Environmental
Systems Corporation
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Environmental Systems Corporation, Knoxville, Tennessee |
| PRODUCT: |
Environmental and energy-related products and services for pollution
monitoring and energy production |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
25 |
| EMPLOYEES: |
120 |
| SITUATION: |
Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC) has several divisions, including
a product and systems division, working in various environmentally related
services. Products include data acquisition systems for environmental monitoring
of meteorological, ambient air stacks, and water quality (both hardware
and software). The company also manufactures a particulate emissions monitoring
instrument called a P-5A for measuring dust levels in smokestacks. This
patented instrument was first produced in 1978. |
| PROJECT: |
Because significant improvements have been made in particulate emissions
control in the past 15 years, the current levels of emissions now approach
the detection limits of ESC's instrument. The company is working on a new
generation of optics to increase the sensitivity of the instrument to meet
industrial needs and to compete with new instruments introduced by foreign
suppliers.
Within the physical limitations of the existing instrument, standard
optical elements do not provide the precision focusing needed. ESC is using
the unique capabilities of the Precision Single Point Turning Laboratory
at the Ultraprecision Manufacturing Technology Center at the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology to design, fabricate and characterize
a custom lens under the sponsorship of the National Machine Tool Partnership
Program. |
| RESULTS: |
The existing instrument's optics have been evaluated and a custom lens
design completed. Robert J. Nuspliger, product manager for the P-5A, said
the company "hopes to complete the fabrication and characterization of
the new system in the next few weeks and expects to see the instrument
sensitivity improved by a factor of 5 to 10. We are very excited about
the commercial potential of the new system." |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
|
