312,378 research outputs found
Government support for the commercialization of new energy technologies : an analysis and exploration of the issues
No full textThis report examines the issues associated with government programs proposed for the "commercialization" of new energy technologies; these programs
are intended to hasten the pace at which target technologies are adopted by
the private sector. The "commercial demonstration" is the principal tool used
in these programs. Most previous government interventions in support of technological change have focussed on R&D and left to the private sector the decision as to adoption for commercial utilization; thus there is relatively
little in the way of analysis or experience which bears direct application.
The analysis is divided into four sections. First, the role of R,D&D
within the structure of the national energy goals and policies is examined.
The issue or "prices versus gaps" is described as a crucial difference of viewpoint concerning the role of the government in the future of the energy system.
Second, the process of technological change as it occurs with respect to energy
technologies is then examined for possible sources of misaligment or social
and private incentives. The process is described as a series of investments.
Third, correction of these sources of misalignment then becomes the goal of
commercial demonstration programs as this goal and the means for attaining it
are explored. Government-supported commercialization may be viewed as a subsidy to the introduction stage of the process; the circumstances under which
such subsidies are likely to affect the success of the subsequent diffusion
stage are addressed. The discussion then turns to the political, legal, and
institutional problems. Finally, methods for the evaluation and planning of
commercial demonstration programs are analyzed. The critical areas of ignorance are highlighted and comprise a research agenda for improved analytical techniques to support decisions in this area.United States Energy Research and Development Administration under Contract no. E(49-18) 2295, Task Order
Computer optimization of the MIT advanced wet/dry cooling tower concept for power plants
No full textThere is a projected water shortage problem in the electrical power
industry by the end of this century. Dry and wet-dry cooling towers are
going to be the solution of this problem. Our previous study on the
combination of separate dry and wet cooling towers indicated that wet-dry
cooling is an economical choice over all-dry cooling when some water is
available but the supply is insufficient for an evaporative tower. An
advanced wet-dry cooling tower concept was experimentally studied at
MIT's Heat Transfer Laboratory and a computer model was developed for
predicting the performance of this cooling concept. This study has
determined the cost of the cross-flow type of this cooling concept in
conjunction with steam electrical power plants. Aluminum is found to be
economically preferable to galvanized steel as the cooling plate material.
In our base case study using aluminum plates for a 1094 MWe nuclear plant
at Middletown, the MIT advanced cooling concept is comparable to conventional
wet-dry towers at water makeups larger than 45% and is slightly more
economical at makeup larger than 50%. The incremental costs over the power
production cost, 32.3 mills/Kwhr, of zero condenser system are 14, 13 and
12 percent for makeups of 45, 60 and 55 percent, respectively. For an 800
MWe fossil plant at Moline, this cooling concept is more economical than
conventional wet-dry towers at water makeups larger than 27%. The incremental
costs over 20.8 mills/Kwhr of zero condenser system are 12.2 and 10.6
percent for makeups of 37 and 50 percent, respectively. For these two
makeups, going from conventional wet-dry to MIT advanced concept results in
13 and 21 percent, respectively, savings in the incremental cost. When
the water makeup exceeds 30%, the MIT advanced wet-dry concept is pre-
ferable to conventional wet-dry towers for a 1200 MWe nuclear plant at
Moline, Ill. The incremental costs over zero condenser system of 21.1 mills/
Kwhr are 12.8 and 11.5 percent for makeups of 40 and 50 percent, respectively.
Using the MIT advanced concept instead of conventional wet-dry towers
results in 28 and 33 percent reduction of incremental power production
cost for these two makeups, respectively."Prepared under the support of the Environmental Control Technology Division Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Environment
Whirlwind I: A High-Speed Electronic Digital Computer
No full textThis booklet gives a general description of the Whirlwind I digital computer developed at the Servomechanisms Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Project Whirlwind was initiated by the Office of Naval Research, and for a considerable period was supported exclusively by them under contract N5ori60. It is now supported jointly by the Office of Naval Research and the United States Air Force.
The results that have so far been achieved represent the combined efforts of many; the following have played leading parts in the development of the computer: H. R. Boyd, S. H. Dodd, R. R. Everett, H. Fahnestock, N. H. Taylor, C. R. Wieser, P. Youtz.
This booklet was prepared by R. R. Rathbone
List of R-series memorandums
No full textIncludes: No., Title, No. of Pages, Date, and Author.List of Project Whirlwind R-series memorandums, numbering R-1 through R-222
The role for Federal R & D on alternative automotive power systems
No full textReport submitted to the Office of Energy R & D Policy, National Science Foundatio
Initial Testing of a Computer Electrostatic Storage System
No full textFollowing preliminary tests of the individual Whirlwind electrostatic-storage tubes, 16 tubes were installed in a bank in the Whirlwind computer. This thesis report describes the initial testing of the bank as a system, first without and then with the main control circuits of the computer. Because it has had only limited distribution, it is being issued as a Project Whirlwind R-series report.
The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Mr. Jay W. Forrester, head of Project Whirlwind, for the use of the library and laboratory facilities of the Project, to Mr. Patrick Youtz for his careful supervision of the thesis, and to Mr. Stephen Dodd for his generous aid and advice concerning the technical details of the work. The author acknowledges also the work of the Project Whirlwind staff in the design of the systems with which much of the thesis is concerned
Managing R&D with constrained resources in Japan's high technology companies
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 19).Supported by the Japan-United States Friendship Commission and the MIT Japan Program Corporate Consortium.Christopher J. Voisey
Training the global professional--the MIT Japan Program
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 125).Funded by the IBM Corp.Andrew R. Gurbaxani
Comparing advanced energy cycles and developing priorities for future R&D
No full textThis report lists and discusses the types of information that are
necessary for making decisions about the allocation of R&D funds among
various electric power related energy technologies. The discussion is
divided into two parts: (1) the task of choosing among different
technologies and (2) the task of guiding toward the most important specific
projects within an individual technology. To choose among alternative
energy technologies requires assumptive information, assessment infor-
mation, probabilistic information, and techniques for quantifying the
overall desirability of each alternative. Guidance toward the most
important projects requires information about levels and uncertainties of
certain performance measures and their importance relative to external
thresholds or relative to the performance of competing technologies. Some
simple examples are presented to illustrate the discussion. A bibliography
of more than 200 important references in this field was compiled and is
appended to this report.Sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contract #68-02-2146
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