FLC Awards Archive — 2001
Awards for Excellence in Technology Transfer

Department of Energy

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

High Void-Fraction Multiphase Flowmeter

There are approximately 1.5 million natural gas wells worldwide, many of which produce “wet gas,” a mixed-phase flow of <5% liquid by volume. Wet gas is one of the natural gas industry’s most challenging measurement problems as the liquid phase of the flow complicates the measurement, rendering traditional metering devices inaccurate. Yet, this is an extremely important measurement to have with accuracy. The liquid-gas composition of the flow determines the royalties paid to producers and—most importantly—indicates how quickly a natural gas reservoir is being depleted.

Understanding the need for a device that would effectively wet gas at the well, James Fincke invented the High Void-Fraction Flowmeter. The device functions by accelerating the flow of natural gas through a constriction, then decelerating it in an expansion area. The flow rate of both liquid and gas are deduced from measurements of pressure drop across the constricted and expanded areas of the device. In addition, the flowmeter is scalable to meet the varying temperature, pressure and liquid-gas composition of any natural gas well.

Several industry partners worked with INEEL to successfully bring Fincke’s invention to the marketplace. Conoco, an internationally recognized energy company, contributed $25,000 worth of equipment to INEEL to support the research and development of the flowmeter. Perry Equipment Corporation (PECO), a provider of equipment and measurement instruments to the oil and gas industry, entered into a licensing agreement with the lab to launch the technology. Prior to the commercial launch of the flowmeter, PECO sold its metering division to FMC Smith Instruments but the licensing effort has continued, with high profile energy companies—including British Petroleum—using PNNL’s technology for their natural gas wells.

The High Void-Fraction Multiphase Flowmeter is a technology that can bring real economic benefit to natural gas producers, while providing the first cost-effective means of managing a precious natural resource. Because it provides accurate measurement at the site of the well, this technology makes the sharing of pipelines—and the reduced environmental impact and economic benefit that brings—more financially attractive. These factors ultimately contribute to improved gas production costs for operators that could lead to savings for the consumer.

RSP-Tooling™ Process for Manufacturing Prototype and Production Tooling

Nearly all the manufactured goods we use every day require precise, customized tool steel molds and dies to produce them. New technology is needed by U.S. manufacturers and the U.S. tool and die industry to increase competitiveness in global markets by reducing costs, as well as lead time in getting products to market. A technology developed by INEEL’s Dr. Kevin McHugh, Rapid Solidification Process (RSP) Tooling™, can lower costs and lead time by eliminating operations such as machining, grinding, polishing and heat treatment. In addition, it can produce tools that last up to 20 percent longer, thus lowering the cost of replacing tools that wear out during use.

Dr. McHugh’s technology involves converting a mold design to a tool pattern and then spray forming a thick deposit of tool steel (or other alloy) on the pattern to accurately capture its shape, surface texture and detail. The resulting metal block is removed from the pattern, machined square and used as an insert in a holding block.

Technology transfer processes used for RSP-Tooling™ included U.S. and foreign patents, a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA), and a licensing agreement with Global Metal Technologies, Inc. (GMTI), an Illinois-based die caster for the international automotive market and a major supplier to Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler. Under the licensing agreement, GMTI will use the technology to develop commercial product equipment for the tool and die industry.

The commercialization of RSP-Tooling™ will provide the tool and die industry with an attractive alternative to conventional fabrication processes, with the potential to revolutionize tool production in automotive and other industries. As advanced tool-making equipment becomes available through RSP-Tooling™, manufacturers will be able to get new products to market faster and at less cost, making U.S. industry more competitive in world markets. This streamlined process, which blurs the line between prototype and production tooling, it will be much easier for designer to try out and perfect new products—dramatically reducing the cycle time between concept and commercialization.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Continuous Glucose Sensor for Diabetes Patients

Complications of diabetes are the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and amputations in the U.S. Diabetic patients must test their blood sugar frequently to avoid the dangers associated with the extremes of high and low blood sugar. Current methods of measuring blood glucose levels, using a fingerstick, are painful and inconvenient. Many diabetes patients therefore do not monitor their glucose as frequently as they should, leading to complications. A continuous blood glucose sensor, developed by the Lawrence Livermore team and MiniMed, Inc. (MMI) of Northridge, California, provides a more convenient way to measure blood sugar.

The sensor consists of engineered molecules embedded in a biocompatible polymer that is placed under the skin. It is illuminated by the light of a given wavelength from a small, handheld instrument and the resulting fluorescence measured by a small detector in the device. The molecule undergoes fluorescence in the presence of glucose, with the brightness of the light corresponding to the current glucose level in the tissue.

The technology transfer process between Lawrence Livermore and MMI—one of the world’s leading manufacturers of insulin pumps—began in 1995 with a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) and has continued with a licensing agreement with the two partners. After additional work and clinical trials are completed, it is expected that the Continuous Glucose Sensor will be marketed on a large scale.

This technology will ultimately have a great impact on the lives of diabetes patients—including 16 million in the U.S. alone. Studies have proven that improvements in blood sugar control is directly related to decreased risks for long-term diabetic complications. By providing a minimally invasive way to continuously monitor blood glucose levels, in combination with the use of an insulin pump, even greater declines in complications and premature death from diabetes may be achieved.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

High-Thermal-Conductivity (HTC) Graphite Foam

High-Thermal-Conductivity (HTC) Graphite Foam, developed by a team at ORNL, is a highly efficient, low-density heat-sink material. It outperforms traditional materials such as extruded aluminum heat sinks in electronic components, metal radiators in cars and trucks, and carbon-composite thermal radiators in spacecraft.

The successful transfer of this technology resulted from a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) between ORNL and Poco Graphite, Inc. of Decatur, Texas. At the heart of the ORNL-Poco Graphite partnership is the aggressive protection of intellectual property, including domestic and international patents and trademarks. The Department of Energy has shown great interest in moving HTC Graphite Foam to the commercial forefront by making the development of this technology the number one priority of the Engineering Electronics Technology Team by the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) consortium for cooling power electronics. The HTC Graphite Foam Team was the recipient of the R&D 100 Award last year.

Both economical and environmental benefits are offered by HTC Graphite Foam. Chemically inert and able to withstand very high temperatures, HTC Graphite Foam is manufactured inexpensively from a petroleum distillation by-product—thus resulting in an environmentally friendly technology. A low density material, HTC Graphite Foam sells for just under $100 per pound, amounting to pennies for electronic heat sinks and a few dollars for car radiators. Most importantly, this technology has the potential to revolutionize many markets. This material can be used in lightweight composite engine components, as well as in components in evaporative cooling and refrigeration equipment, heat exchangers, capacitors, and a host of other applications.

Microcantilevers: Versatile Microscopic Sensors

This ORNL team has successfully developed microscopic sensors called microcantilevers, which are hairlike, silicon-based devices that are at least 1,000 times more sensitive and smaller than currently used sensors. These microcantilevers, or “microscopic diving boards,” project from miniature chips about the size of a grain of rice. They can detect and measure relative humidity, temperature, pressure, flow, viscosity, sound, ultraviolet and infrared radiation, chemicals, and biomolecules such as DNA, proteins, and enzymes. Microcantilever sensors are rugged, reusable, and extremely sensitive, yet they cost little and consume little power. Another advantage in using the sensors is that they work in air, vacuum, or under liquid environments.

The team transferred the microcantilever sensor technology through a combination of cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) with two companies—Graviton, Inc. of San Diego; and Tracer Detection Technology Corporation of Syosset, New York. In addition, the technology transfer process was expanded to license the technologies created by the two partner companies, but also with a third company, Sarcon Systems of Knoxville, Tennessee. This effort between ORNL and its industrial partners is producing tangible results in terms of creation of capital and jobs within the U.S. Product development is helping to create new federally funded research programs involving miniature field-demonstration sensors for a variety of needs.

The creation of a new billion-dollar industry can be traced to the successful transfer of the microcantilever sensor technology. As new applications for this technology evolves, new companies and new jobs will be created. Established companies will benefit was well with micromachining and integrated circuit technology perfected to mass-produce the microcantilever chips. The microcantilever sensing platform—coupled with electronic processing and wireless communication—provides the basis for truly self-configuring sensor information networks that eliminate the need for labor intensive and inefficient on-site testing.

RABiTS™: Substrate for Second-Generation Superconducting Wire

For the promise of high-temperature superconductivity to be realized, practical processes are needed to manufacture useful lengths of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires. The goal is to produce robust, economical, and scalable processes for making wire that can carry sufficient current at a high temperature (such as the temperature of liquid nitrogen). One such process, developed by the ORNL team, produces the Rolling-Assisted, Biaxially Textured Substrate (RABiTS™). Team researchers found that certain metals could be coated with superconducting layers if the surface was first textured properly. The textured surface of RABiTS™ aligns the superconducting layers applied to it, thus enhancing their performance. The second-generation HTS wires are less expensive because they are made from nickel or nickel alloys instead of silver alloys, and they exhibit unprecedented electrical performance in strong magnetic fields.

Five U.S. companies teamed with ORNL to transfer the technology, including Oxford Superconducting Technology; MicroCoating Technologies, Inc.; EURUS Technologies, Inc.; 3M Company; and American Superconductor Corporation. The vehicles used in the technology transfer process included cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) and licensing agreements. The collaboration between ORNL and its commercial partners led to the creation of a significant number of jobs, $1 million of privately sponsored research tied to commercial licensing, accelerated development of the next generation of HTS wire. The ORNL team has received other public recognition for RABiTS™, including an R&D 100 award, a Lockheed Martin NOVA Award, and a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Division of Material Sciences Award.

The benefits derived from RABiTS™ are significant and far-reaching. The capabilities of electrical equipment using this technology have improved, resulting in highly efficient motors, compact generators and transformers. In addition, underground electrical transmission lines have increased high current capacity. These improvements will ultimately result in more cost-efficient energy use, with an annual savings of $1 billion expected in 20 years.

Polymer Boot Heater

On the production lines at Delphi Automotive Systems, workers fitted protective boots over automotive rack-and-pinion steering assemblies by forcing the boots into place by hand. Because extended use of this technique can cause repetitive-motion damage to their joints, Delphi workers would have to be relieved every 30 to 60 minutes. In looking for a solution to this problem, the Saginaw, Michigan-based company needed to replace its method with one that would be safe and comfortable for its workers, as well as being efficient and cost-effective. Delphi found the answer they needed at ORNL.

The Polymer Boot Heater, developed by an ORNL team, heats only the tightly fitting areas of the boots so that they can be installed without physical exertion. A unique, patented, infrared-based, selective heating device, the Polymer Boot Heater rapidly expands the leading part of the boot for east mounting onto a metal housing. The heater takes four to six seconds to expand each boot, so it can meet or exceed Delphi’s current production rate of 225 to 500 boots fitted per hour.

To transfer this technology, Delphi collaborated with the ORNL team and Infrared Technologies, LLC, an Oak Ridge, Tennessee based company. Delphi and ORNL worked together on a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) and the resulting patent for the Polymer Boot Heater is licensed to Infrared Technologies, which is currently marketing the device.

While the immediate beneficiary of this technology is Delphi Automotive and its employees, automotive companies worldwide can use the Polymer Boot Heater. In addition to being cost effective, the technology solves an ergonomic problem of repetitive motion damage that workers face, improves productivity, produces high quality results and can safely double production rates.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

EMSL Publisher—Enabling Collaboration among Computer Platforms

EMSL Publisher is a powerful word processing and presentation tool that offers the ability to run the same software on any computer platform. It enables users to work together on complex documents over the Internet without the usual loss of format or readability that can occur when a specific type of software is used on different computer systems. This technology features discrete components that software developers an embed into their own products, eliminating the need to develop a word processing code themselves and enabling them to get new products on the market sooner.

When first developed five years ago by PNNL, this new technology was clearly ahead of its time and potential users needed to be convinced of its benefits. Award winner Christopher Parkinson initiated a marketing effort that included demonstrating the software at professional conferences, writing and distributing a press release, and contacting media, e-commerce sites and software vendors to generate interest in the EMSL Publisher. After successfully responding to 1,000 inquiries about the technology, Parkinson decided to research other technology transfer possibilities. As a result of his contacts, PNNL entered into a licensing agreement with e-commerce vendor Flashline.com to sell EMSL Publisher on its web site. Once EMSL Publisher made its debut on the web site, large software vendors, including Oracle and Cisco Systems showed interest and PNNL’s commercialization efforts increased, resulting in sales within two months of the EMSL Publisher’s first appearance on Flashline.com. Presently, additional license and distribution agreements are in place with a number of major software vendors, with the EMSL Publisher being used as the foundation for new products.

This technology is proving to be beneficial to individuals who collaborate and publish on the Internet. Even complex documents with detailed graphics can be exchanged with losing its format or readability—a unique capability not available with other word processors. With EMSL Publisher, compatibility problems between networks are overcome because diverse operating platforms, such as Macintosh, UNIX, and PC, are linked, rather than separate networks, making it possible to have efficient word processing over the Internet as before.

Multi-Blade Knife Failure Detector for Food Processing

The French fry is one of the world’s most popular foods. Americans alone consume more than 15 billion pounds yearly, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Improvements in fry processing technology that increase output and minimize losses are essential to profitability and dominance in a highly competitive market that operates on large volumes and small profit margins. When a cutting knife failure goes undetected, 40 tons of prime potatoes are reduced to truckloads of defective strips in just one hour. The manufacturer must often pay to have these strips removed for animal feed, as well as handle in an environmentally compliant manner the potato sludge created. The PNNL team solved this problem by developing and transferring the Multi-Blade Knife Failure Detector (KFD) for Food Processing.

Potato processing plants are wet and noisy, with numerous sources of equipment vibration and electrical transients. The KFD overcomes those obstacles through the use of acoustic emissions and wireless communications to instantly detect knife failures and signal blade replacement. The entire process of detection, alarm and knife replacement signal takes less than one second. The KFD can also function while submerged in liquid. Moreover, the device’s PC-based software permits it to be tailored to specific plant environments and product properties.

PNNL worked with two industry partners to transfer the technology: Lamb-Weston, Inc. of Reston, Washington and Delta Computer Systems, Inc. of Vancouver, Washington. Lamb-Weston developed a preliminary concept design for the device and brought it to the attention of PNNL. The team collaborated with Lamb-Weston, a food production company, to bring the device from the drawing board to functionality through the Department of Energy’s Technical Assistance Program, as well as a licensing arrangement. Delta Computer Systems became involved in the effort when they were chosen as the vendor that would manufacture the KFD. The KFD has successfully been installed in eight of Lamb-Weston’s 11 French fry plants worldwide, giving the company an edge over its competitors who do not use the device.

The KFD delivers a competitive advantage by ensuring high quality, while reducing costs associated with labor, product loss, and environmentally compliant waste disposal. Looking to expand the use of the technology, PNNL is marketing the technology to other industries including chemical processing, forest products and equipment diagnostics.

Radionuclide Detection Technologies

Since the earliest nuclear tests in the years following World War II, the world has been living under the threat of nuclear attacks. The proactive nuclear testing done by India and Pakistan three years ago showed that testing can still escalate international tensions and possibly result in a nuclear war. Detection of radionuclides is the only method to provide absolute proof of a nuclear explosion. Radionuclide detection technology is so reliable that the United Nations’ Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) requires a network of 80 monitoring stations worldwide employing this technology. Although 15 monitors are already in place, the continued success of CTBT depends on the deployment of additional detectors.

Two new identification devices, developed by the PNNL team, represent a quantum leap beyond other monitoring devices. The radionuclide aerosol sampler analyzer (RASA) and the automated radioxenon sampler analyzer (ARSA) have greater sensitivity than other detection systems, are fully autonomous, and give near real-time results. They can also prove that a nuclear explosion occurred, which other technologies are unable to do. The deployment of the PNNL devices will bring the world into compliance with the CTBT and permits immediate, highly accurate monitoring for the treaty.

Because of the urgency behind creating a network of CTBT monitoring stations, the PNNL team has vigorously pursued the transfer of these technologies to make them available globally. By entering into a partnership with both the Air Force and DME Corporation of Orlando, Florida, a manufacturer of safety and diagnostic equipment, PNNL (under its parent agency, the Department of Energy) was able to have the technology produced for national and international sales within a one-year period. This technology transfer was unique in that DOE and the Air Force formed an interagency team to rapidly and successfully transfer extremely complex, state-of-the-art instruments to a small business. At present, there have been two international sales of the detectors to Germany and South Korea with sales to other countries pending.

The radionuclide detection technologies developed by the PNNL team have unique and irreplaceable roles in reducing the threat of nuclear war. This will provide as global benefit as evidence of a country testing nuclear weapons will immediately trigger an avalanche of international actions, such as onsite inspections and economic sanctions. In addition, the detectors will act as a deterrent for nuclear weapon proliferation because countries will think twice about detonating nuclear devices, knowing that there will be international consequences.

Yttrium-90 for Cancer Treatment

One of the most significant contributions to nuclear medicine has been the development of an efficient method for retrieving the medical isotope yttrium-90 (90Y) as a decay product of stockpiled strontium-90. This process, developed by the PNNL team, enables the routine separation of this valuable medical isotope in the highly purified form required by the Food and Drug Administration for use in human clinical trials. 90Y is regarded by nuclear medicine specialists as the therapeutic isotope of choice for treating advanced cases of lymphoma, leukemia, and solid tumors of the brain and other organs. It works well as a “smart bullet” isotope when the 90Y is linked to targeting molecules such as monoclonal antibodies that bind it directly to the cancer cells where the isotope decays and emits beta radiation that kills cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells.

After developing and patenting this technology, the PNNL team successfully marketed a number of regular customers before a 15-fold demand for the technology dictated turning to the private sector. The team transferred the technology and its licensing to NEN Life Science Products Inc. of Boston, with NEN producing, marketing, shipping and selling the isotope. Currently NEN provides 90Y on a weekly basis to more than 50 hospitals worldwide for the treatment of critically ill cancer patients.

This technology stands to benefit up to 1.3 million new cancer patients in the U.S., and countless more around the world. Based on a decade of clinical use, 90Y attached to cancer targeting molecules has proved to be more effective than conventional chemotherapy or external beam radiotherapy in extending the life span and improving the quality of life for patients with several types of advanced cancer. A demonstration of the effectiveness of 90Y was provided by a clinical trial with 130 Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Most of these patients had failed to respond to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, but nearly 90 percent showed positive responses to the highest doses of 90Y labeled antibodies used in this study.

90Y is not only a successful example of technology transfer in action, but is proof that a valuable medical isotope can be extracted from a byproduct of nuclear weapons production—an example of the Department of Energy’s ability to convert nuclear “swords” into medical “plowshares.”

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