(Left) R&D World Magazine recognized the Integrally Geared Supercritical CO2 Compander as being among the 100 most significant innovations for 2022. The compander, developed by SwRI and Hanwha Power Systems, converts thermal energy from a heat generation source, such as concentrated solar power, to electrical energy. This is SwRI’s 51st R&D 100 award.
(Above) SwRI’s compander team included Dr. Natalie Smith, Dr. Jason Wilkes and Dr. Tim Allison.
SwRI has deployed a 14-passenger automated shuttle on its grounds as a tour bus and a technology demonstration platform. The shuttle uses SwRI-developed Ranger technology to match stored images of roadway surfaces with live images from ground-facing cameras to navigate Institute roads to within 2 centimeters. The vehicle, which has a safety driver onboard, uses lidar to observe its surroundings and react to pedestrians, vehicles and other objects.
SwRI is supporting NASA’s efforts in planetary defense to better understand how to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid or comet on a collision course with Earth to nudge its trajectory, diverting an impending impact into a harmless near miss. To complement NASA’s recent Double Asteroid Redirection Test, SwRI conducted small-scale, high-velocity impact experiments to characterize the momentum enhancement associated with an asteroid’s recoil from the crater ejecta, or debris, erupting from the impact crater following hypervelocity impact.
In 2022, SwRI initiated phase II of the ARPA-E NEXTCAR project to increase energy savings to greater than 30% using Level 4 automation technologies. The approach builds on the success of eco-routing, eco-driving and power-split optimization, expanding to explore cooperative control, smart lane change/merge, and dedicated connected and automated vehicle operations.
SwRI’s new 74,000-square-foot Space System Integration Facility supports the design, assembly and testing of constellation spacecraft and the responsive integration of mission-specific payloads.
HONORS
Dr. William Bottke
AGU Fellow
Dr. Stephen Fuselier
Co-chair, National Academies Solar & Space Physics Decadal Survey
Dr. Peter Lee
Director of the Society of Tribology & Lubrication Engineers
Dr. Elizabeth Trillo
National Association of Corrosion Engineers Fellow
Dr. James Walker
President of the International Ballistics Society
AWARDS
Dr. James L. Burch
NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
Bobby Holliday
Association of Old Crows Clark G. Fiester Program Management Award
Dr. Hal Levison
American Astronomical Society’s Division on Dynamical Astronomy Dirk Brouwer Career Award
Chris Sharp, Gary Neely, Bryan Zavala & Sandesh Rao
SAE John Johnson Award for Outstanding Research in Diesel Engines
Dr. Natalie R. Smith
2022 ASME International Gas Turbine Institute Dilip R. Ballal Early Career Engineer Award
Madeline Vaughn
Electronic Warfare Professional Young Crow Award
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