November 9, 2010: MTECH Laboratories, LLC, a research and development firm in New York State’s Capital District, has been awarded two Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Research and Development (SBIR) grants to apply its novel cryogenic power conversion technologies to high-power accelerators. The programs target development of high-voltage, high-current power devices exhibiting exceptional efficiencies and switching speeds. According to the programs’ Principal Investigator, Ed Mueller, “These components could be utilized in power supplies that drive superconducting elements used to accelerate particles to extremely high speeds. Particles are collided with each other or with special materials, and the resulting reactions give scientists a better understanding of the underlying sub-atomic physics. Faster, more efficient power devices improve the performance of accelerators.”

The SBIR program is a three-phase program. Both of MTECH’s current projects are in the first phase, which allows six months to establish feasibility, measure basic device and circuit properties, and develop conceptual designs. Prototype power devices would be fabricated and tested in Phase II. In Phase I, MTECH is collaborating with a number of national labs, including Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Lab and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

MTECH Laboratories, LLC is a broad-based R&D firm whose expertise encompasses power electronics, magnetics, materials research, and animation. MTECH is a a broad-based R&D firm whose expertise encompasses power electronics, magnetics, materials research, and animation. MTECH is a pioneer in cryogenic power conversion technologies. The firm’s major focus is to develop energy-efficient and high-performance components and circuitry for high-power applications. For more information about MTECH Laboratories, please contact Bill Wilson, Business Manager, at (518) 885-6436, or visit www.mtechlabs.com.