, if required, then discharged or recycled for use. The patented FLUXCELL system has been designed to maintain clean electrodes during Call : 713 539-1442 Applications of Electrocoagulation Technology Municipal Wastewater Surface Water Storm water Groundwater Industrial Wastewater Potable Water Emergency Water Contaminants Removed with Electrocoagulation Technology The FLUXCELL system can also be operated in a novel, patented “reverse mode” that selfregulates the consumption of the electrodes, based on the contaminant level in the wastewater, and also has the ability to generate The FLUXCELL system is easily scalable from a active chlorine residual in the effluent water, if few gallons per minute to thousands of galsmall amounts of dissolved chlorides are prelons per minute. The FLUXCELL system resent in the incoming water stream. Operation quires NO chemicals or polymers to create the in this “reverse mode” can have other advanflocculating agent or remove any of the contages depending on the specific contaminants taminants. in the water stream. Both operating modes are self-cleaning and can operate for long FLUXCELL is especially effective in eliminating periods without maintenance or loss of operpathogens to non-detectable levels. If there ating effectiveness. are no other contaminants to remove, a special “pathogen only” FLUXCELL design has continuous operations for extended periods. The clean surface ensures uniform wear on the electrodes to reduce power consumptions and extend life of the electrodes. Since the electrodes are slowly consumed during the process, the FLUXCELL design allows for easy and rapid removal and replacement when required. been developed that greatly extends the run time of the unit and only requires limited maintenance on a very intermittent basis. FLUXCELL Systems Have Multiple Electrode Configurations and Multiples Sizes That Fit Any Requirement Fluxtron has developed several mechanical configurations covered in the patent that they have tested during the development of the technology. Of these, one appears to be a versatile and flexible design for many applications and is the initial model being manufactured. The design allows for continuous, online cleaning of the electrodes without shorting the electrical system. Fluxtron offers three sizes of this model: FLUXCELL-200 (150-250gpm). This unit can still be truck transportable and is designed as a modular, mobile unit for larger industrial applications and potentially as a mobile service unit (offering services to multiple locations on a throughput basis). FLUXCELL-1000 (~1000gpm). This unit is for large industrial applications like municipal plants and refineries. If more that 1000gpm is required, Fluxtron would offer multiple parallel 1000gpm units operating from a common control system. issues simple. For some applications, there may be a need for pretreatment and post treatment with the EC unit. As an example, pH adjustments, solids separation, and other treatments may be necessary, especially for medium to large industrial sites. As a result, Fluxtron has also developed a process design that can address nearly any foreseeable requirement. These integrated systems can be included as part of the overall Fluxtron system, or Fluxtron can integrate the Fluxcell unit to retrofit into existing industrial site facilities. For more detailed information on the FLUXCELL system, contact Fluxtron Holdings, Inc. Organic Compounds Inorganic Compounds Heavy Metals TDS, TSS Bacteria & Pathogens Pesticides Turbidity Colloidal Suspensions Fluxtron Technology Fluxtron technology eliminates the electrode corrosion failure and oxide fouling that have limited the commercial application of this promising technology. Patented mechanical designs that insure uniform dissolution of the electrodes for maximum stream time and a cleaning system that keeps the electrodes clean while the unit is in operation make FluxCell unique. FluxCell Systems FLUXCELL-50 (25-60gpm). This is a modular, truck transportable unit that can be used for small industrial applications, use for mobile All of these designs use common electrodes emergency water production systems, and as a and other common parts, to make design, demonstration unit to test and optimize demaintenance, spare parts, and other operation signs for larger systems. Fluxcell - 50 The FluxCell-50 (shown on right) can handle flows from 25 to 60 gpm , depending on the nature of the contaminants in the wastewater stream to be treated. The system is ideal for small manufacturing facilities and portable applications, like emergency response potable water systems. The unit is also used as a demonstration system to help provide design and operating information for the larger FluxCell systems. For more information on www.fluxtronholdings.com Fluxtron Holdings & FluxCell Systems Contact: John Cozad @ 713 539-1442 or Bruce Norris @ 713 818-8463 Water Treatment System FluxCell Fluxtron Holdings, Inc. Novel Electrochemical Technology “Purifying the Liquid of Life” ERCo - Energy Research Company: Laser Based Melt Diagnostics System at Commonwealth Aluminum in Uhrichsville, OH. The photo on the left of Figure 2 shows the LIBS probe installed in Commonwealth's filter bowl and the right side of the figure shows a close-up of the probe inserted in the melt. Figure 3 shows the cabinet which houses the laser, spectrometer, gas flow controllers, and ancillary components. It is located on a mezzanine overlooking the filter bowl. ERCo Energy Research Company (ERCo), with funding from DOE's Industrial Technologies Program, has installed a full-scale system to measure in-situ and in real time the elemental concentrations of Commonwealth's aluminum melt. Termed LIBS for Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, the concept employs a laser and spectrometer as shown in Figure 1. A probe is placed inside the melt and a laser is repetitively fired through a fiber optic cable and through the probe. A small amount of melt, at the probe tip, absorbs the laser light producing temperatures sufficiently high to heat and vaporize it into a gaseous plasma state. The LIBS System is designed to be a single push button operation with no training required. The operator presses the on-button and, if all the interlocks are satisfied, the probe automatically extends into the melt and begins collecting data. Similarly, a single button ends the measurements and retracts the probe. Further, the LIBS System is self-calibrating so that the operator does not need to be trained to calibrate it. In addition, the LIBS System has been certified as being eye safe, so neither specialized safety training nor safety equipment are required. Home Company Profile News and Events How to Contact Us Industrial Projects R&D Projects - Melt Chemistry - Coal Analysis - Glass Batch Analysis - VFM - VFM Decoater - Inert Anode - Coatings Consulting Projects Plant Surveys Products Services Products & Services Click For Larger View info@er-co.com Click For Larger View Figure 2 - LIBS Probe Installed at Commonwealth Click For Larger View Figure 1 - LIBS Concept The resulting plasma emits a radiative signal that is picked up by the fiber optic cable and transferred to the spectrometer. This characteristic line radiation is spectrally resolved which uniquely identifies the elements in the melt. In addition, the signal amplitude provides the concentration of each element present. ERCo has installed a full-scale commercially operating LIBS Click For Larger View Figure 3- Instrument Cabinet Located on the Mezzanine Test Results http://www.er-co.com/rd_laser.htm 9/3/2005 TCHP….. Nanomaterials that Combine Multiple Property Extremes in Tools, Thermally-Applied Claddings, and High-Performance Components in Virtually Any Application. Allomet Corporation is producing a novel family of sintered composite pseudoalloys that can be engineered to combine hardness approaching that of diamond with fracture toughness greater than that of tungsten carbide and weight approximately that of titanium. This exciting, totally new class of designed-microstructure particulate materials with unprecedented combinations of desirable and infinitely variable property extremes is called ToughCoated Hard Powders (TCHP, or EternAloy®). TCHPs, patented by Allomet-USA (U.S. Patent No. 6,372,346 et al.), are revolutionary pseudoalloys that combine (in a single material) the highest extremes of fracture toughness, hardness, wear resistance, light weight, and low coefficient of friction ever known. Designed nanostructures of extremely hard 0.5-2.0 µm core particles (e.g., diamond, cBN, TiN, ...) are created by individually encapsulating them with very tough materials (e.g., tungsten carbide + cobalt), which in the consolidation or thermally-applied cladding process become the contiguous "TCHP" matrix. As many unique properties may exist simultaneously in a particular TCHP variant as there are different core particle materials present in the uniform tough substrate. EternAloy® TCHPs have virtually unlimited uses in the manufacture, surface modification, or repair of tools, components, assemblies, and machines. Demonstrated extreme strength, double-digit wear multiples, and reduced friction losses combine to enable tens of billions of dollars in annual cost, energy, and environmental impact improvements in cutting, forming, grinding, measuring, petroleum, mining, and construction tool applications and in agricultural, civil, lumber and paper, petrochemical, rubber and plastic, automotive, aircraft/aerospace, and maritime component applications. With its patented fluidized coating technologies, Allomet can engineer specialty materials — on an atom-by-atom basis — and costeffectively produce these materials in bulk quantities. Allomet’s structural design technologies promise to increase material performance — by orders of magnitude — paralleling the advances achieved in electronics over the past 50 years. The Company has completed initial product development, secured strategic alliances, designed and built proprietary manufacturing equipment, is conducting field trials, and has opened its own plant for TCHP manufacturing and sales and/or licensing of EternAloy® product applications. Nanoencapsulating and sintering fine TCHP particles having desired sets of properties (or thermally cladding them onto existing parts) with grain boundary modifiers having other properties allows us to design previously impossible material-property combinations. This merging of multiple property extremes into all-in-one “designer particles” enables an unprecedented near-atomic scale integration of thermodynamically incompatible materials and properties so that they operate simultaneously and seamlessly at working surfaces and edges of tools, complex components, and thermally-applied coatings. This is accomplished without the traditional limitations imposed by alloys, laminations, mechanical property enhancement, or heat treatment. With over 30 candidate core materials, EternAloy® allows us to engineer almost any property combinations we can imagine (e.g., light weight, low coefficient of friction, high/low thermal conductivity, lubricity, lubrication, …). The TCHP “building block” TCHP particle contains all the essential elements (of hardness + wear resistance + toughness + binder metal + other designer properties) and gives the materials engineer thousands of new material grades with engineered properties simultaneously optimized at the nano-, micro-, macro- and functional levels. EternAloy® will be available in increasing amounts after the second quarter of 2005. For additional information about TCHP, please consult Allomet’s website at www.Allomet.net or contact Rick Toth, President, Allomet Corporation, 509 Hahntown–Wendel Road, North Huntingdon, PA 15642 (USA) Ph: 724-864-4787; Fx: 724-864-4562. E-mail: RickToth@aol.com AND Rick.Toth@Allomet.net. Scrap at Time "T" (Catastrophic Failure if Coating Wears Thru) Insert STILL CUTTING at MULTIPLES of Time "T" ... then Tool Can be Relapped or EDM'd ** Energy Conversions Inc.- Natural gas and dual fuel engines for locomotive, marine, and offshore industries Energy Conversions Inc.- Natural gas and dual fuel engines for locomotive, marine, and offshore industries natural gas. Performance Specifications- Power ratings, fuel consumption, and emissions data for ECI conversions systems. Publications- Articles, technical papers, and testimonies written about ECI engine products. News - ECI's recent contributions in the field of natural gas use. Includes industry links. Emissions- Discussion of the emissions advantage on of an ECI conversion. Picture Gallery- Just pictures of ECI conversions. Contact ECI- A customer Questionnaire is included on this page to determine the optimum ECI system for your application. Quick links: ECONOMIZER ECI latest product development News Briefs Power Generation As of August of 2003 ECI is offering its Economizer system. A 4 stroke engine conversion system suited for smaller engine applications and the Economizer II for medium speed 4 stroke engines. A simplified conversion system costing less than the high end conversions (more) Ready for scheduling, ECI has Economizer conversion systems ready for Peru, Brazil and UK. Peru will be the first locomotive to operate with a Economizer system while both UK and Brazil expect to operate Cummins KTA 50 generator sets. Pakistan, Unisource International is presently working to apply their first ECI conversion system. Unisource, ECI's Pakistan representative, has been factory Energy Conversions Inc. (ECI) designs and manufactures natural gas and trained at ECI to install and configure dual fuel systems for medium and high speed high diesel engines Economizer systems. common to the power generation, offshore drilling, and locomotive Economizer page EMD CONVERSION SYSTEMS Dual Fuel EMD system information Low Emission Idle (LEI) bank idling system ECI Dual Fuel Source book- An essay on Natural Gas and its use as a fuel source for locomotives and power generation. This publication has been around now for a while but is still a great resource for facts about Natural Gas as an alternative fuel source. CATERPILLAR CONVERSION SYSTEMS CAT 399, 379, 398 dual fuel system Natural Gas Alternatives industries. In the early 1990's, Energy Conversions was the first to commercially demonstrate a natural gas powered locomotive. The ECI retrofit system, which converts a General Motors EMD diesel engine to dual fuel operation (some call Bi fuel), uses electronically controlled direct fuel injection and is capable of full horsepower high fuel replacements (90%) while substantially reducing emissions. Dec. 2004 ECI has applied its Economizer conversion to a Cat 3512 generator set. This application is configured for fully automated peak shaving generation into the power grid. ECI controls easily adapted to the automated site and shares data to the customer network. Today, ECI continues to develop and implement their natural gas systems for locomotives and power generators worldwide, while researching new Nov. 2004 Surat India, ECI working with avenues of alternative fuel use. its representative in India, Sopan O&M has applied a Economizer system to Cat 3412 DISTA. www.sopanservices.com Site Topics Napa Valley Railroad continues to operate one of its locomotives with 100% gas. Products & Services - System options to operate your engines on Both the main engine and the Head End natural gas. Also includes a description of ECI's capabilities as a research Power unit are 100% gas. The main engine facility for engine development. utilizes a ECI conversion for EMD 12 cylinder roots blown engine producing its Applications - ECI's natural gas systems are used in a range of industrial normal diesel rated power with diesel like applications including Locomotives, Power Generation, Marine, and efficiency except with clean burning Offshore Drilling uses. http://www.energyconversions.com/ (1 of 2) [9/3/2005 10:15:13 PM] ENERGY CONVERSIONS INC. 6411 Pacific Hwy. East, Tacoma, WA 98424-1587 USA (253) 922-6670, FAX (253) 922-2258 © all rights reserved email us http://www.energyconversions.com/ (2 of 2) [9/3/2005 10:15:13 PM] Ford Waves Bye-Bye to Wrinkles, Tears and Splits New cylinder-based technology improves binder control, saves money and minimizes press damage in deep-draw part production at Ford Motor Co. BY REDMOND CLARK, PH.D, AND EVANGELOS LIASI, PH.D I n most stamping operations, improvements are measured in pennies or tenths of pennies per part. Areas of potential improvement are difficult to get at and hard to control. One of those is binder-ring control. New technology developed by Ford Motor Co., Metalforming Controls Corp. and Smedberg Machine Corp. has addressed limitations in traditional nitrogen cylinders and has provided better binder control during production of deep-drawn parts at Ford. Nitrogen Springs for Workholding Thirty years ago, nitrogen cylinders began replacing springs as the technology of choice for workholding (binderring) control in many draw applications. These cylinders offered significant advantages over springs: they were more reliable, providing improved performance continuity during operating life, Redmond Clark, Ph.D, is president of Metalforming Controls Corp., Cary, IL; tel. ; e-mail sales@mfcontrols.com. Evangelos Liasi, Ph.D, is director of engineering at Ford Motor Co., Allen Park, MI. 28 METALFORMING / JULY 2004 relatively inexpensive and somewhat adjustable (operators could increase or decrease system or cylinder pressure to modify holding forces) without disassembly of the die. Cylinders offered a significant step forward through improved process efficiency and part quality. Now, nitrogen cylinders are consumed by the tens of thousands annually throughout the North American stamping industry. But nitrogen cylinders have drawbacks. Seal failures—after prolonged operation, in high-speed applications or use in presses with side-load issues— result in defective parts and production downtime. In addition, the gas reservoir in a nitrogen cylinder or piped group of cylinders compresses as the slide moves deeper in the stroke, causing tonnage increases of as much as 40 percent. That can reduce material flow and cause tears or splits during, for example, automotive panel forming. Operators can reduce cylinder pressure to eliminate tearing at or near stroke bottom, but pressure reductions increase the possibility of wrinkling as the part begins to form. At the beginning of the press stroke, standard nitrogen cylinders fully extend, holding the binder ring in the full, upright position. When the press slide impacts the binder ring, each nitrogen cylinder provides a few tons of resistance from the moment of contact. But initiating movement of the binder ring supported by a number of nitrogen cylinders can cause a significant impact shock that will damage the press over time. And when the slide reaches bottom and begins to return, the nitrogen cylinders can force the binder ring to rise faster than the press slide, causing a return shock or backslap as well as damage to the part during transfer. One common response strategy for part transfer—slowing the press—allows more time for vibration dissipation and transfer, but eats into production efficiency and line yield. of the binder ring reduces or eliminates backslap, part damage and part-transfer issues. The result: less press damage, less production downtime, better parts, smoother process operation, improved press speed and improved line yields. Also, the benefits of better control may be significantly higher for industries looking to change the feedstock used to produce stampings. The automotive industry is a good example. CAFE standards and changing safety requirements drive the industry toward lighter body and frame components and greater use of high-strength steel and/or aluminum. To form high-strength steel, higher binder-ring tonnages may be required to set the bead, and accomplishing that via nitrogen cylinders means larger impact and return shocks with all of their attendant problems. For aluminum, greater control of tonnage during the stroke produces consistent high-quality highvolume output. Here, shock may not be such a big issue, but part quality can suffer. In sum, inadequate binder-ring control blocks wider use of lighter materials in stamping operations. Research by automakers, USCAR and the AutoSteel Partnership has focused on methods that allow improved aluminumand steel-forming capabilities. Cylinders Pump & reservoir Accumulator Cooling tube Fig. 1—The Force Modulator system used by Ford is built as a standard hydraulic loop, reportedly offering precise binder-ring control. Team Effort to Improve Binder-Ring Control In conjunction with researchers at Ford, engineers at Metalforming Controls Corp., Cary, IL, and Smedberg Machine Corp., Chicago, IL, have developed a new binder-ring control system, called the Force Modulator (FM). Like nitrogen systems, this cylinder-based system supports the binder ring, but consists of a series of piped hydraulic cylinders. A patented control in each cylinder allows the user to control tonnage at each point in the stroke and hold at bottom or any other desired point in the stroke. The binder ring then gently returns on demand. FM uses small volumes of oil—a few gallons for a very large die—and requires low system pressures. In addition, it operates at or near ambient temperawww.metalformingmagazine.com tures in most applications, is integral to the die and lasts for the life of the die. With a control device in each FM cylinder, users can change the tonnage and tonnage profile of a given cylinder. For example, a 5-ton cylinder can be adjusted to provide eight or more tons of pressure should space under the binder ring be an issue. For high-strength steel, high binder-ring tonnages may be required to set the bead, but lower tonnages let the material flow relatively easily into the part. Here, an FM cylinder can do both with a footprint smaller than a standard 8-ton gas cylinder. The FM diesetting procedure mimics that of a standard nitrogen die, and the system requires little or no operator control during production. FM has demonstrated robust operating capabilities in a number of high-volume production applications. improvements in hydraulic-seal technology answer that question. These improvements include better seals and hydraulic fluids capable of operating effectively in difficult operating environments. When applied properly in diebased installations, hydraulic systems offer improved control that translates into improved process profitability. Success in the Field After prototype testing at its Chicago, IL, stamping plant, Ford began deploying production systems featuring FM in 2001. The initial trials focused on reduction of impact and return shock. Follow-on trials focused on broader changes in process efficiency. Successful trials in various part applications have demonstrated the technology’s effectiveness, leading to more installations (see sidebar). Cross Support Member–Initial production trials of the FM system focused on a leadoff draw die producing a cross support member for two Ford luxury lines. This medium-sized part, at a production rate of approximately 300,000 parts/year, requires a 4-in. draw. Due to significant impact-shock problems, the leadoff mechanical press experienced difficulties, including a major breakdown about six months before FM deployment. Prior to FM installation, monitoring recorded impact and return shocks on the subject die. Fig. 2 demonstrates exceptionally METALFORMING / JULY 2004 29 Boasts Improved Hydraulics FM cylinders feature a footprint similar to a nitrogen system, and each cylinder requires either a manifold mount or tubing that allows oil flow into and out of the cylinder after each press stroke. Built as a standard hydraulic loop (Fig. 1), the system includes a small pump, an accumulator, one or two small cooling tubes and an oil reservoir. Given the past history of hydraulic systems in panel-stamping applications, why would stamping operations want to use hydraulics today? A number of The Benefits of Better Binder-Ring Control Better binder-ring control reduces impact shock, improves control of material flow during part formation and improves part quality. A soft return www.metalformingmagazine.com NEWS RELEASE Tubular Ultrasound, L.P. 9200 Sheldon Road Houston, Texas 77049 281.456.7333 Lone Star Technologies, Inc. 15660 N. Dallas Parkway, Suite 500 Dallas, Texas 75380 972.770.6401 Delta Tubular International, L.P. 9518 E. Mount Houston Road Houston, Texas 77050 281.458.9944 The Tubular Ultrasound UTFL test system is based on a new full-digital Krautkramer electronics platform . Tubular Ultrasound and Delta Tubular Sign Technology Agreement (HOUSTON – March 1, 2004) Tubular Ultrasound, L.P. has entered into an exclusive long-term technology agreement under which it will supply Delta Tubular International, L.P. with ultrasonic tubular inspection systems and services. The initial technology provides for the complete end-to-end ultrasonic testing of plain-end oil country tubulars. Delta Tubular, a wholly-owned division of publicly-traded Lone Star Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: LSS), is a leading provider of threading, inspection and logistic services to distributor end-users of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG). Lone Star Technologies, Inc. is a holding company whose principal operating subsidiaries include Lone Star Steel Company which manufactures and markets oilfield casing, tubing, and line pipe, specialty tubular products, and flat-rolled steel products. Tubular Ultrasound, L.P., an affiliate of Energy Tubular, LLP, designs and operates high-speed ultrasonic inspection systems used on new downhole oilfield tubular products. Tubular Ultrasound engineered full-body test systems have been in operation for decades at the major domestic seamless OCTG steel mills, as well as tubular processor locations. Prior-generation Tubular Ultrasound test systems are owned and operated by various third-party tubular inspection providers. HOME COMPANY OVERVIEW OUR TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS MILITARY APPLICATIONS MEDIA LIBRARY CONTACT US HOME COMPANY OVERVIEW OUR TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS MILITARY APPLICATIONS MEDIA LIBRARY CONTACT US LaSen, Inc. (short for Laser Sensors) is a small privately held research and development company with over 15 years of expertise in laser-based chemical detection. Incorporated in 1989, LaSen has received over $10M in federal and private funding, including several Small Business Innovative Research Program (SBIR) awards (Phase I, II and III). Our primary focus is the remote detection of volatile chemicals and airborne particles using tunable mid-infrared lasers. Always working at the cutting edge of electro-optic technology, LaSen puts special emphasis on the practical aspect of the research, building systems that operate in a real-world environment. As a part of our integrated approach to system development, LaSen accumulates in-house expertise in many related areas of science and technology: from laser design to custom electro-optical components and data processing algorithms. With a proven record of technical accomplishment, an array of complete systems and subcomponents, and a dedicated team of scientists and engineers, LaSen offers cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of our government and commercial customers. »more... Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL) The acronym LIDAR stands for LIght Detection And Ranging. As the name suggests, lidar systems are used to determine the properties of the atmosphere remotely by means of light. Although historically the first optical probing of the atmosphere was performed with searchlights in the pre-laser era, lidar systems did not come into their own until the advent of the laser in the 1960's. Unlike light radiated by thermal sources, laser light contains oscillations in a very narrow band of frequencies. This property accounts for a highly selective manner in which laser light interacts with molecules and makes the laser an ideal source for standoff chemical detection. Any lidar system consists of two major parts: transmitter and receiver. The transmitter is typically a laser or laser-based source of optical radiation. Light generated by the transmitter is emitted into the atmosphere as a collimated beam. As this beam propagates away from the source, some of the radiation will be scattered back toward the receiver by objects in the beam path or by the atmosphere itself due to Rayleigh and Mie processes. Additionally, light waves will interact with molecules of chemicals present in the beam path. These interactions can attenuate the intensity of light (absorption) or change its frequency (inelastic scattering). In either case, the properties of light returning to the receiver will be changed in a unique way. The receiver usually incorporates a large collecting optic, which focuses the backscattered light onto a sensitive detector. Knowing the physical laws that govern scattering and absorption processes, it is possible to make a remote quantitative measurement of chemical concentartions by analyzing the properties of the collected light. Several physical mechanisms can serve as a basis for lidar measurement. All LaSen's systems fall into the category known as DIAL, or DIfferential Absorption Lidar. Each chemical has a unique set of absorption frequencies or lines, which can be thought of as its fingerprint. In the DIAL method, the transmitter generates light at two optical frequencies. One frequency, the so-called "on-line", is chosen to coincide with a particular absorption line of the chemical of interest. The other frequency, called the "off-line", is tuned away from the absorption peak and serves a reference. If the two frequencies are spaced closely enough, then they are completely equivalent except for the way they interact with specific molecules. When the return energy at the on-line and off-line is compared, a lesser energy of the on-line signal would indicate the presence of a particular chemical in the area interrogated by the beam. More precisely, the logarithm of the ratio of energy returns at the on- and off-lines is representative of the chemical concentration in the beam path. Due to the high signal strength, the DIAL technique has superior sensitivity compared to fluorescence and Raman lidars. For DIAL detection of hydrocarbons, including volatile organics, the 3—5-µm spectral region is particularly attractive as many molecules have strong and well defined absorption features in this region. Phone: (505) 522-5110 · FAX: (505) 522-6355 · LaSen, Inc. 300 N. Telshor, Ste 400 Las Cruces, NM 88011 » Commercial Applications: LaSen's sensor technology can be used in a variety of applications that require the detection/monitoring of volatile hydrocarbons. Typical venues include storage facilities, compressor stations, oil refineries and dump sites. Our primary focus, however, is on airborne inspection of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. With support from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), LaSen has developed the Airborne Lidar Pipeline Inspections System (ALPIS) that can detect and locate pipeline leaks over ten times faster than currently used methods. Field testing of the system has been completed, and ALPIS is now available as a commercial service to industry customers »more... » Military Applications: The capability to ascertain an object's chemical composition from a safe distance is critical in a number of military applications. Military targets, such as concealed vehicles, and threats, such as chemical and biological agents, all have distinct chemical signatures that can be detected using LaSen's technology. The key to these capabilities is LaSen's high-speed frequency agile laser transmitter operating in the mid-IR range (3—5-µm). Due to their uniquely compact size and light weight, LaSen's sensors are suitable for deployment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other robotic platforms. The ongoing programs concentrate in two main areas: chemical/biological detection, and detection and tracking of concealed vehicles » more... » News: February 2005 A new release of the ALPIS presentation CD is now available. To obtain a copy, please contact LaSen at (505) 522 5110 December 2004 LaSen used ALPIS-III to perform inspection of a gathering pipeline system for a client in Eastern New Mexico October 2004 The capabilities of ALPIS-II were demonstrated in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored tests of remote leak detection technologies that took place at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) near Casper, WY during the week of Sept. 13—17, 2004. In these tests, the LaSen system, along with equipment from several other companies, performed inspection of an 7.5-mile long stretch of a simulated pipeline. Leaks of varying (c) 2004 LaSen, Inc. All rights reserved