[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31093-31094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-15581]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Morgantown Energy Technology Center; Partnering Opportunity 
Announcement

AGENCY: U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Morgantown Energy Technology 
Center.

ACTION: Notice of Partnering Opportunity Announcement.

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SUMMARY: The Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) is offering 
partnering opportunities with United States companies in the area of 
sorbent development/commercialization. Many different vehicles for 
partnering may be considered, including licensing and/or Cooperative 
Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). CRADAs will probably be 
limited to the area of sorbent development/commercialization for hot 
gas desulfurization. CRADAs offer private sector participants the 
opportunity to share in outcomes of development activities and also 
offer the option for protection of CRADA-generated data. These 
agreements do require the participant to share in the cost and do not 
involve direct METC funding of the participant's activities.
    METC desires to work with a partner for the purpose of bringing a 
supported/matrixed hot gas desulfurization sorbent to large-scale 
commercialization. This sorbent, designated as the TL sorbent, has been 
prepared and tested at the laboratory scale at METC. The TL sorbent 
shows good sulfur capacity, high sulfur removal efficiency, and long-
term physical durability. It requires no activation or pretreatment 
step, which is an improvement over previously developed sorbents. A 
provisional patent application has been submitted for this METC-
developed sorbent. The overall objective of this development effort has 
been to qualify sorbents for demonstration in commercial-scale 
projects, which are demonstrating Integrated Gasification Combined 
Cycle (IGCC) technologies.
    The utility industry and METC agree that IGCC technologies being 
demonstrated under the Clean Coal Technology program will play a 
significant role in supplying electricity during the next century. As 
the markets for such technologies expand to replace today's older 
plants and to supply demand for additional electricity, the sales of 
cost-effective, hot gas sulfur removal sorbents and related process 
systems promise to be substantial. The

[[Page 31094]]

proposed partnering opportunity is expected to accelerate commercial 
availability of improved, lower-cost, hot gas desulfurization sorbents 
for fixed/moving bed and fluidized bed/transport reactors. The METC-
developed TL sorbent is likely to have applications in other fields of 
use such as the chemical and petroleum industries.

DATES: Proposals require the participant to provide a description of 
the preferred partnering vehicle, and the scope of work that the 
participant is proposing to perform or supply. Qualifications of the 
participant or members of its development team for catalyst/sorbent 
manufacturing and marketing should be provided. Elaborate proposals are 
not necessary. It is recommended that the proposal not exceed 5 pages. 
Proposals received by July 31, 1996, will be evaluated for proper 
qualifications. Any or all proposals may be accepted or rejected as 
deemed to be in the best interest of the Government. With current 
budget uncertainties, government participation in the partnership may 
be limited.
    The following criteria will be used to review the proposals and 
select the partner(s). Qualifications of the participant or members of 
its development team may address the criteria.
    1. Working knowledge and access to manufacturing capability for 
catalyst carriers and matrix materials as represented by the variety of 
products produced, quantities of products sold per year, etc.
    2. Proven success in marketing catalysts and/or sorbents in 
specified fields as represented by the size of the marketing/sales 
department, market share, etc.
    3. Research and development capability for continued product 
improvement as represented by facilities, staff, equipment, etc.

ADDRESSES: Parties interested in this partnering opportunity are 
requested to submit a proposal by July 31, 1996, to: Dr. Rodney J. 
Anderson, Technology Transfer Program Manager, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Morgantown Energy Technology Center, P.O. Box 880, 3610 Collins 
Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26507-0880, Telephone: 304-285-4709. 
Additional information is available on METC's Internet Homepage at 
http://www.metc.doe.gov or by contacting Dr. Rodney J. Anderson at the 
above address or phone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: METC has several facilities which might be 
used for sorbent testing and analysis. The METC test apparati include a 
one-inch diameter fixed bed reactor, a high-pressure 2-inch diameter 
fixed or fluidized bed reactor, and a transport reactor. The reactor 
systems include on-line analysis of sulfur-containing gases. In 
conjunction with the test facilities, an on-site gas chromatography 
laboratory can provide analyses of the reactor effluents. Possible 
solid sorbent analysis performed by METC or its contractors may include 
atomic absorption for metals, total sulfur via LECO analyzer, surface 
area, density, porosity, crush strength, and attrition resistance.

    Dated: June 11, 1996.
Thomas F. Bechtel,
Director, Morgantown Energy Technology Center.
[FR Doc. 96-15581 Filed 6-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P