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  March 2005 News
  • Three I&I grantees - Breslford Engineering, Inc.; EMV Technologies, LLC; and Energy Research Company - will be presenters at the elite World's Best Technologies 2005 Conference (WBT05), March 28-30 in Arlington, Texas. The I&I presenters will showcase a cellulose hydrolysis process and reactor system, an aluminum scrap re-melting process, and a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique, respectively, to a panel of investors and commercialization experts who will provide guidance and ultimately select the most promising presenters for special recognition. WBT05 is produced jointly by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) and the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF). To view the I&I fact sheets about these technologies, visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/inventions. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.wbt05.com.


  • Freight Wing, Inc. (http://www.freightwing.com) will attend its first trade show as an exhibitor, hosting booth number 8507 at the 34th annual Mid-America Trucking Show (http://www.truckingshow.com), March 31 - April 2 in Louisville, Kentucky. With more than 1000 exhibitors and 70,000 attendees, this show is the foremost trucking industry event, showcasing the most innovative technology and advanced developments in the industry. Freight Wing will feature its belly and gap fairing products, which reduce drag on a trailer and enable 6 percent fuel savings, as demonstrated in SAE/TMC J1321 standardized testing procedures at the Transportation Research Center last year. To view the I&I fact sheet on Freight Wing, please visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/inventions/pdfs/freightwing.pdf.

 


    Upcoming Events


    GLOBALCON 2005 in Atlantic City, NJ, March 23-24.
    http://www.globalconevent.com/


    Hydropower 2005: The Sustainable Energy Solution in Washington, D.C., April 3-6.
    http://www.hydro.org/conferences


    18th North American Gas Strategies Conference in Houston, TX, April 4-5.
    http://www.ziffenergyconferences.com


    Electric Power 2005 in Chicago, IL, April 5-7.
    http://www.electricpowerexpo.com/


    Workshop to Facilitate Further Chemical Industry R&D Collaboration in Pittsburgh, PA, April 12-13.
    http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/


    Technology Spotlight
    ACT-Metlund's D'MAND System Featured on Green Building Technology Tour

    ACT, Inc. Metlund Systems (http://www.gothotwater.com/) attended the National Green Building Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on March 13-15, where several conference speakers discussed the I&I-granted Metlund D'MAND technology as part of their programs. In addition, STRUCTURED PLUMBING®, the process of designing residential and commercial structures that incorporate D'MAND technology in their initial plumbing systems, was featured in several homes and buildings on the Green Building Technology Tour. SawHorse Construction, winner of the 2005 Green Advocate of the Year: Remodeling award, and Glenwood Park Green Street Properties, a builder of communities and shops, displayed homes and buildings with integrated D'MAND systems. The Glenwood Park Green Street structures incorporated a D'MAND model that uses a motion sensor to activate the water pumping system.

    ACT-Metlund is introducing several other innovative activation features to advance their technology. The company is currently developing a voice-activation system that will include a "hot water now" command. This new feature will be commercially available in the next 4-5 months, and will be fully adaptable to current D'MAND systems. Other innovations under development include flow-switch activation featuring electronic shut-off of hot water, and automatic operation capabilities retrofitted with current plumbing in hotels and other large buildings.

    The electronic Metlund D'MAND pumping system, when activated by a motion detector, flow switch, or other device, rapidly moves hot water from the water heater to the last fixture, making hot water available at each fixture along the way. The system uses a thermal sensor that distributes hot water only upon observing a preset rise in temperature. For more information on this innovative technology, view the I&I fact sheet at http://www.eere.energy.gov/inventions/pdfs/act.pdf.



    Contact Information

    For more information about I&I or about projects that are applicable to your program area, contact Lisa Barnett at 6-2212 or lisa.barnett@ee.doe.gov.