Tri-Cities Tech Business Update
PNNL engineer named institute co-director
Ward TeGrotenhuis
Ward TeGrotenhuis, a chief engineer at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been named co-director of the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute in Corvallis, Ore. The Institute is a joint effort between PNNL and Oregon State University to develop and commercialize microchannel technologies for energy applications. By using channels that are the width of a few human hairs, microchannel technologies can speed up or improve processes such as those used to make nanoparticles. The Institute is co-directed by one representative each from PNNL and OSU. PNNL scientists at the Institute are currently focused on reducing solar cell manufacturing costs and developing cooling systems powered by waste heat. Eight PNNL employees work at the institute. TeGrotenhuis will work from PNNL's Richland, Wash., campus. In addition to his co-director responsibilities, he will continue to lead PNNL's thermal and reaction systems research team. TeGrotenhuis has been employed with PNNL since 1993.
