July 10, 1997

Battelle has been awarded five 1997 R&D 100 awards, officials from R&D Magazine have announced.

Two of the awards, often called the Nobel prizes of research and development, were won by researchers at Battelle's Columbus headquarters. The other three were won by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Wash., which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Battelle has won 58 of the awards since 1969. This year's winner's are:

• Non-intrusive pressure sensor: Foster Stulen of Battelle-Columbus and Arthur Eberle of Columbia Gas of Ohio shared this award for developing a sensor that uses the thermal response of a pipeline's external wall to determine the pipeline's pressure, eliminating the need to tap the pipeline. With the sensor providing an estimated pressure reading, field crews can work more safely. It will enable them to better select the proper tools, and avoid connecting low-pressure customers to medium- or high-pressure mains.

• Odyssey Atlasphere: Rich Markham of Battelle-Columbus and Jim Marggraff of Explore Technologies Inc. received this award for developing a talking globe. It is an interactive, geography-based learning and game system. The globe's capabilities are enhanced by NearTouch^TM, a low-cost, high-resolution technology that pinpoints the location of touches on three-dimensional surfaces.

• Production of Chemicals from Biologically Derived Succinic Acid: Sarah Burton, John Frye, and Yong Wang of PNNL developed this process, which converts corn into a cost-effective, environmentally friendly source of chemicals used to make polymers, clothing fibers, paints, inks, food additives, automobile bumpers, and an array of other industrial and consumer products. The process produces succinic acid by fermenting glucose sugar from corn.

• RubberCycle^TM: Bob Romine, Margaret Romine, Lesley Snowden-Swan, Harley Freeman, and Gary Neuenschwander of PNNL developed this bioprocessing technology, which improves the recyclability of ground rubber from waste tires. The technology is a technically sound, cost-effective method for solving the disposal and cleanup problems of a major environmental hazard, while reducing costs to businesses and consumers.

• Refractory Corrosion Monitor: David Lamar of PNNL developed this device, which monitors the thickness of the refractory insulation in high-temperature furnaces. The ability to monitor refractory conditions during furnace operation improves the productivity and lifetime of furnace components, minimizing the downtime for refractory inspections.

The winners will be honored at a banquet in Chicago later this year.

For more information, contact Robin Yocum, Manager of Media Relations, Battelle, at 614-424-5544.

Battelle serves industry and government by developing, commercializing, and managing technology. With a wide range of scientific and technical capabilities, Battelle puts technology to work for clients in 30 countries.