The
Advanced Technology Program (ATP), National Institute
of Standards, fosters partnerships among government,
industry, and academia by co-funding innovative, high
risk research to develop enabling technologies that promise
broad economic benefits for the nation.
In 1995,
ATP funded development of an innovative refrigeration
technology for providing ultra-cold refrigeration in
the –70°F to –150°F range with potential
applications in the food processing, volatile organic
compound recovery, and liquid natural gas industries.
The project encompassed technology development, system
integration, fabrication, and pilot testing of a closed-cycle
air refrigeration (CCAR) system that would utilize environmentally
benign dry air as the working fluid.
The ATP
conducts economic analyses to assess the short- and long-run
benefits of ATP-funded projects to the nation. It evaluates
impacts on project participants, their customers, final
consumers, and other recipients of the technologies developed
with ATP assistance. This case study of ATP’s CCAR
project is part of ATP’s ongoing evaluation effort.
Case Study Objectives
and Scope
The objectives
of this case study are to summarize key technical features
of the enabling CCAR technology developed with ATP funding,
to describe associated market opportunities, and to identify,
characterize, and quantify the economic impact of the
project.
The case
study is aimed at evaluating
- Broad-based
economic benefits, across multiple U.S. industries
- Public
returns from ATP’s investment
- Knowledge
dissemination about useful technical innovations
- Improved
organizational capabilities for ATP’s industry
partners
- Private
returns for ATP’s industry partners
Analysis
focused on the estimation of quantifiable public returns
for the U.S. economy, as measured against ATP’s
investment over the 1996–1998 period. The analysis
also identified economic benefits that could not be quantified
at this time. |
