Research and Development of Chem/Bio Systems
GEOMET’s Life Support System Division manages the research and development of chem/bio systems under contract with both Government and private industry. Our roots in chem./bio R&D originated with the inception of our chemical surety laboratory that began screening environmental samples for the presence of chemical surety materials back in the 1960’s. Operations evolved into a materials testing and analysis laboratory capable of evaluating material performance against surety agents, as well as evaluation of agent detection instrumentation and decontamination techniques.
In the 1980’s, GEOMET was awarded its first contract for development of personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble. The Impermeable Chemical Protective Ensemble (IMP) was a fully-integrated ensemble including chemical protective suit, powered air purifying respirator with emergency egress self contained air supply, and personal cooling system. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s GEOMET was awarded several contracts for the research and development of chem/bio PPE systems. The most important of these projects was the STEPO program which GEOMET went on to field to over 70 military user locations in the U.S. and abroad for protection against chemical warfare agents (CWA); toxic industrial chemicals (TICs); petroleum oil and lubricants (POLs); and rocket fuels.
Since the turn of the century, GEOMET has increased its involvement in chem/bio research and development projects by participating in several design projects for large scale mobile systems to include mobile incinerators and laboratories capable of handling chemical and biological materials.
The following are examples of the more important R&D projects GEOMET has participated in over the last 15 years:
Mobile Integrated High-throughput Laboratory Identification System
Carcass and Plant Disposal Incinerator System (CAPDIS)
Self-Contained Toxic Environment Protective Outfit (STEPO)
Improved Toxicological Agent Protective (ITAP) Ensemble
Soldier Integrated Protective Ensemble-Advanced Clothing Subsystem (SIPE-ACS)Research Laboratories
GEOMET's LABD facility houses two research laboratories to provide thorough materials testing and evaluation services. Our laboratory is one of only a few commercial facilities authorized by the U.S. Government to store, handle, and conduct testing with chemical and biological agents. Certified in 1983 by the U.S. Army's Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM), LABD has proven capability to conduct testing with nerve agents (GA, GB, GD, GF, TDD, VX); blister agents such as mustard (HD), lewisite (L), HN-1, HN-2, HN-3; agent mixtures such as HL and HT; and several chemical agent simulants. Our testing facilities consist of:
- Hazard Material Laboratory (HML): The HML is specifically certified by the U.S. Government for the storage and handling of RDT&E chemical agent.
- Analytical Research Laboratory (ARL): The ARL is authorized by the U.S. Government for the storage and handling of RDT&E dilute chemical agent.
For more information on our laboratory testing services, contact us.
Laboratory Services: