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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21910-21911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08846]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Proposed New Program in Stewardship of Accelerator Technologies 
for Energy and Environmental Applications

AGENCY: Office of High Energy Physics, Office of Science, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The Office of High Energy Physics, as DOE's lead office for 
long-term accelerator R&D, invites interested parties to provide input 
on a possible new program to perform R&D leading to advances in 
particle accelerator technology used in energy and environmental 
applications.

DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before May 
19, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit comments by email only. 
Comments must be sent to EnergyEnvironmentRFI@science.doe.gov with the 
subject line ``Stewardship RFI Comments''.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Eric R. Colby, (301)-903-5475, 
Eric.Colby@science.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Challenge

    With world energy consumption predicted to grow by 56% between 2010 
and 2040,\1\ innovations that reduce pollutants from energy production, 
improve energy efficiency of industrial processes, and develop cost-
effective techniques to clean up water and destroy environmental toxins 
will become increasingly important both to sustaining economic growth, 
and to protecting the environment.
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    \1\ International Energy Outlook 2013, http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/.
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    Accelerator technologies have been demonstrated to have significant 
impact in each of these areas,2 3 4 5 but have not reached a 
sufficient level of technical maturity and economy to be widely 
adopted.
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    \2\ R. Hamm, M. Hamm, Industrial Accelerators and Their 
Applications, (World Scientific, Singapore: 2012).
    \3\ Environmental Applications of Ionizing Radiation, W. Cooper, 
R. Curry, and K. O'Shea, Editors, (John Wiley & Sons, New York: 
1998).
    \4\ ``Accelerators for America's Future'', http://
science.energy.gov/~/media/hep/pdf/accelerator-rd-stewardship/
Report.pdf (2009).
    \5\ Office of High Energy Physics Accelerator R&D Task Force 
Report, May 2012 http://science.energy.gov/~/media/hep/pdf/
accelerator-rd-stewardship/Accelerator--Task--Force--Report.pdf.
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The Response

    The U.S. Department of Energy, acting through the Office of High 
Energy

[[Page 21911]]

Physics in the Office of Science, has developed a program in 
Accelerator Stewardship to serve as a catalyst in transitioning 
accelerator technologies to applications beyond High Energy Physics.
    The Stewardship Program will apply the scientific and technical 
resources of the DOE accelerator R&D program to facilitate developing 
accelerator technology innovations into practice.
    Accelerator technology includes the accelerator structures, high 
power radio frequency and microwave sources and systems, high 
efficiency high-voltage pulsed-power systems, particle beam transport 
using magnetic components, and high power targets for producing 
secondary beams. Sophisticated superconducting magnets and accelerators 
now routinely produce magnetic and electromagnetic fields of 
unsurpassed strength, power, and quality. Accelerator technology also 
includes computer control and automation systems, supporting laser 
systems, safety systems, and diagnostics.
    Accelerators produce high power particle beams of electrons and 
protons that have been used to generate a wide array of intense 
secondary beams, principally neutrons and photons. Spectral control of 
both primary and secondary beams has become sophisticated, allowing 
beams to be specifically tailored to meet demanding application 
requirements.\6\
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    \6\ ``Accelerators and Beams: Tools of Discovery and 
Innovation'', APS-DPB brochure, http://www.aps.org/units/dpb/upload/accel_beams_2013.pdf.
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    The Stewardship Program will pursue several technical ``thrust 
areas'', each of which will address an identified group of technically 
related challenges that, if solved, will result in high impact to 
society.
    In the process, high technology will be transferred from the DOE 
accelerator R&D program into broader use, new public/private 
partnerships will be fostered, and high quality high technology jobs 
will be created.
    Request for information: The objective of this request for 
information is to gather information about opportunities for research 
and development of accelerator technologies to address national 
challenges in energy and the environment.
    The questions below are intended to assist in the formulation of 
comments, and should not be considered as a limitation on either the 
number or the issues that may be addressed in such comments. All 
comments will be made public.
    The DOE Office of High Energy Physics is specifically interested in 
receiving input pertaining to any of the following questions:

Application Areas With High Impact

    1. What are the most promising applications of accelerator 
technology to:
    a. Produce safe and clean energy?
    b. Lower the cost, increase the efficiency, or reduce the 
environmental impact of conventional energy production processes?
    c. Monitor and treat pollutants and/or contaminants in industrial 
processes?
    d. Monitor and treat pollutants produced in energy production?
    e. Increase the efficiency of industrial processes with 
accelerator- or RF/microwave-based processes?
    f. Treat contaminants in domestic water supplies and waste water 
streams?
    g. Treat contaminants in the environment at large (cleanup 
activities)?
    h. Produce alternative fuel sources?
    i. Address critical environmental or energy related issues not 
already mentioned?
    2. How should Federal, State, or Local regulators consider 
technologies in determining regulatory compliance?
    3. What metrics could be used to estimate the long-term impact of 
investments in new accelerator technologies?

For Each Proposed Application of Accelerator Technology

Present State of the Technology

    4. What are the current technologies deployed for this application?
    5. Does accelerator technology have the potential to revolutionize 
the application or make possible something that was previously thought 
impossible?
    6. Does the US lead or lag foreign competition in this application 
area?
    7. What are the current obstacles (technical, regulatory, 
operational, and economic) that prevent the technology from being 
adopted?
    8. How is accelerator technology used in the application?
    9. Does the performance of the accelerator (either technical, 
operational, or cost) limit the application?
    10. What efforts (both public and private, both domestic and off-
shore) currently exist to develop this application?
    11. What are the perceived and actual market barriers for the final 
product?
    12. What aspects of the overall technology solution are proprietary 
or likely to be developed as proprietary, and what aspects are non-
proprietary?

Defining the Stewardship Need

    13. What is the present technology readiness level (TRL) of the 
accelerator technology for this application?
    14. What resources (both skill and infrastructure) are needed to 
advance the technology to a prototype phase?
    15. What mix of institutions (industrial, academic, lab) could best 
carry out the required R&D, and who should drive the R&D?
    16. What collaboration models would be most effective for pursuing 
joint R&D?
    17. Would partnering with a DOE National Laboratory be beneficial 
for the required R&D? Which laboratories could provide the greatest 
leverage?
    18. Should cost sharing be considered for a grant or contract to 
pursue the R&D?
    19. How should R&D efforts engage with other innovation and 
manufacturing initiatives, such as the NNMI? \7\
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    \7\ See http://manufacturing.gov/ for an NNMI program 
description.
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    20. In what ways are the R&D needs not met by existing federal 
programs?
    21. At what point in the manufacturing development cycle would 
external support no longer be needed?
    22. What metrics should be used to assess the progress of a 
stewardship effort?

Other Factors

    23. Are there other factors, not addressed by the questions above, 
that impact the successful adoption of accelerator technology for 
industrial purposes?
    Depending on the response to this RFI, a subsequent workshop may be 
held to further explore and elaborate the opportunities.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2014.
Michael Procario,
Acting Associate Director, Office of High Energy Physics.
[FR Doc. 2014-08846 Filed 4-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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