[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71746-71748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33201]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 00-07: New
Programs in Fusion Energy Sciences
AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) of the Office of
Science, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its interest in
receiving grant applications for new research in fusion energy
sciences. Programs planning to submit applications for renewal or
continuation funding in FY 2000 should not submit to this Notice, but
rather submit according to the procedures outlined in 10 CFR part 605.
The specific areas of interest are:
1. Magnetic Fusion Concept Exploration Experiments;
2. Inertial Fusion Energy Concept Exploration Research;
3. Inertial Fusion Energy Chamber and Target Research;
4. Magnetic Fusion Liquid Wall Experiments;
5. Fusion Materials Modeling.
More specific information on each area of interest is outlined in
the general and program specific supplementary information sections
below. Each grant application can be submitted to only one area of
interest. Applicants must identify the area of interest in their formal
submission.
DATES: To permit timely consideration for awards in Fiscal Year 2000,
applications submitted in response to this notice must be received no
later than 4:30 p.m., February 29, 2000. Electronic submissions of
formal applications will not be accepted.
Applicants are requested to submit a letter-of-intent by January
31, 2000, which includes the title of the proposal, the name of the
principal investigator(s), the requested funding and a one-page
abstract. These letters-of-intent will be used to organize and expedite
review processes. Failure to submit a letter-of-intent will not
negatively prejudice a responsive formal application submitted in a
timely manner. Electronic submissions of letters-of-intent are
acceptable.
[[Page 71747]]
ADDRESSES: The completed formal applications referencing Program Notice
00-07 should be forwarded to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
Science, Grants and Contracts Division, SC-64, 19901 Germantown Road,
Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 00-07. The above
address must also be used when submitting applications by U.S. Postal
Service Express, any commercial mail delivery service, or when hand-
carried by the applicant.
Letters-of-intent referencing Program Notice 00-07 should be
forwarded to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of
Fusion Energy Sciences, SC-50, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown,
Maryland 20874-1290, ATTN: John Sauter. Letters-of-intent can also be
submitted via E-mail at the following E-mail address:
[email protected]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, U.S.
Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290.
Specific contacts for each area of interest, along with telephone
numbers and Internet addresses, are listed below:
Magnetic Fusion Concept Exploration Experiments: Ronald A. Blanken,
Research Division, SC-55; Telephone: (301) 903-3306 or 4095, or by
Internet address, [email protected].
Inertial Fusion Energy Concept Exploration Research: Ronald
McKnight, Research Division, SC-55; Telephone: (301) 903-4597 or 4095,
or by Internet address, [email protected].
Inertial Fusion Energy Chamber and Target Research: Gene Nardella,
Facilities and Enabling Technologies Division, SC-52; Telephone: (301)
903-4956 or 3068, or by Internet address,
[email protected].
Magnetic Fusion Liquid Wall Experiments: Sam Berk, Facilities and
Enabling Technologies Division, SC-52; Telephone: (301) 903-4171 or
3068, or by Internet address, [email protected]
Fusion Materials Modeling: Bill Wiffen, Facilities and Enabling
Technologies Division, SC-52; Telephone: (301) 903-4963 or 3068, or by
Internet address, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: General information about development and
submission of applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluations and
selection processes, and other policies and procedures may be found in
the Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial (SC)
Assistance Program and 10 CFR part 605. Electronic access to SC's
Financial Assistance Guide and required forms is possible via the
Internet using the following Web site address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/
production/grants/grants.html. DOE is under no obligation to pay for
any costs associated with the preparation or submission of applications
if an award is not made.
Approximately $1,900,000 of Fiscal Year 2000 funding divided by
program element as outlined below will be available to start new
projects from applications received in response to this Notice. The
number of awards and range of funding will depend on the number of
applications received and selected for award. Since future year funding
is not anticipated to increase, applications should propose constant
year effort (allowing for inflation). Future year funding will depend
upon suitable progress and the availability of funds. The cost-
effectiveness of the application will be considered when comparing
applications with differing funding requirements. Applications
requiring annual funding as low as $50,000 are welcomed and encouraged.
New research is herein defined as research which is not within the
scope of work of existing programs. In cases where the new work assumes
the availability of a facility, experimental apparatus or base group to
perform the work, the funding source(s) for the base must be identified
in the grant application.
Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other
institutions, such as universities, industry, non-profit organizations,
federal laboratories and Federally Funded Research and Development
Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National Laboratories. A parallel
announcement for DOE National Laboratories for some of the areas of
interest will be available on the Office of Science Grants and
Contracts Web Site. In the case of collaborative applications submitted
from different institutions which are directed at a single research
activity, each application must have a distinct scope of work and a
qualified principal investigator who is responsible for the research
effort being performed at his or her institution. Further information
on preparation of collaborative proposals may be accessed via the
Internet at http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Colab.html.
To enable all reviewers in each category to read all applications
in that category, the application must be limited to a maximum of
twenty (20) pages (including text and figures) plus no more than one
page each of biographical information and publications of the principal
investigator. Although it is not required, it would be helpful for each
applicant to submit fifteen (15) copies of their application due to the
anticipated number of reviewers; otherwise the standard number of
copies must be received with each application as outlined in the
Application Guide.
In selecting applications for funding, the DOE Office of Fusion
Energy Sciences will give priority to applications that can produce
results within the first project period after grant initiation
(typically three years but as many as five years in the case of grants
where construction of complex experimental apparatus is required). The
detailed description of the proposed research in addition to the
information required by 10 CFR part 605 should contain the following
items: (1) A succinct statement of the goal of the research, (2) A
detailed research plan, (3) The specific results or deliverables
expected at the end of the project period, (4) A detailed analysis of
the adequacy of the facilities and budget, (5) Discussion of how the
research would elucidate the physics or engineering principles of the
innovation, and (6) Discussion of why this research would have an
important impact on the prospects for either magnetic or inertial
fusion.
Applications will be subjected to formal merit review and will be
evaluated against the following criteria, which are listed in
descending order of importance as set forth in 10 CFR part 605:
1. Scientific and/or technical merit of the project;
2. Appropriateness of the proposed method or approach;
3. Competency of the applicant's personnel and adequacy of the
proposed resources;
4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget.
Program Specific Information
Magnetic Fusion Concept Exploration Experiments
Grant applications are desired for new innovative scientific
experiments that have the possibility of leading to improved magnetic
fusion systems (this includes tokamak based systems with improved
performance). The research should be aimed at experimentally
elucidating the physics principles of such improved systems.
Experiments are sought which are unique, first of a kind and which
provide new insights.
[[Page 71748]]
These funds are targeted toward the establishment of new experiments
and are not meant to support collaborations on existing concept
exploration or proof-of-principle experiments. Applications for
research on existing large tokamaks, independent theory investigations
and new diagnostic development should not be submitted in response to
this notice. Applications for new programs based on the replacement of
the cores of existing experimental facilities with cores designed to
study new physics ideas are allowed. Approximately $600,000 of FY 2000
funding, depending on the quality of the applications, is targeted for
applications received in this area.
Inertial Fusion Energy Concept Exploration Research
Grant applications are desired for new concept exploration
scientific research that has the possibility of leading to improved
inertial fusion energy systems. Such research may include, for example,
expanding the scientific basis for concepts which could lead to
significant increases in performance for more developed approaches.
Efforts directed toward providing advances in physics understanding of
problem areas, which have potentially high impact on inertial fusion
energy science, are also of interest. Primary interest is in
experimental programs, although it is recognized that part of a
coordinated application may include theory and modeling in support of
experiments. It is not anticipated that stand-alone theory applications
will be supported. Approximately $400,000 of FY 2000 funding, depending
on the quality of the applications, is targeted for applications
received in this area.
Inertial Fusion Energy Chamber and Target Research
Grant applications are desired for new innovative research that
will address the key critical issues in the chamber systems, target
technology, and safety and environmental areas for both heavy ion and
laser driven inertial fusion energy systems. Examples of critical
issues in the chamber systems area for heavy ion drivers are liquid
chamber clearing and final focus/chamber interface. Examples of
critical issues in the chamber systems area for laser drivers are
chamber material lifetime uncertainty and final optics design and
survivability. Examples of critical issues in the target technology
area are low-cost, high production rate target fabrication and accurate
injection and tracking. Examples of critical issues in the safety and
environmental area are minimization of accident consequences and
management of radioactive materials. The examples identified are not an
inclusive list. This research can be either experimental and/or
analytical in nature. Approximately $200,000 of FY 2000 funding,
depending on the quality of the applications, is targeted for
applications received in this area.
Magnetic Fusion Liquid Wall Experiments
Grant applications are sought for innovative experiments that can
significantly advance the knowledge base for plasma chamber concepts
using liquids in direct contact with plasmas for first walls,
divertors, and/or limiters. Research on such liquid wall approaches
should be aimed at providing fundamental data and at elucidating
dominant phenomena for a more complete scientific understanding of the
following key issues: (a) Effects of liquid surfaces on plasma edge and
core performance, particularly with regard to influx of particles to
the plasma and trapping/pumping of particles from the plasma, (b)
effects of liquid surfaces on plasma stability and confinement,
particularly with regard to influences from shells and flows of
electrically conducting liquids, and (c) limits of power handling and
operating temperature for candidate liquid coolants, particularly with
regard to turbulence and MHD considerations in free surface flow
thermal-hydraulics. Proposed experiments must be accompanied by
supporting analysis and modeling activities that provide for an ability
to interpret experimental data and support development of computational
tools for predicting liquid wall behavior under fusion-relevant
conditions. Background information about ongoing research related to
liquid walls can be obtained through the Internet at the following web
sites: http://www.fusion.ucla.edu/APEX/ and http://pentium.ep.anl.gov/
alps/. Approximately $300,000 of FY 2000 funding, depending on the
quality of the applications, is targeted for applications received in
this area.
Fusion Materials Modeling
Applications are solicited for three-year grants for research on
modeling and/or theory that will expand the knowledge base on
understanding of the behavior of structural materials in the service
environment of fusion systems. In particular, effects of the
temperature, neutron flux, stress state, system fluids, dissimilar
materials contact, or other components of the environment are of
interest. Response to stresses arising from thermal, mechanical or
other loading sources can be included. Material composition,
microstructure and/or macrostructure variables may also be relevant to
particular modeling approaches. In a broader sense, proposed research
should also contribute to advancing the science of the behavior of
materials. While the focus must be on the fusion environment,
importance of proposed work beyond the interests of fusion should be
identified. A particular goal of proposed modeling and/or theoretical
research should be to add value to the in-place experimental program of
research on materials for fusion systems. Models are desired that can
guide and help interpret costly and difficult-to-obtain experimental
results and that can be applied to resolving key material feasibility
issues. Applications that request funding for experimental work will
not be considered. However, close collaboration with the currently in-
place fusion and/or other experimental materials programs is expected
and encouraged. Critical interfaces with experimental programs should
be identified. Background information and definition of specific areas
of interest are provided in two documents produced by the fusion
materials community and available on the Internet at the Virtual
Laboratory for Technology (VLT) web site, located at http://
vlt.ucsd.edu/. The documents are ``A Whitepaper Proposing an Integrated
Program of Theoretical, Experimental, and Database Research for the
Development of Advanced Fusion Materials'' and ``Advanced Materials
Program'', which is Appendix D of the VLT Roadmap. These documents
should be used for background and guidance, but should not be
considered as establishing absolute boundaries or scope for this
solicitation. Relevance of proposed research to fusion materials,
especially to the feasibility issues identified in the above two
referenced documents, will be considered in the process of selecting
grant applications for funding. Approximately $400,000 of FY 2000
funding, depending on the quality of the applications, is targeted for
applications received in this area.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR part
605.
Issued in Washington, DC, on December 15, 1999.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 99-33201 Filed 12-21-99; 8:45 am]
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