TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER Annual Report 28 Cohort 6 4Cs Nuclear power generating stations have a very large number of manual valves and their configuration management is performed manually. The technology currently under development at Idaho National Laboratory enables automation in monitoring valve positions using retrofitted wireless sensor/communication technologies without requiring requalification of valves, which was previously either unavailable or very labor-intensive. Vivek Agarwal, Principal Investigator; John Buttles, Entrepreneurial Lead; Uuganbayar Otgonbaatar, Industry Mentor ELINA More than 70 percent of incidents occurring in the nuclear industry are due to not correctly following procedures. INL’s computer- based procedure (CBP) system visually guides the worker through each step of the process, validating input and outcomes before moving on to the next step. This tool simplifies the complex paper- based procedure process and ensures that organizations can safely decrease operation and maintenance costs. Katya Le Blanc, Principal Investigator; Johanna Oxstrand and Rachael Hill, Entrepreneurial Leads; David Cohen, Industry Mentor Cohort 7 HOT The High Temperature Irradiation Resistant thermocouple (HTIR-TC) is a breakthrough in the field of temperature measurement, overcoming the two most critical thermocouple issues plaguing high- temperature operations: signal drift and instrument longevity. It is also the only sensor specifically designed for operating reliably in high-temperature radiation environments. Richard Skifton, Principal Investigator; Pattrick Calderoni, Entrepreneurial Lead; David Roberts, Industry Mentor AxiVis AxiVis is a nonexpert based platform for data analytics utilizing visual modules. The technology will enable end users to utilize a variety of toolkits that implement the latest machine and deep learning platforms to test their intuition, as well as provide a front end that can be incorporated into larger enterprise data platforms as need and demonstration of the technology grows. Su-Jong Yoon, Principal Investigator; Jeffery A. Aguiar, Entrepreneurial Lead; Daniel Masiel, Industry Mentor Energy I-Corps Energy I-Corps is a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy aimed at helping engineers and scientists from national labs commercialize the technologies they have developed. Energy I-Corps aims to accelerate the deployment of energy technologies by granting DOE laboratory scientists and engineers access to direct market feedback on their technology offerings. Inspired by the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) model, the Energy I-Corps program empowers teams with the tools, resources and relationships necessary to discover potential market pathways for their innovations. Teams return to the lab with a framework for industry engagement to guide future research and inform a culture of market awareness within the labs. In this way, Energy I-Corps is ensuring our investment in the national labs is maintaining and strengthening U.S. competitiveness long term. Energy I-Corps pairs teams of researchers with industry mentors for an intensive two-month training where the researchers define technology value propositions, conduct customer discovery interviews and develop viable market pathways for their technologies. Each three-person team consists of a principal investigator, an entrepreneurial lead and an industry mentor. Since 2014, there have been seven Energy I-Corps cohorts. Overall, 10 national labs have sent 80 teams to Energy I-Corps. INL has sent 18 teams in all. The INL ELINA team, left to right: Katya Le Blanc, Johanna Oxstrand, Rachael Hill.