OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY--TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
This article also appears in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Review (Vol. 25, No. 2), a quarterly research and development
magazine. If you'd like more information about the research
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helpful comments, drop us a line. Thanks for reading the Review.
ORNL EXPERTISE USED IN 30 CRADAS
In the two years since August 1990, Energy Systems has entered into
37 cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs). Of
these, 30 take advantage of ORNL expertise.
CRADAs are designed to foster cooperative research between industry
and government laboratories by offering private firms advantageous
rights to patents and other intellectual property from the joint
research, trade-secret-like protection of joint data, and
streamlined government approval of the agreement.
Several of the CRADAs not previously highlighted in the Review are
described on the following pages.
Study of Toxic By-Product in Insulating Gas
The significance of the presence of an extremely toxic by-product
in an electrical insulating gas, which was first revealed by ORNL
studies, is the subject of a CRADA signed by Energy Systems in
October 1991. The toxic compound formed by electrical decomposition
in sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)--an insulating gas used in circuit
breakers, transformers, switchgear, and underground electrical
transmission lines--is being studied under a CRADA involving ORNL,
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and
Ontario Hydro (a Canadian electric power utility).
The compound, disulfur decafluoride (S2F10), was found to be toxic
in cell cultures grown at ORNL, was shown to cause lung damage in
animals, and is believed to cause lung damage in humans. Exposure
to decomposed SF6 can be hazardous to human health, as indicated in
the September-October 1991 issue of _Electrical Review_. In an
article entitled "JET Workers Lucky To Be Alive," it was reported
that two men who had been exposed to decomposed SF6 at the Joint
European Torus, a fusion research facility in England, developed
pulmonary edema. The compound or compounds responsible for this
effect were not unequivocally identified.
ORNL research participants in the CRADA are Isidor Sauers and Guy
Griffin, both of the Health and Safety Research Division, and Randy
James, who is providing technical program management through the
Power Systems Technology Program in the Energy Division. Sauers,
who was the first to measure the amount of S2F10 produced in a
given volume of SF6, will develop a sensitive method employing
cryogenic enrichment-gas chromatography techniques for detecting
low levels of the toxic compound in SF6. (Sauers has also
collaborated with NIST in developing another sensitive technique,
using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, that measures
constituents of gases at parts-per-billion levels.) Griffin, the
first to show that the toxicity of sparked SF6 was chiefly a result
of the presence of S2F10, will further study the gaseous
by-product's toxicity.
"Although S2F10 has been found in the laboratory, we do not know if
it exists in actual power equipment," James says. "Utilities,
government agencies, and manufacturers are interested in the
results of this CRADA because the safe operation and maintenance of
circuit breakers and other electrical equipment using SF6 are
important to them."
In a recent talk, Griffin said, "Our biological testing led us to
discover the presence of S2F10 in SF6. In 1980 I exposed Chinese
hamster lung cells and Chinese hamster ovary cells to sparked SF6
and found that 86% of them died. Then I exposed them to SF6 alone
and known by-products of electrical discharges in SF6, such as
SOF2, SOF4, SO2F2, and SO2, and discovered that none of these
products singly or in combination with the others was as toxic as
sparked SF6.
"This finding suggested that an unknown by-product was responsible
for the toxicity. So in 1985-86 Isidor Sauers worked on identifying
the toxic product. When we found that heating a sample of sparked
SF6 eliminated its toxicity, we had indirect evidence of the
presence of S2F10 because S2F10 decomposes upon heating, whereas
most of the other breakdown products of SF6 are stable at
temperatures below about 300 degrees centrigrade.
"Using the techniques of gas chromatography," Griffin added,
"Sauers detected a significant amount of S2F10--about 260 parts per
million--in a sample of sparked SF6. Our later biological studies
showed that S2F10 is orders of magnitude more toxic than the other
by-products in sparked SF6."
The goals of the CRADA are to (1) study the formation and
destruction mechanisms of S2F10, its stability, thermal and
chemical properties, and its toxicity under a variety of
conditions; (2) develop sensitive techniques to detect the toxic
compound in amounts as small as 10 parts per billion, the maximum
permitted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), in a large amount of SF6; (3) review gas-handling
techniques and perform field sampling; (4) if necessary, develop an
absorbent or some other way to remove S2F10 from SF6 when the
insulating gas is withdrawn from electrical equipment during
repairs; and (5) disseminate information and transfer relevant
technology. OSHA has delayed enforcement of the
10-parts-per-billion S2F10 ceiling limit until a suitable detection
method is developed, tested, and approved.
The CRADA project will receive $1.8 million over three years from
the DOE Office of Energy Management, the Electric Power Research
Institute, Ontario Hydro, Empire State Electric Energy Research
Corporation, and the Canadian Electrical Association. The
Bonneville Power Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority
will also contribute funds, although they were not signatories to
the CRADA.
Packaging for Thin-Film Batteries
Under a CRADA, ORNL and the Eveready Battery Company of Westlake,
Ohio, are developing a method for packaging rechargeable thin-film
lithium batteries. These batteries, which are as small as shirt
buttons and thinner than plastic wrap, must be sealed to protect
them from air.
Eveready has been developing a 2.5-V solid-state, thin-film
rechargeable lithium battery, and recently ORNL developed its own
rechargeable 3.7-V thin-film lithium battery. The ORNL and Eveready
batteries have several potential applications as miniature power
supplies for microelectronics, including miniature sensors and
micromotors. (For details on the ORNL development, see the article
"Thin Films for Advanced Batteries" on p. 46 in this issue.)
"Our goal is to develop a microbattery that could be fabricated
directly onto a computer memory chip to preserve information in the
event of a power failure," says John Bates, principal investigator
for the CRADA and leader of the Ceramic Thin Films Group of ORNL's
Solid State Division. "But before the thin-film battery is ready
for commercialization, we must develop a protective thin-film
coating."
Under a CRADA signed in March 1992 by Eveready and Martin Marietta
Energy Systems, Inc., the two organizations will develop a
thin-film technique to seal the batteries and protect them from
exposure to air. Currently, the batteries must be stored in a
protective argon atmosphere to prevent corrosion of the lithium
film. A successful packaging technology will make possible the
rapid commercialization of the ORNL and Eveready thin-film
batteries.
Bates and his colleagues--Nancy Dudney, Greg Gruzalski, and Chris
Luck, researchers in the Solid State Division--have been developing
a rechargeable thin-film battery that could be fabricated directly
onto a chip or its package. Currently, nonrechargeable batteries
much larger than the chips are used to prevent loss of data during
power failures and must be added to circuits as separate
components. A thin-film battery could be incorporated directly into
the integrated circuit of a computer memory chip during its
manufacture.
To make its thin-film batteries, the ORNL group uses special
equipment to deposit one layer of material at a time on a ceramic
or glass surface, called a substrate. The first layer, made of
noncrystalline vanadium oxide, forms the positively charged
electrode, or cathode. The second layer is the electrolyte, a new
material discovered by the group in 1991 and called lithium
phosphorous oxynitride. The electrolyte conducts lithium ions and
separates the electrodes between which electrons flow in an
external circuit, providing needed electrical energy. The third and
top layer deposited is lithium, which forms the negatively charged
electrode, or anode.
The ORNL group will work with the Eveready Battery Company, which
uses lithium for the anode but different materials for the cathode
and electrolyte. The researchers will deposit protective layers on
test cells supplied by Eveready. The procedure will allow the
battery to be sealed in place on, for example, a carrier for a
computer memory chip.
"We will work with Eveready on determining which thin-film material
or combination of materials could best seal up the battery without
altering the properties of the films," Bates says. He predicts the
group will develop a self-contained thin-film battery of more than
3.5 volts during 1992. "Eventually," he says, "thin-film technology
will make possible the development of batteries as small as the
period at the end of this sentence."
Computer Images and Geographic Data for Characterizing
Environmental Conditions
ORNL researchers are working under a CRADA with staff from the
Vitro Corporation of Silver Spring, Maryland, on the application of
ORNL-developed computer software to the remediation of
environmental problems. The CRADA partners will use commercial
systems and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software developed
at ORNL to aid in site characterization and remediation studies.
The long-term goal is to design, construct, and apply advanced GIS
technology to support environmental assessment and restoration.
GIS software is a computer tool to aid in the management, analysis,
and display of geographic and environmental data. Environmental
measurement data (e.g., concentrations of groundwater contaminants)
are combined with spatial information provided by maps of land
surface and subsurface features, aerial photography, and remotely
sensed imagery to help assess the geographic extent,
characteristics, and distribution of waste material.
For example, a study of groundwater contaminant plumes, surface
hydrology and drainage, and thermal imagery for seeps and springs
may reveal potential pathways by which pollutants might migrate
into nearby streams and rivers.
Results can be presented as two- or three-dimensional displays to
help develop insights and remedy environmental problems and to
provide managers with decision support tools to help justify and
plan remediation actions. The principal investigators for the CRADA
at ORNL are Richard Durfee and Jerry Dobson, both of the Computing
and Telecommunications Division, in cooperation with the
Environmental Sciences Division. DOE funds in the partnership are
being provided by the Environmental Restoration and Waste
Management Program.
Vitro Corporation, which is owned by Penn Central Corporation,
provides software engineering and systems integration support at
various military installations. The first phase of the GIS effort
will focus on site characterization for a Navy facility in
Washington state. Later phases will develop and test advanced GIS
concepts in a network-based architecture. Such GIS technologies
will be important in guiding the cleanup of hundreds of military
sites, at a cost as high as $200 billion, by early in the next
century.
Microwave Sintering of Capacitors
ORNL and AVX Tantalum Corporation of Biddeford, Maine, are
collaborating under a CRADA in developing a method for
manufacturing tantalum capacitors--electrical components used in
cardiac pacemakers, electronic devices for the U.S. armed forces,
and other applications requiring very high reliability. Microwave
furnaces at ORNL and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant will be used for
sintering the capacitors' tantalum anodes under various conditions.
The goal is to heat powdered tantalum to a rigid yet porous state.
The expected results of the CRADA partnership are improvements in
the quality and reliability of tantalum capacitors, which are
desired by the AVX Tantalum Corporation, and a demonstration that
microwave sintering can have industrial applications, which is
important for the technology transfer efforts of ORNL and the Y-12
Plant.
AVX Tantalum Corporation manufactures tantalum capacitors by
conventional vacuum sintering. Microwave sintering is being tested
to determine if it can surpass the conventional technique by
removing surface impurities from the tantalum particles, thereby
improving the quality of the dielectric film, reducing cycle time,
tightening process control, and increasing total capacitance.
Research is under way at ORNL to identify and explain the physical
changes in materials as they are heated by microwaves. Observations
of the surface chemistry and morphology of processed tantalum
capacitors may give ORNL researchers fundamental insights into the
actual mechanisms by which microwave sintering alters a material's
properties. The principal investigator of the CRADA at ORNL is
Robert Lauf of the Metals and Ceramics Division.
Thermal Performance of Ceiling Panels
ORNL's Energy Division and the Urethane Technology Division of
Foamseal, Inc., are working together under a CRADA to measure the
thermal performance of ceiling panels used in the construction of
manufactured housing. The panels, which use a polyurethane adhesive
manufactured by Foamseal, were tested in the Large-Scale Climate
Simulator of the Roof Research Center, a DOE user facility at ORNL.
The goal of the CRADA is to help Foamseal improve its ceiling
panels so that they more effectively prevent heat from escaping
houses in winter and from entering them in summer. The CRADA will
help DOE's Building Thermal Envelope Systems and Materials Program
meet its goals and increase industrial use of the Roof Research
Center.
Two test ceiling panels were constructed by attaching dry wall to
ceiling joists. One panel used mechanical fasteners, and the other
used Foamseal's polyurethane adhesive for the attachment. These two
panels were tested at three different temperature conditions in the
Large-Scale Climate Simulator.
The heat flow measured on the panel using urethane foam was about
10.5% lower than that measured on the panel using conventional
mechanical fasteners. The measured thermal resistance of the panel
using urethane foam was about 13% higher than that measured on the
panel using mechanical fasteners.
"The foam adhesive offers an insulating benefit," says Jeff
Christian of the Energy Division, one of the principal
investigators for the CRADA. The other ORNL investigators are Ken
Wilkes and Phil Childs, both of the Energy Division.
Thermal Performance of Roof Insulation
ORNL's Energy Division, the Society of the Plastics Industry, and
the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association are
collaborating under a CRADA. Their goal is to determine the thermal
performance of experimental foam insulation boardstock produced by
U.S. insulation manufacturers.
ORNL's Roof Research Center is being used to conduct thermal
testing and determine the relative aging characteristics of
ozone-safe roof insulation. The foam contains
hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which do not persist nearly as
long in the stratosphere as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
One outcome of this work may be an improved HCFC-blown roofing
insulation that is nearly as efficient in its thermal performance
as CFC insulation. As a result, it may be possible to accelerate
the elimination of CFC insulation for roofs and help preserve the
stratospheric ozone layer that protects humans from hazardous solar
radiation.
A second major outcome is the development of a procedure to
accelerate the thermal aging process of these foams so that the
long-term resistance to heat flow (R value) of these HFC-blown
closed-cell foam insulations can be predicted. These foams lose
some of their thermal resistance as a result of the diffusion of
air into the foam and the diffusion of the blowing agent out of the
foam. An accurate estimation of the lifetime R-value of these foam
insulations will provide a benchmark for developing even better
insulations.
The principal investigators from ORNL for this CRADA are Ron Graves
of the Metals and Ceramics Division and Jeff Christian, George
Courville, and Randy Linkous, all of the Energy Division.
Heat Transfer Studies of Kalina Power Cycle Systems
ORNL and Exergy, Inc., of Hayward, California, are working together
under a CRADA to improve the design of condenser-absorbers for
generating electricity using a Kalina power cycle. Kalina power
cycles, which use working fluid mixtures such as ammonia and water,
will be more efficient than conventional steam power systems and
can be used with a variety of energy sources, such as fossil,
nuclear, solar, and geothermal energy.
"The Kalina power cycle system is like a refrigerator working in
reverse," says Fang Chen, ORNL's principal investigator for the
CRADA and a member of the Energy Division. "Instead of using
electricity to make it work as a refrigerator, the device uses a
refrigerant for converting heat into electricity in the same way as
water is used to make steam to drive a turbine. The Kalina power
cycle is more efficient than the steam power cycle because the
working fluid boils and condenses at a variable temperature whereas
water in a steam cycle boils and condenses at a constant
temperature."
ORNL researchers from the Energy and Engineering Technology
divisions are conducting heat transfer tests of ammonia-water
mixtures under various conditions of a Kalina power cycle. They use
condenser-absorber tubes supplied by Exergy for the condensing heat
transfer tests.
The researchers will determine the effects of ammonia-water film
condensation at various thicknesses on the heat transfer of tube
surfaces under various conditions of the Kalina power cycle. The
results of the tests will be used to develop an engineering design
data base to improve the design and development of cost-effective
condenser-absorbers for Kalina power cycle systems. This project is
a part of the Thermal Sciences Program of DOE's Office of
Industrial Technologies.
Development of Radiation Detector
ORNL and Pellissippi International, Inc. (PI), of Knoxville have
signed a CRADA to develop a new type of radiation detector.
ORNL scientists will conduct research and design studies for a
dosimeter that, for the first time, could detect neutrons through
optical imaging of charged-particle tracks in a gas. As part of an
anticipated two-year joint effort, PI will develop a prototype
optical detector chamber to which ORNL will have access for
research.
Neutron measurements are required for personnel protection at
facilities where this radiation occurs. An improved radiation
detector employing this latest technique could monitor neutron
radiation levels more accurately and provide additional information
beyond existing capabilities. If successful, the new cooperative
research also could open new avenues of research in radiation
physics.
James E. Turner and Robert N. Hamm, both of ORNL's Health and
Safety Research Division, developed the optical detector in
collaboration with former staff members Scott R. Hunter, G. Samuel
Hurst, and Harvel A.Wright. For the idea, the group was awarded a
patent, which has been assigned to PI. The work there is being
coordinated by Hunter and PI's president, William A. Gibson.
The research is being sponsored by DOE's Office of Health and
Environmental Research and the National Cancer Institute.
CRADA WITH DETROIT DIESEL ON CERAMIC ENGINE PARTS
Energy Systems and Detroit Diesel Corporation have signed a CRADA
for developing advanced technology and manufacturing practices to
machine and inspect ceramic components used in heavy-duty diesel
engines. Detroit Diesel has become a leading manufacturer of such
engines and has been responsible for such innovations as the
electronically-timed unit fuel injector.
The CRADA was signed in Detroit Diesel Corporation's headquarters
by Roger Penske, chairman and chief executive officer of Detroit
Diesel, and William W. Carpenter, Energy Systems vice president for
Technology Transfer. The signing was witnessed by Richard A.
Claytor, Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs, U.S. Department
of Energy.
The research effort will rely on the expertise of DOE's Oak Ridge
Y-12 Plant in precision machining, developed from manufacturing
components for nuclear weapons, and ORNL's expertise in advanced
materials. These capabilities are being combined in the recently
established Ceramic Manufacturability Center jointly funded by
DOE's Conservation and Renewable Energy and Defense Programs
offices.
"This collaboration in the field of precision machining of ceramics
parts is in the middle of one of our fields of expertise,"
Carpenter said. "That a large manufacturer of diesel engines is
willing to collaborate with us in this field is a testament of
great value to us. We intend to use our expertise to assist Detroit
Diesel in its commercial quests. We both can benefit greatly."
Objectives of the project include improving the accuracy and
consistency of critical dimensions on ceramic components such as
diesel engine fire decks, cam roller followers, engine valves,
injector components, and other similar parts. Manufacturability
issues will be addressed using techniques such as component thermal
analysis, finite element modeling, and fluid flow analysis.
The project will support DOE's Defense Programs and Conservation
and Renewable Energy technical needs in manufacturing hard
materials and will enable U.S. industry to maintain a position of
leadership in the structural ceramics field.
Under this three-year agreement, costs of the cooperative research
effort will be equally shared by Detroit Diesel Corporation and DOE
(through Martin Marietta Energy Systems) at a total cost of $2.4
million.
Operations will be conducted in a Ceramic Manufacturability Center
now being established at ORNL's High Temperature Materials
Laboratory (HTML) under a cooperative program for Precision
Machining of Cost-Effective Ceramics Components. Location of the
center in the HTML enables Detroit Diesel Corporation and other
industrial participants in the program to take advantage of the
world-class materials capabilities available at the HTML.
Ceramics are an attractive material for use in engines. They are
stronger and lighter than steel and can tolerate much higher
temperatures. Because engines are more efficient when operated at
higher temperatures, ceramics have long been envisioned for use in
advanced engines.
Materials research funded by DOE has led to the development of
several promising ceramics compounds for industrial applications,
but the development of machining and quality inspection techniques
necessary to mass produce cost-effective ceramics has not kept pace
with the development of the materials.
The lack of precision machining is considered to be a principal
barrier to the use of ceramics in engines. Precision machining
technologies for ceramics and other hard materials have been
developed at the Y-12 Plant as part of manufacturing nuclear
weapons components.
ORNL'S BLOOD ROTOR LICENSED TO ABAXIS
A new medical device, about the size of a small toaster, that can
analyze a single drop of blood will be available next year to help
physicians assess the health of their patients. This is the hope of
Abaxis Corporation of Mount View, California, which is completing
the development of this product based on an ORNL technology. Abaxis
will be marketing the medical analyzer throughout the world in 1993
under a recent licensing agreement with Energy Systems.
The Abaxis device is a miniaturized and computerized version of a
centrifugal analyzer, an instrument invented in 1967 at ORNL by
Norman Anderson and his associates. The unique feature of the
Abaxis analyzer is a sophisticated disposable rotor, a clear
plastic disk that fits in the palm of your hand. It is based on a
rotor developed by Carl Burtis of ORNL's Chemical Technology
Division and two retired employees--Wayne Johnson, formerly of the
Instrumentation and Controls Division, and Bill Walker, formerly of
the Plant and Equipment Division.
Each rotor in the analyzer contains the chemical agents and
processing chambers needed to automatically process and analyze a
single drop of whole blood for substances of medical interest.
Abaxis plans initially to produce different types of rotors, each
of which will be designed to monitor a specific health function.
For example, some of the first rotors available will be used for
general health monitoring, and others will be used to assess the
health status of specific organs such as the liver or heart.
The new device will analyze blood for cholesterol, glucose, total
protein, and other chemicals that indicate whether a patient's
heart, liver, kidneys, and metabolism are functioning properly. For
example, elevated levels of certain proteins called enzymes can
indicate organ malfunction.
To begin an analysis, a technician first removes a rotor from its
foil package and introduces a drop of a patient's blood onto the
rotor's loading port. Capillary tubes in the rotor draw the blood
into a central mixing chamber where it is diluted. The rotor is
then placed into the analyzer and alternately spun and stopped to
remove blood cells from the plasma in the sample. The plasma, which
contains the chemicals of interest, is radially moved from the
central chamber to the rotor periphery, where portions of it are
mixed with reagents present in the individual reaction chambers.
The reagents react with specific components of the blood to form
chemical compounds. The rates of individual chemical reactions and
the concentrations of the newly formed light-absorbing compounds
can be determined by passing light into the chambers and measuring
the emerging light signals. Light signals are transmitted and
measured by a stationary optical system within the analyzer.
The amount of light transmitted through a chamber indicates the
level of a particular body chemical in the blood. Variation in
light intensity over time indicates reaction rate and, thus, the
levels of other chemicals.
The system's software converts the measured light-transmission
signals into units of concentration or activity (reaction rates)
and prints or stores this information, which is later uploaded to
a larger computer. From this information, physicians can diagnose
disease and organ malfunction or pronounce the patient to be in
good health.
DOE LABS AND UTILITIES INTERACT
ORNL is one of several DOE laboratories involved in the Optical
Sensing Manufacturers/Utilities Group (OPSM/UG), an organization
formed in 1991 to match the needs of electric utilities with
technology for new optical sensing applications. The group also
encourages its members to jointly develop, test, and demonstrate
new technologies.
For the utilities, sensors using advanced optical detection
technologies will play a key role in addressing increasingly
complex issues in environmental monitoring, power generation, power
distribution, and load control.
Eric Wachter, a research staff member in ORNL's Health and Safety
Research Division, said DOE will benefit from its involvement.
"Much of the technology that DOE is committed to develop, such as
that needed for environmental monitoring, can be used by private
industry," Wachter said. "By working with utilities and optical
sensing manufacturers, we will be able to develop joint approaches
to sensing applications."
OPSM/UG's first meeting, held April 15, 1992, was hosted by
Southern California Edison at its research center in Irwindale,
California, and was timed to coincide with the Expo Sensors West
exposition in nearby Anaheim.
(keywords: CRADAs, sulfur hexafluoride, thin-film batteries,
environmental characterization software, Kalina power cycles,
radiation detector, ceramic engine parts, blood analysis,
environmental monitoring)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date Posted: 2/7/94 (ktb)