Georgia Institute of Technology NASA, Southeast Regional Technology Transfer Center Press Release
Contact:
David Bridges
404.894.6786
david.bridges@edi.gatech.edu
For Immediate Release – November 22, 2004
NASA collaboration impacts inner and outer space!
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In 2001, NASA and KeyMaster Technologies began work to improve a hand-held X-Ray Fluorescent device (XRF) that detects the presence of elements in various materials. The enhancements made it possible for KeyMaster’s analyzer to identify a larger number of hard-to-detect elements such as sodium, aluminum, and silicon.
According to Fred Schramm of Marshall’s Engineering Directorate, “NASA needed this capability to conduct quality control for critical aluminum alloy parts used in the Space Shuttle Program.” He continued, “Having a portable chemical analyzer enables NASA to conduct field analyses on larger components like Reusable Solid Rocket Motors.”
Under an exclusive license granted by NASA in 2004, KeyMaster now owns the rights to use and market this device. In doing so, the company partnered with Professional Testing Laboratories, of Dalton, Georgia to use the NASA enhanced analyzer to test the effectiveness of various carpet cleaning methods.
In a process developed through collaboration between Lloyd Starks and Robert Shannon, Ph.D. of KeyMaster and scientists at PTL, a designer soil created to mimic actual soil and foreign particulate contaminants is applied under strictly controlled conditions to carpet. The designer soil contains an exact quantity of each of multiple elements chosen for particle size and physical characteristics naturally occurring in soil such as clay-like zinc oxide and sand-like yttrium oxide.
On a test bed developed by PTL a NASA enhanced X-Ray fluorescence instrument measures the amount of designer soil applied to and removed from carpet. By repeating this process with different vacuum cleaners and extraction machines that use water, chemicals, or a mixture to clean carpets, PTL can begin to establish benchmarks for performance.
“This new test method is a great technological leap ahead for the flooring and floor care industry. It is our hope that this test will be adopted as a standard for cleaning performance,” says Gary Asbury, president of PTL.
That is already beginning to happen. Beam Industries, the largest manufacturer of built-in central vacuum systems, has embraced the new technology and recently tested several models of central and upright vacuums to analyze their cleaning capabilities.
“XRF technology offers the fastest, most accurate method possible for analyzing the soil removal capabilities of floorcare products,” says John Coghlan, president of Beam Industries. “We already are applying results from the XRF analysis to new central vacuum systems and accessories that will maintain a healthier living environment.”
ProTeam, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency clean air vacuums and a pioneer in backpack vacuum cleaner technology, has also embraced the XRF test protocol. According to ProTeam president Larry Shideler; “ProTeam is proud to be on the vanguard of supporting this test method developed by world-class scientist and engineers. It enables measuring soil removal effectiveness in a precise scientific manner, validates high-performance products, and provides data for benchmarking and the improvement of equipment. We believe this milestone will facilitate cleaner, healthier environments for the consumer.”
In addition, the Carpet and Rug Institute of Dalton, Georgia, has committed to incorporate XRF technology in its testing programs for high efficiency vacuums and effective carpet cleaning products. “This technology is consistent with CRI’s desire to see the best science applied to improving air quality in indoor environments and maintaining the life cycle of carpets,” said Werner Braun, president of the CRI. “We look forward to making XRF technology part of our Green Label Vacuum and Seal of Approval programs.”
According to The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality, published by the Environmental Protection Agency, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be up to five-times more seriously polluted than the outdoor air. Among the most common indoor contaminants are particulates associated with chronic health problems including dust mites, pet dander, pollen and other allergens as well as mold spores. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.
Michael Berry, Ph.D., former Deputy Director of the National Center for Environmental Assessment of the EPA and a leading authority on indoor air quality stated, “In my 30 years’ experience, the XRF taggant technology is the first scientific approach to quantifying carpet cleanliness that I will stand behind 100 percent.”
So in the final analysis, technology developed to detect the composition of aluminum alloy parts destined for the Space Shuttle can actually help improve carpet cleanliness and indoor air quality. “Pursuing applications for new and innovative technologies can lead you down many interesting and productive paths,” remarks NASA’s Fred Schramm.
“This experience demonstrates how funding our nation’s passion for space exploration benefits our lives here on earth in some unexpected ways,” says Lloyd Starks of KeyMaster Technologies.
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What is X-ray Fluorescence?
In basic terms, the XRF instrument emits energy and excites the atoms of a target element. The energy generated in response is called X-ray fluorescence, which can be detected and measured by the device. Each atomic element has its own unique energy signature. The XRF instrument measures each energy signature to determine presence and concentration of various elements in a matrix based upon this unique signature.
The NASA enhanced KeyMaster vacuum enhanced instrument identifies and quantifies the energy signature of a broader range of elements than previously possible with handheld XRF instrumentation.
