<P>36The Military Engineer L January-February L 2010 goals of harnessing solar and sea power to fuel the military for years to come, a top NRL scientist said. A worldwide peak of fuel production is expected in ?ve to 15 years, and increased demand will likely create large swings in price and availability, Barry Spargo, head of NRLs Chemi- cal Dynamics and Diagnostics Branch, said in an Oct. 14 in- terview on Pentagon Web Radios audio webcast Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military. The bottom line is that we need to develop alternative power and energy because conservation and ef?ciency alone will fall short of meeting future needs, he explained. The quest for alternative fuel technologies is a top priority for the U.S. Navy, Spargo said, adding that energy research at NRL is diverse, allowing researchers to bring together a wide array of disciplines to address unique problems confronting alternative energy research. Were conducting research in a number of areas that look really promising; however its unlikely that a single research area will solve the energy problems that we are facing, Spargo said. NRL is currently investing in synthetic fuel production at sea, enhancing fuel energy density, exploration of methane hydrates in the ocean, energy harvesting from the sea, fuel cells and batteries, power electronics and superconductors, and inertial fusion. Each of these research areas has signi?cant challenges, but certainly promising potential to help solve some of the Navy and Defense Departments future power and energy needs for force mobility. One area of research that NRL is pursuing is the feasibility of sea-based production of hydrocarbon fuels. According to Spargo, the goal is to produce fuel in the same location where it is being consumed, speci?cally to support surface ships and aircraft operations from carriers at sea. Fuel synthesis would be accomplished by a catalytic conversion of hydro- gen produced directly from sea water by the electrolysis of water and carbon dioxide. The lab also is working on ?exible photovoltaic panels about four times as ef?cient as current solar panels. According to Spargo, the panels can be easily folded and transported, or even integrated into materials like tents and uniform covers to provide a local power source in support of expeditionary forces. The lab has expended considerable research and devel- opment into developing hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source. Fuel cells are used to create electricity, and they do this by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water, Spargo explained. Hydrogen fuel cells can deliver about twice the ef?ciency of a conventional combustion engine and when used to fuel unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can support heavier pay- loads than earlier, battery-powered models. A recent test of the prototype Ion Tiger UAV, powered exclusively by a hydro- gen fuel cell, sustained continuous ?ight for more than 23 hours. Energy research is a key priority for the Navy and, for that matter, all of us, Spargo said. Im certain that there are many exciting discoveries ahead that will help us achieve this goal of energy independence, as well as being good stewards of the environment as we operate and live in it. (By Bob Freeman, Of?ce of the Oceanographer of the Navy.) ERDC Collaborates with Nobel Laureate on Carbon Nanotube Research Bob Welch, Ph.D., and the ERDC carbon nanotube research team recently collaborated with Nobel Laureate Robert Curl and his Rice University research group on a successful basic research proposal for carbon nanotube coatings. Curl was among a group that was awarded the Nobel Prize for Carbon 60, also known as Bucky Balls, in 1996. A mineral form of car- bon, Bucky Balls created international interest in other po- tential new mineral forms of the element. Carbon nanotubes, discovered in 1993 and envisioned as an elongated form of Bucky Balls, are a product of that movement. Rice is a world leader in developing methods to grow car- bon nanotubes, said Dr. Welch. This collaboration allowed our research team access to Rices state-of-the-art ?ndings and strengthen our efforts to perform at a world-class level. Dr. Welch, along with ERDCs Bob Ebeling, Ph.D., and Kevin Abraham, Ph.D., and the Armys Natick Soldier System Centers Claudia Quigley and Karen Buehler, also recently Technology News (continued)</p> <UL><LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/1/1/">Front-Cover</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/2/2/">Inside-Cover</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/3/3/">Page-1</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/4/4/">Page-2</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/5/5/">Page-3</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/6/6/">Page-4</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/7/7/">Page-5</a></LI> <LI><a href="http://www.stallionpublishers.com/publication/286/rhbgvjbgb/8/8/">Page-6</a></LI> <LI><a 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