Four nature walks hosted by the Oak Ridge Research Park are scheduled this spring in various areas of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.
The public is invited to join these walks, which showcase the rich flora and fauna diversity, as well as the sustainable management and conservation practices of the area.
The schedule for the spring nature walks is as follows: [Read more…]
Retired Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz of the U.S. Air Force is pictured above in a Sept. 16, 2009, speech. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)
Acting Administrator Bruce Held returns to associate deputy secretary position
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed a retired U.S. Air Force general as the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nuclear weapons work at the Y-12 National Security Complex and other federal sites.
Retired Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz is also the Energy Department’s under secretary for nuclear security.
Acting NNSA Administrator Bruce Held will return to his position as associate deputy secretary, a press release said.
“Lt. Gen. Klotz’s confirmation comes at a critical point for the National Nuclear Security Administration,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said. “His breadth of military and national security leadership experience makes him uniquely suited to lead the NNSA, fulfilling its commitments to the management and security of the nation’s nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, naval reactor programs, and nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness efforts. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
People who pack their cars and drive like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” pay a steep penalty when it comes to fuel economy, according to a report by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
For the study, researchers tested a sport utility vehicle and a compact sedan with various configurations, including underinflated tires, open windows, and rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo. The SUV, a 2009 Ford Explorer with a 4-liter V6 engine, was also tested while towing an enclosed trailer. The researchers tested the vehicles at a variety of speeds with the different configurations. While the findings were not unexpected, they serve as a reminder of how drivers can save money by taking simple measures.
“There is fuel economy information and advice available for vehicle maintenance and carrying loads that is quite good, but very little published data to back it up,” said John Thomas, a co-author of the study and member of ORNL’s Energy and Transportation Science Division. “Certainly, suitcases strapped to your car’s roof and trying to keep up with a speeding Ferrari will adversely affect your gas mileage.”
Among the more notable findings was that using a rooftop cargo box with the SUV decreased fuel economy from 24.9 mpg at 60 mph to 22.9 mpg—a drop of 9 percent. The compact sedan, a 2009 Toyota Corolla with a 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine, also suffered as its fuel economy dipped from 42.5 mpg at 60 mph to 33 mpg, or 22 percent, when hauling the rooftop cargo box. [Read more…]
The Scarboro Road entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above.
A security improvement project at the Y-12 National Security Complex was completed ahead of schedule and about $20 million under budget, federal officials announced Monday.
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Security Improvement Project upgraded security at Y-12 by replacing existing alarm stations and access control systems with Argus, a comprehensive security system developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a press release said. The SIP came in about $20 million under the original $72 million budget.
“Maintaining a safe and secure deterrent is one of NNSA’s most important responsibilities,” said NNSA Acting Chief of Defense Nuclear Security Michael Lempke. “SIP is a continuation of NNSA’s goal to use the best, most modern security technology to keep the nation’s nuclear weapons and material secure.” [Read more…]
ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013. Managed for DOE, lab personnel processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests without a single error.
(Photo courtesy ORAU)
For the second time in recent years, the Beryllium Testing Laboratory managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities ended a year of testing without a single error, a press release said.
ORAU manages the Oak Ridge lab for the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests, or BeLPTs, in 2013, the press release said. The laboratory is one of only three in the United States that can perform the BeLPT.
The BeLPT is a blood test used to identify individuals at higher risk of developing Chronic Beryllium Disease, a chronic disease that scars the lungs, making it more difficult for oxygen to transfer into the bloodstream. The test examines how a lymphocyte, which is a type of disease-fighting blood cell in a person’s body, reacts to beryllium and can determine if an individual is developing an immune response to beryllium. [Read more…]
Jason Hayward, who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, holds a high-resolution instrument, which is part of his research to benefit facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source. (Photo credit: University of Tennessee)
With U.S. falling behind China and India in numbers of STEM graduates, strengthening U.S. scientific talent is critical, according to report
Jason Hayward is applying his nuclear engineering research expertise to develop the next generation of high-resolution instruments for facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source.
Hayward, who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, hopes his work will eventually help curtail the spread of nuclear weapons and assist in identifying viable alternative energy sources. Hayward is an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, a joint faculty member with ORNL’s Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division, a U.S. Department of Energy research award recipient, and a participant in the Higher Education Research Experiences Program.
He and many other early career researchers are participating in fellowships and internships managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities with DOE and other federal agencies, and they are the main focus of ORAU’s “2013 Annual Report,” which has just been released. [Read more…]
Hans Vogel
A division director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss heating, fueling, and cooling the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project at ORNL during a Tuesday meeting in Oak Ridge.
The lunchtime meeting featuring Hans Vogel will be hosted by Friends of ORNL.
This will be the second in a series of three talks on the U.S. ITER project. The next one on May 13 will feature Graeme Murdoch.
During the Tuesday talk, Vogel, who is the ORNL Nuclear Systems division director, will discuss the Tokamak cooling water system, ion cyclotron transmission lines, electron cyclotron transmission lines, pellet injection system, disruption mitigation system, and the tokamak exhaust processing system. These systems are valued at more than $500 million, a press release said. [Read more…]
Enrollment data suggests current trend likely to continue in 2014 and 2015
The number of college students graduating with majors in health physics has increased slightly for bachelor’s degrees, but decreased for both master’s and doctoral candidates.
The report, titled “Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2013 Data,” surveyed 22 academic programs with enrollment and degree data between Sept. 1, 2012, and Aug. 31, 2013, including both students majoring in health physics or those enrolled in an option program equivalent to a major.
Undergraduate degrees increase while graduate degrees fall slightly [Read more…]
David Koeberlein, director of advanced engineering for Cummins and principal investigator on the SuperTruck project, says the prototype tractor-trailer uses exhaust heat that would otherwise be wasted to help power the crankshaft. (All photos courtesy ORNL/Genevieve Martin unless indicated otherwise)
Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m.
Tractor-trailer prototype uses probe developed by ORNL for better gas mileage, cleaner exhaust
It’s a sleek, aerodynamic freight-hauling machine. With its wide tires, rounded edges, and body parts that hug the ground, this million-dollar prototype looks like it could be at home on a race track.
It’s already achieved celebrity status, serving as the backdrop for President Barack Obama during a February speech on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards.
But the SuperTruck is more likely to end up hauling meat and potatoes from Boise to Boston.
The fuel-efficient SuperTruck, the result of a four-year collaboration between the trucking industry and the federal government, made a pit stop at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Tuesday.
Still, researchers have reason to celebrate. On Tuesday, they said the high-tech tractor-trailer has increased fuel efficiency by 75 percent. Fully loaded, the SuperTruck can drive 10.7 miles on a gallon of gas. That compares to an industry average of 5.8 to 6.5 miles per gallon.
“This is a really big deal,” said Claus Daniel, deputy director of sustainable transportation projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where the SuperTruck made a pit stop on Tuesday.
It’s the result of a collaboration between the trucking industry and the U.S. Department of Energy. It’s not clear how soon the new technologies tested in the Cummins/Peterbilt tractor-trailer, which was built in Denton, Texas, will show up on the nation’s highways. [Read more…]
The Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above.
The new federal contractor at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, has started announcing members of its senior leadership team.
Jim Haynes, chief executive officer for Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, announced the leaders in a message posted on the company’s transition website on Saturday.
The executives are:
“We will roll out our senior leadership team in phases, and over the next few weeks we will help you get to know the CNS leadership team through a series of articles, employee information meetings in Amarillo and Oak Ridge, and other opportunities for face-to-face interaction,” Haynes said. [Read more…]
Chuck Spencer
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Babcock and Wilcox Co. has announced a restructuring of its government operations.
Effective immediately, the Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group Inc., or NOG, its subsidiary operations at Nuclear Fuel Services, and the Babcock and Wilcox Technical Services Group Inc., or TSG, will operate under a single leader, naming Peyton S. “Sandy” Baker as president and chief operating officer, a press release said.
Charles G. “Chuck” Spencer, the former president and general manager of the Y-12 National Security Complex, will serve as chief operating officer of TSG, leading the business’ day-to-day operations, a press release said.
And Kenneth R. Camplin has been named vice president and chief business development officer for B&W’s government operations. Camplin and Spencer will both report to Baker, the release said. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A research and development consortium led by the University of Michigan has received a $25 million grant for nuclear arms control verification technologies, including nuclear safeguards effectiveness.
The consortium includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The grant was announced on Monday by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development. The consortium will receive $5 million per year for five years, a press release said. The award is in response to a funding opportunity announcement issued in May 2013.
“Nuclear arms control verification technologies provide tools to support and improve the ability of the U.S. government to monitor compliance with nuclear arms control commitments and treaty obligations,” the press release said. “Nuclear safeguards support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mission to monitor the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the commitments of signatory countries to refrain from developing new nuclear weapons. Other work under the consortium will include efforts in geophysical modeling for the detection of underground nuclear detonations to support test monitoring.” [Read more…]
