Researchers at NETL and the University of Pittsburgh received a prestigious R&D 100 Award for their collaborative effort that resulted in the development of revolutionary technology to protect and monitor pipelines, bridges, spent nuclear fuel storage canisters and other crucial components of the nation’s infrastructure.

The team’s innovation, UltraSonic Photonics, uses a combination of fiber-optic sensing and ultrasonic acoustic non-destructive evaluation to provide 24/7 monitoring of infrastructure and equipment and issue alerts and warnings before a failure occurs.

“Pipeline transport is safer, more efficient and creates fewer greenhouse emissions than ship, truck or train, but more effective ways to detect potential leaks and other issues are an ongoing need because corrosion and ruptures can result in catastrophic explosions,” said NETL’s Ruishu Wright, a research scientist who worked on the award-winning project. “Failures involving other critical infrastructure can result in the loss of human life, injuries, environmental damage and severe economic costs. UltraSonic Photonics provides a viable solution.”

Ultrasonic acoustic non-destructive evaluation has been an industry standard to monitor corrosion, flaws, cracks and other structural risks for decades. However, the technique traditionally uses a single point-based sensor technology, which places limitations on the ability to holistically monitor complex acoustic responses and detect spatially distributed flaws or high-risk features in a structure. It also limits the maximum distance of inspection.

UltraSonic Photonics has been advanced as a groundbreaking development that makes extensive use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to learn the characteristics of different forms of degradation in critical infrastructure.

“In this way, UltraSonic Photonics can ‘hear’ variations in pipe, vessel or bridge conditions in the ultrasonic range, but with the added benefits of knowing what the ultrasonic profile sounded like throughout the life cycle of the item being monitored as well as throughout the entire structure rather than a single location,” NETL Researcher Michael Buric of the UltraSonic Photonics team said. “The result is the ability of the technology to ‘hear’ the state of health of the system and warn operators of impending problems. The new technology can also operate in extreme temperatures or radioactive environments.”

Other NETL researchers who served on the UltraSonic Photonics project team were Nageswara Lalam and Sandeep Bukka. Pittsburgh-based Sensible Photonics served as an industry partner. In 2023, a collaborative effort by NETL, Pitt and Sensible Photonics received an R&D 100 Award for Transformer Watchman, an integrated fiber optics-based sensor system for power grid transformer monitoring.

Another NETL entrant, Advanced Integrated Reticular Sorbent-Coated System To Capture CO2 Using an Advanced-Manufactured Contactor (AIR2CO2), was named a finalist in the 2024 R&D 100 Awards contest. Developed with GE Research, AIR2CO2 represents a groundbreaking tool for low-cost direct air capture of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

“The R&D 100 competition is known as the ‘Oscars of Innovation’ because it showcases the visionary work of the world’s top scientists and engineers,” said NETL Director Marianne Walck. “Congratulations to our award winners and finalists for their exceptional work.”

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans