Awards

Technology Transfer Event Celebrates Ingenuity

Science, Technology and Partnerships (ST&P) recently hosted the Technology Transfer Awards Ceremony in Knoxville. Earlier this year, Y‑12 received one R&D 100 Award and had Y‑12 participants with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on two other R&D 100 Awards.

Presentations of these awards were held in Chicago. The R&D 100 Award winners, Ron Simandl, Roland Seals, Gerald Devault and Bob Smithwick, along with others recognized for inventions, technology support and patents, were honored by ST&P management and are listed below with brief descriptions of their developments.

R&D 100 Awards, “Oscars of Invention”

Ron Simandl, SIMWyPES™ cleaning cloths

SIMWyPES™ were developed at Y‑12 to solve the problem of beryllium cleanup to a level of “non-detect" without leaving any type of residue. SIMWyPES are dry wiping cloths and solve several of the problems that were being encountered with residue when wet wipes were used. They have been extremely successful at Y‑12 and other DOE/DoD facilities have expressed an interest in using them for hazardous material or radiological cleanup. In addition, the wipes have been effective in other types of cleaning, such as industrial or home use. A small local company has been identified to make the cloths for Y‑12 and is interested in licensing the technology for commercial applications.

Roland Seals, CRATOS V “Nano-Wool”

Carbon nano-tubes are used in various materials to make the attractive properties of the material, such as strength and conductivity, more attractive. While average low-quality single walled carbon nano-tubes are available and are usually expensive, Y 12, along with their ORNL partners, have developed a method to manufacture high-purity, multi-wall carbon nano-tubes at a low cost. These carbon nano-tubes are woven into high-strength, lightweight fibers, which the inventors affectionately call “Nano-wool.”

Gerald Devault and Bob Smithwick, Spatially Resolved Capillary Inlet Mass Spectrometer “SpaciMS”

Mass spectrometry is a common analytical technique used to determine the chemical make-up of a sample by determining the mass-to-charge ratio of the charged particles. The SpaciMS development allows the use of mass spectrometry in tightly confined spaces such as automotive catalyst or fuel cells that cannot be analyzed with conventional equipment. As a result, SpaciMS provides a huge increase in control methods allowing for increase efficiency and performance of the analyzed device. This development was made jointly with ORNL and domestic and international industry partners.

Silver Acorn Awards (First Time Patent Issue)

Michael Renner, David Cecala and Jonathan Morrell

Award for Patent Issue

Ed Ripley (2 patents) and Russell Hallman

Technology Support Awards

Technology Support Awards are intended for non-inventors whose efforts go above and beyond the call of duty contributing to technology promotion and licensing.

2008 R&D 100 Submissions
Kate Shaw

A great effort goes into the submission of the R&D 100 awards such as information preparation, locating photographs, chg photographs, charts and graphs, internet searches, and perhaps most importantly the talent that's required to take a highly scientific product or process and explain it in lay terms that can be understood and evaluated by those reviewers that are not necessarily skilled in that specific art. Kate Shaw was the lead person that pulled four R&D 100 submissions together for Y‑12.

RDSS Licensing
Michael Renner

Earlier this year, Y‑12 engaged in a very important licensing agreement with a Chattanooga company who is starting a manufacturing segment of the company as a result of the license. Adaptive Methods licensed the Rapid Deployment Shelter System (RDSS) and anticipates creating 100 jobs through the manufacture of disaster relief shelters to be sold both to government and the private sector, domestically and abroad.

The Trailblazer Award (a new award) for MBA Graduate Assistants

This award was presented to Ravi Chirravuri and Ned Morgan for their outstanding support.

Invention Disclosure Recognition

Microwave Enhanced Surface Charge Mobility and Bulk Diffusion
Ed Ripley and Russell Hallman

This invention uses electromagnetic fields to affect the composition of metals at an atomic level resulting in fundamentally changing the properties of the metal. These fundamental changes can have a profound effect on property enhancement. This invention could significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to affect change on metals and result in cost savings of tens to hundreds of billions of dollars for the basic metals industry.

Multi Chamber Microwave Fluidized Bed Heat Treating Apparatus
Ed Ripley and Glenn Pfennigwerth

The disclosure is an improvement on a previous patent on Microwave Heat Treating. It adds additional chambers to microwave fluidized beds. This solves the problem of how to generate a lot of energy without adversely affecting the uniformity of the bath. It also is a much safer process because the operators are removed from exposure. This invention could provide a more effective way to heat treat metals and result in significant cost savings in the metals industry.

Spill Resistant Vented Lid for High Value or Contaminated Liquids
Ed Ripley

Many processes use high value or toxic liquids. When some of these liquids are stored, there is a potential to generate enough gas pressure to an inadvertent spill, which is unacceptable. This invention is a special lid which has a passageway from the inside to the outside of the container that is continuously open to allow any pressure buildup to escape, while at the same time preventing the liquid from spilling. Any company that deals with high value, toxic or contaminated liquids would greatly benefit with this invention.

Embedded Method for Exciting Machine Tool Dynamics
William E. Barkman with Scott Smith and Bethany Woody (UNCC)

This technique would embed internal algorithms within machine tools systems that would greatly improve the ease of use of machine tools. Currently existing techniques use several different programs that must be recreated for the process to continue. This embedded would not require constant changing and would reduce the time required in setting up the machine tool which could have an extensive impact on the machining industry.

Intrinsically Safe Fluid Controller (ISFC)
Russell L. Hallman, Paul Vanatta, and Michael Renner

This device can control the flow rate of a fluid despite changes in pressure and does it without the use of electricity. Therefore, this device can be used safely in areas where the possibility of an electrical short or malfunction causes an explosion would be unacceptable. It can also be used in remote areas where electricity is limited or nonexistent. This invention could have a great impact in the chemical and food processing industries where constant flow rates are necessary.

Cellular Phone/Badge Holder Notification Device
Jeffrey G. Parrott and L. Neville Howell

This invention is an alarmed badge/cell phone holder that ensures that employees will not bring their cell phones into secure facilities. This device works by holding the badge during the times the employee does not need to wear the badge into the plant. When an individual removes the badge, a buzzer goes off which can be silenced by replacing the badge with a cell phone. This device will be useful for all industries and organizations that limit cell phone use on their premises.

Portable Criminal Survey and Chemical Detection System
Ed Ripley

This invention is a low-cost, portable system that can be used to detect and identify the presence of a specific chemical. This device would have the capability to quickly identify a substance using a device that would respond based on the chemical makeup. It could be customized for law enforcement, military or private organizations and would greatly increase the efficiency of these entities.

Explosives Container Which Also Stores and Dispenses Couplant
Jacob Miller

This invention enhances the effectiveness of an explosive blast by increasing the intensity of the blast and the ability to control it. It works by using several explosives containers that work cooperatively together in a proprietary way. This invention could have great ramifications in the demolition and construction industry.

Intrinsically Safe Moisture Blending System
Russell L. Hallman, Jr. and Paul Vanatta

This invention uses no electricity and performs the function of delivering blended moist gas for calibration of moisture sensors. Many industries require the introduction of precise amounts of blended gases into their processes. This device would serve the need for controlled introduction of moisture with the added benefit of not needing any electricity making it safe to use in dangerous and remote environments.

Use of Metal Isotopes to Produce Light Weight Alloys
Sam Brown

This method would use metal isotopes to produce lighter versions of metals being used today. Organizations are constantly striving to reduce weight while maintaining the fundamental strengths in metal. This method would attempt to use metal isotopes to aid in the producing the light weight versions of metals. In particular, the aerospace and defense industry would be able to take advantage of these developments.

Automatic Loading Sleeve for Screw Driver/Gun
Philip M. Carper

The automatic loading sleeve is designed to receive and position screws for screwing/driving purposes. It can be attached to variety of tools from simple to complex. The sleeve basically ensures that screws do not exit out of the compartment and a magnet is used to align the screws into drilling position. The sleeve will aid operators and eliminate the need to load or hand position screws. This device would greatly improve the efficiency of the operator.

Pyrophoric Hydride Indication Smear Tabs
Ed Ripley

This invention is a quick method of detection of pyrophoric hydride. Pyrophoric hydride is a problem in some production environments and there has been no reliable way to identify whether it exists in a production environment. This method would allow for easy detection and lead to safer work environments for organizations.

Dual Face (Janus) Work-Holding Spindle
Larry Woodard

The Dual Face Work-Holding Spindle is a device with two separate mounting surfaces for parts and fixtures. The spindle is designed with two opposed working ends. Therefore, multiple machining operations can be performed on the same part without a fixture change. This spindle has recently been approved by the Y‑12 Machine Tool Council as the spindle of choice for the Uranium Process Facility. The spindle also reduces the manufacturing footprint of the facility because of its smaller size.

Rotary Carousel Dense Pack Storage Array
Bradley Hodges and Bradford Langle

This invention is a rotary storage carousel that allows containers holding fissile material to be stored as close together as possible while still satisfying critical safety requirements. The unit will provide maximum storage with the smaller footprint. The unit can be used by the U.S. Government, commercial power plants, and other entities that use fissile material for power generation and ensure greater safety and security because of central location and smaller size.

Dynamically Activated Vehicle Speed Suppressor
Amy DeMint, Paul DeMint and Jack Gooch

This invention would install a modification within vehicles that allows an external system to reduce a travelling vehicle's maximum speed to a settable limit in certain areas controlled by the systems. The invention would be useful for areas where a set speed limit is a necessity such as at Y‑12. It could also be used to restrict the speed of vehicles by anxious parents to ensure safe speeds for their children.

Containment and Parameters for Thermal Conversion of UOx to UO2
Jon Bullock, Penny Cunningham, Amy DeMint, Jack Gooch, and Don McTaggart

This invention provides a new method of converting various uranium oxides to uranium dioxide without using hydrogen or a carbon-containing system. The benefits of this invention include a safer process because of the absence of hydrogen and its explosive potential. The process also results in a more pure form of UO2 because of the absence of carbon. Ultimately, a purer UO2 should produce a more efficient nuclear fuel, thus reducing the amount of UO2 that must be mined, purchased, processed, and disposed. The invention could also lead to increasing the performance of nuclear reactors, leading to reduced energy costs.

Cyber Attack Training System (CATS)
Reid Kress

The system is designed to simulate the work environment. An office worker is charged to do some tasks on a computer and during the work period, phishing emails are sent, viruses are attached to emails and other cyber attacks occur. The trainee's responses will be recorded and analyzed to assess the individual's or groups vulnerability to a range of cyber attacks. This system will attempt to increase the awareness and knowledge of these types of attacks among employees and cyber security. The utility of this system would be universal and would improve the U.S. resilience to these types of computer threats.

CNC Toolpaths for Controlling the Chip Breaking Process in Turning Applications
Ed Babelay and Bill Barkman with Kevin Scott and Bethany Woody (UNCC)

This project is to create toolpaths for a lathe that eliminate the possibility of forming a continuous chip. A continuous chip can degrate surface finish and cause the operator to have to pause and clear the chip. The process of clearing the chip imposes unnecessary risk on the operator either because of the sharpness of the chip or the properties of the metal being machined. With toolpaths that cause the chip to break off, the process can be safely run unattended and still create a smooth surface finish. This method can be of use for any manufacturing organizations that rely heavily on machining as part of their operations and could result in improved efficiencies and cost savings.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Modified Ti Powders and Composites Made from Same (NanoWhiskers)
Roland Seals with Paul Menchhofer and Jim Kiggans (ORNL)

This method is used to create titanium based nano-whiskers from low cost Ti powders rather than using high priced conventional Ti powders. The new process provides nano-whiskers that are more economical and have a better structure. Nano-whiskers are used in a number of demanding automotive, aerospace, and other advanced applications such as graded armor for ballistic applications and cutting tools. Use of low-cost rather than high-cost Ti powders will result in significant cost savings to industry.

Mold for Casting Gumdrop Shaped Uranium Pellets
Brandon Pehrson

This invention basically creates a new method to cast the fuel used in nuclear reactors. Not only is this new casting process far safer than previous methods, this invention allows for uniformity and smoothness in the casting process. This invention could have a major impact on the way that reactor fuel feed is molded and could introduce efficiencies and cost savings at a large scale.