Case Studies

The 2014 Ebola epidemic prompted an urgent need for an approved vaccine to treat or prevent the disease in future outbreaks. Based on Battelle’s extensive experience in vaccine testing and managing highly regulated, complex projects involving high-containment pathogens, we were chosen to evaluate the immunogenicity and efficacy of Ebola vaccine candidates to determine if they were protective.

As part of a DOE-sponsored project, Battelle and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) developed a novel catalyst for conversion of pyrolysis bio oil feedstock. The new catalyst did not degrade as quickly as traditional catalysts, allowing for more bio oil production. The bio oil was also higher quality than the oil produced with traditional catalysts.

Our advanced analytical methods were able to achieve detection limits 10 to 100 times lower than conventional U.S. EPA methods of analysis, while meeting the demanding data quality objectives of Green Book. Using our analysis, the U.S. ACE was able to make appropriate disposal recommendations for all of its dredged material.

Lithium ion batteries are the battery of choice for laptops, electric vehicles and many other applications due to their high energy density, low maintenance and recharging ability. As electric vehicles become more commonplace and new battery uses are identified for aerospace, industrial and consumer applications, their use continues to grow. Battelle researchers developed the concept that an optical sensor could be used to monitor the battery for internal flaws such as dendrites.

Heat buildup is a significant problem and limiting design factor for many electronic products. For example, LEDs are emerging as the next generation lighting materials due to their low power utilization and long life. Some lamps have multiple LEDs within an enclosure, which generates undesirable heat during operation. Through Battelle’s Nanotechnology program we are developing thermally conductive thermoplastic materials for complex net shape geometries, as well as spray-on, conformal, thermally conductive coatings for efficient heat spreading over large areas.

Medical equipment maker Stereotaxis collaborated with a team of Battelle medical device designers and engineers to analyze and improve how surgeons interact with heart catheters and related therapies. Battelle developed the Stereotaxis Vdrive, a technology that allows the complete heart catheterization process to be conducted remotely with a joystick control.

Battelle conducted a special purpose monitoring study to characterize and document air quality while surface mine blasting operations were being conducted nearby. Various sampling and analysis methods were deployed to determine gaseous air pollutant concentrations and the mass, particle size distribution, and chemical composition of airborne particulate matter.

Our advanced analytical, immunobiological and bioinformatic techniques provide developers with a complete nutritional profile as well as an allergy risk assessment. The final result? Farmers and consumers have access to safe, new food products that will meet the needs of the 21st century.

Laundry bleaches need activators in order to be effective in cold temperatures. But the bleach and activator can’t be mixed in advance, or they will react with each other before the consumer adds them to the laundry. In order to make the product shelf stable, we needed a way to keep the bleach and activator from reacting with each other before they were added to the laundry.

The original unit’s design became obsolete naturally with the passage of time, but replacement systems are needed to sustain an aging fleet and keep helicopters flying. The Caution Advisory Panel (CAP) is a dashboard display avionics module for the Black Hawk Helicopter, providing important helicopter status information to pilots.

Changes in electric potential and impedance of human skin can cause significant errors in biopotential measurements such as electrocardiograms (EKGs) and electroencephalograms (EEGs). Battelle researchers started with a literature review in order to find the latest research on how the structure and chemical makeup of materials impact ionic transport.

An agrochemical company urgently needed to generate missing data in order to meet their product submission deadline. After another lab failed to complete the studies adequately, they contacted Battelle for help. Data from the manufacturer showed several known impurities in their technical material. They asked Battelle to perform a 5-batch analysis to determine the exact quantities of these known impurities for product registration.

An international customer came to Battelle with a challenge: they needed to develop a co-formulation of two distinct fungicides with stability and efficacy equal to or better than each of the active ingredients alone. We used a solvent screen to identify a solvent that provided good solvency for fungicide B, poor solvency for fungicide A (to prevent crystal growth), and low water solubility to keep fungicide B in solution and maintain its activity.

Open burning is often used in combat zones to quickly discard of waste produced during military operations. Battelle supported toxicology studies for the Naval Medical Research Unit–Dayton to better understand the health effects associated with the inhalation exposure to these emissions.

Battelle sought to assess the potential of utility end users to access and apply NASA EOs for energy management applications, including resilience planning and renewable resource assessment, and address key barriers preventing the uptake of NASA data.

Battelle has developed a framework for an innovative technology demonstration program to evaluate commercially available technologies to make the technologies’ capabilities better known to the industry. For the Texas large-diameter pipe demonstration, we used one 780 feet section of the pipe to serve as our demonstration segment.

Changing regulations required our client to reformulate an agrochemical fungicide to achieve lower dose rates. The challenge was clear, but the approach was not—until Battelle developed a lab-scale process that mimicked their existing factory process. This allowed us to predict which modifications would meet their criteria.

Each of the three robot platforms is simulated with the Simulation Architecture for Mobile Systems (SAMS) and can be connected to prototype hardware modules using the program-selected open architecture network protocol called Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS).

Aging electronics and avionics can ground fleets or vehicles for obsolescence or performance. Battelle has manufactured thousands of these modules with the quality necessary for avionics applications. Manufacturing includes rigorous testing and operational environmental cycling, careful but collaborative supply chain management, dynamic manufacturing planning to meet customer needs.

This novel product needed thoughtful design for manufacturing and dynamic startup production. Battelle’s manufacturing team employed Battelle’s Production-Optimized Design process, a unique take on traditional design for manufacturing, to provide substantial proactive thought to the system design. More than 200 of the LS10 have been produced and sold to date, shipped directly from Battelle to international locations such as Australia, England, Canada, and Norway.