Oak Ridge Today

City representatives attend Energy Communities Alliance conference, meet with DOE officials

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Watson Klaus and Hope at DOE Headquarters

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, and City Council member Chuck Hope, right, meet with David Klaus, the U.S. Department of Energy under secretary for management and performance, at DOE Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge City Councilman Chuck Hope and City Manager Mark Watson recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend a conference sponsored by the Energy Communities Alliance, or ECA. The ECA is the membership organization of local governments that host or are located near U.S. Department of Energy sites. The ECA supported attendance at the meeting with travel grants to the participants.

The two-day conference focused on DOE’s Environmental Management program. DOE staff made presentations on topics such as waste disposition, accomplishments in the cleanup mission, fiscal year 2017 budget planning, and a “view from the secretary’s office,” a press release said.

Additional sessions were held on the local government role in cleanup agreements, and working with local communities to improve contracting, the press release said. Hope helped lead a session on fiscal year 2017 appropriations and implications for DOE cleanup, while Watson was a panelist in a session on the future of DOE contracting. [Read more…]

Solar plant at Heritage Center honored with sustainability award

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Heritage-Center-Solar-Array

An aerial view of Oak Ridge’s third solar array development at Heritage Center, which was built by a team honored with a U.S. Department of Energy Sustainability Award. (Photo courtesy DOE EM)

 

A solar power plant in west Oak Ridge is one of two projects recognized with 2016 Energy Sustainability Awards by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Teams at the two DOE Environmental Management, or EM, sites were recognized for spearheading projects that have saved taxpayer dollars while promoting efficiency and smart use of DOE resources, a press release said.

“The DOE Sustainability Performance Office highlighted efforts at the Oak Ridge and Savannah River sites as outstanding contributions to the department’s goal of improving environmental, energy, and economic performance while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the press release said.

UCOR, the prime contractor for Oak Ridge’s EM program, helped the small business subcontractor Restoration Services Inc. team with community partners to build a one-megawatt utility scale photovoltaic power generating project called Powerhouse Six that became operational in April 2015. [Read more…]

Tarcza named manager at DOE Oak Ridge Office

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Kenneth R. Tarcza

Kenneth R. Tarcza (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

 

Kenneth R. Tarcza has been named manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office Integrated Support Center.

The announcement was made Tuesday by DOE’s Office of Science.

Prior to retiring in 2015 as a colonel with the U.S. Army, Tarcza served as the chief of staff for the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command, which executes the vast majority of the Army’s science and technology programs, a press release said. In that role, he was responsible for a broad range of functions—administration, finance, safety, legal, and resource management.

Most recently, he served with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, where he oversaw research on site as well as with academia. [Read more…]

ORNL researchers discover new state of water molecule

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

berylCoverImage_horz

ORNL researchers discovered that water in beryl displays some unique and unexpected characteristics. (Photo by Jeff Scovil)

 

Neutron scattering and computational modeling have revealed unique and unexpected behavior of water molecules under extreme confinement that is unmatched by any known gas, liquid, or solid states.

In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory describe a new tunneling state of water molecules confined in hexagonal ultra-small channels—5 angstrom across—of the mineral beryl. An angstrom is 1/10-billionth of a meter, and individual atoms are typically about 1 angstrom in diameter.

The discovery, made possible with experiments at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom, demonstrates features of water under ultra confinement in rocks, soil, and cell walls, which scientists predict will be of interest across many disciplines.

“At low temperatures, this tunneling water exhibits quantum motion through the separating potential walls, which is forbidden in the classical world,” said lead author Alexander Kolesnikov of ORNL’s Chemical and Engineering Materials Division. “This means that the oxygen and hydrogen atoms of the water molecule are ‘delocalized’ and therefore simultaneously present in all six symmetrically equivalent positions in the channel at the same time. It’s one of those phenomena that only occur in quantum mechanics and has no parallel in our everyday experience.” [Read more…]

County mayor’s office identifies top 10 property tax payers

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

DOE generates largest county taxes; automotive moves up in rankings

From Anderson County Mayor’s Office

CLINTON—In reviewing a list of Anderson County’s largest taxpayers, one fact is apparent—the U.S. Department of Energy and a privately owned, DOE-related facility are the county’s largest source of county property taxes.

“DOE annually pays approximately $630,000 of in-lieu taxes for the property it owns in the county,” said Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank. “When you add to that, the $934,000 of property taxes generated by the private LLC that owns the New Hope Center at the CNS Y-12 National Security Complex, the combined total is by far our county’s largest source of property tax revenue.

“Ten years ago, Anderson County’s top three taxpayers were Bell South, Summit Properties, and Boeing Inc. This year, manufacturing makes the splash as Anderson County’s top taxpayer is Lawler-Wood LLC, formerly known as Oak Ridge Project LLC (at the Y-12 complex), followed by automotive giants Samlip (SL) Tennessee, and Magna.

“Other significant sources of revenue that should be considered include in-lieu of taxes for another automotive industry titan, Aisin Automotive, at approximately $1.2 million. In addition to DOE, our top ten this year reflects a substantial automotive presence.” [Read more…]

Small nuclear reactors on Clinch River could power several cities the size of Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. The Bear Creek Road entrance to the Clinch River Site, where the reactors could be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is pictured above on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. They could also be, depending upon the timing, the first commercial reactors of their type in the United States.

They’re known as small modular reactors, or SMRs. They could generate 80 to 200 megawatts each. One hundred megawatts is enough to power about 60,000 homes. Oak Ridge has about 12,000 homes.

Several companies are working on SMR designs, but so far none have been certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Jim Hopson, public relations manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

By May 12, TVA plans to submit an application to the NRC for what is known as an early site permit to build SMRs on the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge. Hopson likened an early site permit, or ESP, to a pre-approval for a home loan, although he said that is an oversimplification.

“It’s similar to pre-approving yourself for a loan,” Hopson said Friday. “You get the preliminaries out of the way.” [Read more…]

ORAU receives $1.4 billion DOE contract to manage ORISE

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science has awarded a $1.4 billion contract to Oak Ridge Associated Universities to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

The initial contract term will be through September 30, 2020. The department recognizes superior performance through phased extensions beyond the initial term of the contract for up to a total of five more years, if the contractor meets performance criteria developed by DOE, a press release said.

ORISE supports DOE’s mission to advance scientific and technical workforce development and education and research programs by creating opportunities for collaboration through partnerships with DOE facilities, other federal agencies, the academic community, and industry, the press release said. Specifically, ORISE’s objectives are: [Read more…]

Traffic could be affected by large electric condensers being moved from ETTP

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

K-27-ETTP-Switchyard-Oct-20-2015

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded at $2.1 million fixed-price contract to a small business based in Michigan, CTI and Associates, to perform asset recovery and demolition work at the old electrical switchyard at ETTP. (DOE photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

Traffic on Highway 58 and Highway 95 could be affected for two weeks starting Thursday by large, slow-moving equipment removing parts from a former electrical switchyard at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge.

The work is being done by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. It’s part of the ongoing cleanup work at ETTP, the former K-25 site.

Workers are removing, disposing, and recycling components from a former ETTP electrical switchyard, known as K-732 Switchyard.

“For the next two weeks, this project requires the use of a specialized trailer on public highways to transport three large condensers that each weighs approximately 110 tons,” a press release said. “Motorists transiting the area during this time should be alert for slow-moving vehicles and expect occasional delays.” [Read more…]

Environmental assessment for Oak Ridge airport finds no significant impact

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above in a file image from August 2015. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

An environmental assessment has been completed for the transfer of 170 acres at Heritage Center for a general aviation airport in west Oak Ridge, and the assessment found no significant impact, officials said Tuesday.

The assessment was completed by the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. The land would be transferred to the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

In August, officials said conditions are subject to change, but plans then called for starting construction on the airport at the former K-25 site in 2018. An estimate at that time said the airport could cost between $30 million and $40 million.

The airport would have a 5,000-foot runway that would accommodate general aviation aircraft including corporate jets, private airplanes, and emergency medical services aircraft. A development plan shows the airport at the south side of Heritage Center along Oak Ridge Turnpike, or State Route 58. [Read more…]

Photo: ORHS places third in DOE’s 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl

Posted at
By 3 Comments

ORHS-DOE-2016-Tennessee-Science-Bowl

Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above. From left to right they are Albert Xue, Ting Wang, Joseph Andress, Adithyan Sujithkumar, and Melissa Yuan. (Photo courtesy DOE)

 

Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above.

The 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl included 60 teams from across the state on Saturday, February 27, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus. As the third-place team, the ORHS team received a $500 prize.

Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville finished first, received a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy, and will advance in an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., from April 28-May 2. Lausanne Collegiate School finished second, and won a $750 cash prize and trophy, and Brentwood High School finished fourth for a $250 cash prize and trophy. [Read more…]

Centrus completes centrifuge demonstration, reducing Ohio workforce, continuing Oak Ridge work

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy USEC/Centrus Energy Corp.)

 

A centrifuge demonstration is complete in Piketon, Ohio, and the workforce there will be reduced, but  research, engineering, and testing work will continue in Oak Ridge, Centrus Energy Corporation announced Friday.

The company, which is based in Bethesda, Maryland, said it has completed operations of its three-year demonstration cascade of American Centrifuge machines at its facility in Piketon, Ohio. Now, it will demobilize the demonstration cascade and reduce its workforce at Piketon starting with the layoff of about 60 employees during the week of February 29, Centrus said.

Centrus currently has more than 120 employees working at two dedicated facilities in the Oak Ridge area to engineer, design, and test improvements in full-size machines operating in individual test stands, a press release said. The company’s scientists and engineers will continue to improve the reliability and manufacturability of centrifuge machines for potential future applications, the release said. [Read more…]

Demolition starts on last of big five uranium-enriching buildings at K-25

Posted at
By 1 Comment

K-27-Demolition-Start-Feb-8-2016

A high-reach machine is used to start demolishing the four-story, 10-acre K-27 Building on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. K-27 is the last of the big five uranium-enriching buildings at the former K-25 site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Demolition started Monday on K-27, the last of the big five uranium-enriching buildings at the former K-25 site, and officials expect the work to be complete by the end of the year.

The five buildings—K-25, K-27, K-29, K-31, and K-33—once used a process called gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Officials credit them for helping to win World War II and end the Cold War, and for playing significant roles in technological developments and the nuclear industry.

The K-25 site, which is now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center, was built during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first nuclear weapons. The site is now slowly being converted into a large industrial park.

“The majority of the property will be reused,” said Ken Rueter, president and project manager for UCOR, or URS |CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]