Oak Ridge Today

ORAU, University of Oklahoma win $8.4 million NOAA award for weather, climate change research

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ORAU Satellite Photo

Photo via ORAU on Twitter

 

The University of Oklahoma and Oak Ridge Associated Universities were recently awarded $8.4 million over three years from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct weather and climate change monitoring research. The funding provides OU with the opportunity to expand its Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies’ research capabilities through a partnership with NOAA’s ORAU-managed Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, or ATDD, program, a press release said.

“CIMMS is one of OU’s treasures as it has played a significant role in advancing our understanding of the atmosphere as well as provided valuable technologies and tools for operational forecasters,” said Kelvin Droegemeier, OU vice president for research. “This new award will build upon these historical strengths to address some of today’s most compelling challenges in weather and climate.”

The award will help further OU’s key research in areas such as boundary layer characterization, which is the atmospheric layer closest to Earth’s surface, and climate observations and analyses. This research will directly support NOAA’s goal to improve prediction of severe weather near the earth’s surface and will provide funding for a research position at the ATDD location in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

ORNL, Boeing set Guinness World Record with 3D printed tool for Boeing 777X wing part

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GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS measurement of ORNL-Boeing trim tool Aug 29 2016

Official measurement of the 3D printed trim tool co-developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The Boeing Company exceeded the required minimum size to achieve the Guinness World Records title of largest solid 3D printed item. Pictured above on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, is Guinness World Records Judge Michael Empric. (Photo courtesy ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy)

 

HARDIN VALLEY—A tool made by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has set a world record for largest solid item manufactured on a 3D printer. Guinness World Records confirmed the tool’s measurements during a visit to ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley on Monday.

The trim-and-drill tool measures 17.5 feet long, 5.5 feet wide, and 1.5 feet tall. It’s comparable in length to a large sport utility vehicle and weighs approximately 1,650 pounds.

It will be used to help make a wing part on the Boeing 777X airplane, a passenger jet. After ORNL completes some testing, Boeing will evaluate the tool in the company’s new production facility in St. Louis and then provide information to ORNL about its performance.

ORNL printed the trim-and-drill tool in only 30 hours on a 3D printer at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley using mostly ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) mixed with about 20 percent carbon fiber. ABS is the same material used to produce Legos, and it’s a tough, strong polymer, said Bill Peter, MDF director.

Judge Michael Empric said Guinness World Records had set a minimum measurement of 10.5 cubic feet for the new largest solid 3D printed item, which is a new category. The Boeing tool printed by ORNL measured much larger, 82.4 cubic feet, Empric said.

The original tool was printed in one piece and was larger, but it was trimmed down, Empric said. [Read more…]

LeMond, Tour de France champion, plans production in Oak Ridge, thinks area could be world hub for carbon fiber

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Greg LeMond at the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility

Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond, right, chairman and co-CEO of LeMond Companies, which owns LeMond Composites, tours ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility. (Image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy)

 

A new carbon fiber company that includes three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond plans to build a carbon fiber production line in west Oak Ridge to make composites for use in transportation, renewable energy, and infrastructure, and LeMond thinks the Knoxville area will become the world hub for carbon fiber.

The new company, LeMond Composites, has signed a licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it has purchased the former Theragenics building at Horizon Center, where CVMR, an international company that uses ore concentrates to create pure metal powders, had once planned to locate its headquarters and research and development.

LeMond Composites closed on the property, which includes about 21 acres, on July 21 for $5.4 million. It’s right next to ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, or CFTF, at Horizon Center. Renovations at the former Theragenics building are already under way.

Carbon fiber is light, stiff, and strong, a press release said. That makes it the perfect material for advanced composites in a variety of applications, including transportation, renewable energy, and infrastructure, the release said. It can be used to improve efficiency, save energy, and build or repair vehicles and planes, wind turbines and containers, and bridges and tunnels.

But the biggest obstacle to its widespread use has been its high cost. [Read more…]

Y-12 helps NNSA, others eliminate weapons-grade uranium from Indonesia

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Anne Harrington

Anne Harrington

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge has helped the National Nuclear Security Administration and other agencies eliminate weapons-grade nuclear material from Indonesia, a press release said.

The material was eliminated by “down-blending” highly enriched uranium, or HEU, to low enriched uranium, or LEU. Unlike HEU, LEU cannot be used to make an improvised nuclear device, a press release said.

The work to eliminate the HEU from Indonesia was done through a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, or DOE/NNSA; Indonesian Nuclear Industry LLC, or PT INUKI; the National Nuclear Energy Agency, or BATAN; and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency, or BAPETEN, of the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia is the 30th country plus Taiwan to be declared free of HEU. That’s defined as possessing less than one kilogram of HEU in a country. Indonesia joins fellow Southeast Asian countries Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines in working with DOE/NNSA to eliminate all of its weapon-usable nuclear material, an NNSA press release said.

“With this most recent milestone, the entire region of Southeast Asia is now free of HEU,” the press release said. [Read more…]

ORPD: Two arrested, suspected in multiple vehicle burglaries in Oak Ridge

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The Oak Ridge Police Department investigated a series of overnight vehicle burglaries from the area of West Outer Drive and Montana Avenue on Thursday, and officers found that Jessie Dunham, 40, of Lenoir City, was found to have items in his possession that were determined to be from one of the burglary victims, authorities said.

A second suspect, Joshua Scott, 38, of Oak Ridge, was identified, and additional stolen items were recovered, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

Dunham and Scott have been booked in to the Anderson County Jail on multiple felony charges. [Read more…]

Historic day: Last wall to be demolished at last of big five uranium-enriching buildings at ETTP (K-25)

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K-27 Demolition Aug 17 2016 Freeny

The last wall of the last of the big five buildings once used to enrich uranium at the former K-25 site will be demolished Tuesday. A section of the K-27 Building, the last to be demolished, is pictured above on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016. (DOE photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

The last wall of the last of the big five buildings once used to enrich uranium at the former K-25 site will be demolished Tuesday.

Demolition on the last building, the K-27 Building, started in February.

The other four buildings—K-25, K-29, K-31, and K-33—were demolished between 2006 and 2015. All five of the huge buildings once used a process called gaseous diffusion to produce highly enriched uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants, starting during World War II and continuing through the Cold War. The largest was K-25, a mile-long U-shaped building.

When K-27 demolition is complete, it will be the first time that all of a site’s uranium-enriching gaseous diffusion buildings will have been cleaned up anywhere in the world, officials said.

“Demolition eliminates environmental hazards and prepares the land for productive reuse through deindustrialization,” a media advisory said. [Read more…]

Roane crash during police pursuit kills Powell woman; driver, 15, injured

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Poplar Creek Road Crash Aug 24 2016 1

A 20-year-old Powell woman died in a single-vehicle crash during a police pursuit on Poplar Creek Road in Roane County on Wednesday afternoon, and a 15-year-old male driver was injured, authorities said. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

A 20-year-old Powell woman died in a single-vehicle crash during a police pursuit on Poplar Creek Road in Roane County on Wednesday afternoon, and a 15-year-old male driver was injured, authorities said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the juvenile, a Harriman boy who was not identified because of his age, was fleeing from police in a 1998 Dodge pickup at about 3:06 p.m. when he lost control of the truck. It ran off the road and hit a rock wall or cavern opening, the THP said.

Holland Durbrow, 20, was killed in the impact, the THP said. She was not using a seat belt, according to a preliminary report.

WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that Harriman police officers tried to pull over a pickup that had been reported stolen Wednesday afternoon, but the young driver refused to stop. At one point during the pursuit, officers lost sight of the truck on Poplar Creek Road, WSYH said. Moments later, officers came upon the crash scene. [Read more…]

Learn about MORE2, free energy-efficiency upgrades, in meetings tonight, Wednesday

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MORE2 Home Improvements Quilliams Heat Pump July 20 2016

Brittany Quilliams of Oak Ridge stands next to a new heat pump installed as part of the Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient program, which is funded by a $2.9 million Tennessee Valley Authority grant announced in September 2015. Quilliams’ home on Bunker Lane is one of the first three improved in Oak Ridge, and she shared her story with media and officials on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient is hosting public education meetings tonight and Wednesday for residents to learn about the program, which is also known as MORE2, and ways they might lower their energy use.

MORE2, funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of lower-income Oak Ridge residents with free energy-efficient upgrades, such as HVAC and water heating units, a press release said.

“In addition to retrofitting homes, MORE2 is working to empower people in the Oak Ridge community with energy efficiency education, ultimately leading to lower electric bills and a healthier environment,” the press release said. “Qualified homes must be at least 20 years old and have electric heat.” [Read more…]

ORNL, Boeing to receive Guinness World Records title for largest solid 3D printed item

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ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility Polymer Printer

This large-scale polymer printer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility was used to fabricate the Shelby Cobra. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 2:45 p.m.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Boeing Company are expected to receive the Guinness World Records title for largest solid 3D printed item, a media advisory said.

On Monday, an official Guinness World Records judge will measure and award the title of largest solid 3D printed item to ORNL and Boeing for a 3D printed tool used in manufacturing the Boeing 777X passenger jet. The media has been invited.

The invitation-only ceremony is at 11 a.m. Monday, August 29, at ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at 2370 Cherahala Boulevard, off Pellissippi Parkway at Hardin Valley Road. [Read more…]

Attempted first-degree murder charge reduced to felony reckless endangerment, sent to grand jury

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Eric Joe Wilson

Eric Joe Wilson

 

The attempted first-degree murder charge filed against an Oak Ridge man after he allegedly shot his sister in the ear in April was reduced to felony reckless endangerment last week and waived to the Anderson County Grand Jury for its consideration.

The state will not pursue a second charge, an aggravated assault charge, against Eric Joe Wilson, 42. That charge was dismissed.

Wilson was to be released on intensified felony pre-trial release, and as part of that release, he is supposed to continue mental health treatment and his family is supposed to monitor his medications.

Anderson County General Sessions Court Judge Roger Miller agreed to remove a no-contact provision that was part of Wilson’s pre-trial release. Wilson’s sister, Suzan Stiles, the victim in the alleged shooting, said she takes care of Wilson, and he’s not done anything like this before. Miller confirmed with Stiles that she had not been threatened or intimidated into making the request. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch has fundraiser at Gondolier on Thursday

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The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program has a fundraiser at Gondolier Restaurant on Thursday.

The fundraiser is scheduled from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, August 25. Ten percent of receipts will be donated to Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, an event flyer said.

The Gondolier Restaurant is located at 792 Briarcliff Avenue. You can eat dine-in or carry-out.

Oak Ridge High School has open house Thursday

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Oak Ridge High School will have an Open House on Thursday, August 25, beginning at 5:15 p.m. in the Food Court. Parents are asked to print their student’s schedules prior to the event from Skyward Family Access.

From 5:15-6 p.m., school guidance counselors will have PSAT sign-up and senior information tables. Many school clubs and organizations will have information tables set up during this time, a press release said. Food and drinks will be sold by the Oak Ridge High School Orchestra Boosters. PTSO will be accepting donations of hand sanitizer and Kleenex for classrooms. [Read more…]