The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has announced up to $1.6 million in federal funding  for research and development projects under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001842 , Support of Fossil Energy Research at U.S. Colleges and Universities Including University Coal Research (UCR) and Research by Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU/OMI).  Future amounts are subject to congressional appropriations.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage the selected projects. The projects will support the lab’s University Training and Research initiative (comprising the UCR and HBCU/OMI programs). Projects under this initiative educate the next generation of scientists and engineers and help advance innovative and fundamental research focused on coal-based, fossil energy resources. The HBCU/OMI program aims to increase the participation of under-represented students in such research.

DOE anticipates selecting up to four projects for this FOA, which focuses on two areas of interest (AOI):

AOI 1: Coal Contaminant Partitioning in Power Plant Wastewater

Selected projects under this AOI will support studies that analyze the role of fuel, plant, and operational variables in determining the fate of coal species in power plant wastewater. The projects will generate results that support optimization of power plant environmental controls while minimizing the cost and treatment energy required.

AOI 2: Automated Plant Component Inspection, Analysis, and Repair Enabled by Robotics

Selected projects under this AOI will make progress toward the integration of several technologies (e.g., automation, nondestructive evaluation, robotics, and repair) for use at fossil-based power plants. Applicants will be asked to focus on any or all of the following sub-objectives:

• Robotics-enabled inspection
• Robotics-enabled repair
• Automation of inspection data gathering and analysis.

The Office of Fossil Energy funds research and development projects to reduce the risk and cost of advanced fossil energy technologies and further the sustainable use of the Nation’s fossil resources. To learn more about the programs within the Office of Fossil Energy, visit the Office of Fossil Energy website or sign up for FE news announcements.