Who says science doesn't touch our everyday lives? It also honored the more difficult-to-grasp Electroexploded Metal Nanopowders and Differentially Deposited X-Ray Microfocusing Mirrors and other breakthrough technologies.

Those are just some of the inventions recognized by R&D Magazine in its prestigious 2000 R&D 100 awards. Battelle, and the labs it manages and co-manages, received 12 of the awards, often referred to as the "Nobel Prizes" of the research and development world.

Battelle Columbus Laboratories received two awards; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, managed by Battelle for 35 years, received three awards; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by a partnership of the University of Tennessee and Battelle, won three; Brookhaven National Laboratory, managed by a partnership of the State University New York-Stony Brook and Battelle, won one; and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, managed by Midwest Research Institute, Bechtel, and Battelle, won three.

"We strive to apply technology-based solutions to a wide variety of challenges and the diversity of the technologies recognized by R&D Magazine shows that," said Doug Olesen, Battelle President and CEO. "I'm very proud of the scientists and engineers whose talent and determination won these 12 R&D 100 Awards."

The awards went to the following technologies:

Battelle Columbus Operations

Power Saver: A unique, distributed power generator and transfer switch for homes and small businesses. It provides peak shaving of air conditioning in addition to standby power for critical circuits such as furnace, refrigerator, lighting and sump pump. The gas-fired PowerSaver uses the grid to provide the high startup power required for the air conditioner then quickly switches to the running generator thus removing its load from the grid during peak periods. (Joint entry with Marathon Energy Systems)

neo2000 Gamma Detection System™: This medical device gives surgeons a major advance in locating tissue that may be the site of a cancerous tumor. The real-time, transcutaneous and intraoperative guidance of the neo2000 significantly improves the speed, accuracy and thoroughness with which surgeons can target suspect cancer tissues. The probe and console apparatus use a specialized detector crystal that converts gamma radiation into an electrical charge, which the console conveys as information that can be interpreted by doctors who are trying to locate tumors. (Joint entry with Neoprobe Corporation)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Multi-blade Knife Failure Detector for Food Processing: This wireless acoustic emission system for food processing lines identifies knife failures. It was developed by the Lab and the Lamb-Weston Technical Research Center and is in use at a number of Lamb-Weston's french fry processing plants. It provides immediate detection, alarm and replacement when a knife breaks and has significantly reduced cutting losses. (Joint entry with Lamb-Weston Technical Research Center)

Ultrabarrier Coatings for Flat Panel Displays: The electronics industry has long looked to plastics to replace the heavy and often fragile glass used in display screens for TVs, cell phones, watches and laptop computers. Ultrabarrier coating technology goes a long way toward eliminating the most daunting obstacles-water and oxygen permeating the plastic. Flexible Glass ™ engineered substrates and the Barix™ offer protection without affecting clarity and function.

Sunna Dosimeter™: This technology helps decrease the incidences of foodborne illnesses such as E. coli by assuring the quality and safety of food products before they reach the public. This dosimeter, which uses light instead of heat to read the amount of radiation measured by a dosimeter, is valuable because it's low cost, versatile and highly precise. In addition, it can be used for medical equipment sterilization, medical imaging, agriculture, telecommunications and the radiation processing industry. (Joint entry with Sunna Systems Corporation.)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Block II Chemical Biological Mass Spectrometer: This is the first integrated instrument capable of detecting and identifying both chemical and biological warfare agents. The field-portable package combines the detection, speed, sensitivity and specificity necessary for environmental detection of highly diverse classes of materials. It first will be used on the battlefield but has potential future uses in counter terrorism efforts, domestic preparedness, law enforcement and health care.

High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foam: This patented carbon foam has thermal conductivity equivalent to aluminum at one-fifth of its weight. Because of its superior heat transfer characteristics, the material could allow auto designers to place the radiator somewhere other than at the car's front end. The foam could also displace heavy cooling fans, metallic fins and heat sinks in electronics. Unlike other carbon foam products, which act as insulators, this product removes heat. (Joint entry with Poco Graphite)

Differentially Deposited X-ray Microfocusing Mirrors: This new X-ray crystal microscope provides an exciting new capability. It gives scientists a powerful, innovative tool to see the 3-D crystal structure of most materials for the first time. It allows them to study interconnections and other materials made up of small disoriented crystal blocks called grains. (Joint entry with Beamline Technology Corp.)

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Thermalock Cement: This high-performance cement system promises to bring greater durability to geothermal reservoirs. It stands up to the high heat, extreme acidity and hypersalinity found in these underground wells used for heat generation research. The susceptibility of cements to these harsh conditions has been a major impediment to the development of geothermal energy resources. (Joint Entry with Unocal Corp and Halliburton Company)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Real Time Biomass Analysis: This instant, non-destructive technology can determine most parameters of interest to the paper and forest product industries. It can be used to analyze wood chips or pulp in a paper mill to guide optimal operation and analyze standing trees to determine their best use, or whether they should be harvested at all. This technique uses multivariate analysis to calibrate near-infrared spectrometry for chemical and mechanical characterization of wood, wood products and other plant materials.

Northwind 100/20 Wind Turbine: This state-of-the-art turbine is specifically designed for operation in remote, cold-climate conditions. The National Science Foundation expects to use the turbine at Antarctic research stations and NASA expects to take it to Mars. It also can provide power for remote towns and villages in locations such as Northern Alaska. Special features include a direct-drive design that doesn't require a gearbox or lubricating oil and tilt-up assembly that doesn't require a crane. (Joint entry with Northern Power Systems)

Electroexploded Metal Nanopowders: This technology produces ultrafine particles of aluminum and other metals at low cost. Because the metal particles are so small, they have greater surface area per volume and therefore greater reactivity. They can be valuable for a variety of uses including: Enhanced combustion for rocket fuels and propellants, improved lubricants, improved catalysts, improved wear/corrosion resistant coatings and nanoparticle inks for direct writing electronic circuits. It was developed as part of the Department of Energy's Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention Program, in which the Lab worked with Argonide Corp. in Florida and Russian weapons scientists at the Republican Engineering Technical Center, Tomsk, Russia.

Battelle, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, focuses on technology development and commercialization and product development. With 7,500 employees at more than 60 locations, Battelle develops technologies and products for industry and government. Annual revenues are approximately $1 billion.

For more information on Battelle and its technology forecasts, visit Battelle's web site at www.battelle.org, or contact Katy Delaney, Media Relations manager, (614) 424-5544.