Oak Ridge Today

Updated: X-energy, Centrus Energy to develop fuel for advanced nuclear reactors

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Larry Cutlip, left, Centrus Energy vice president of field operations, and Pete Pappano, X Energy vice president of fuel production, announce a collaboration on fuel for advanced nuclear reactors at the Nuclear Suppliers Workshop at Pollard Technology Conference Center on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Larry Cutlip, left, Centrus Energy vice president of field operations, and Pete Pappano, X Energy vice president of fuel production, announce a collaboration on fuel for advanced nuclear reactors at the Nuclear Suppliers Workshop at Pollard Technology Conference Center on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

This story was last updated at 5:30 a.m. Sept. 7.

Two companies that have operations or employees in Oak Ridge are exploring a collaboration for the possible production of fuel for advanced nuclear reactors.

The two companies, X Energy LLC and Centrus Energy Corporation, announced Wednesday that they have signed a memorandum of understanding for the potential collaboration.

They are expected to put together a business plan for the fuel fabrication business. It’s not clear how long that might take, said Jeremy Derryberry, Centrus Energy senior communications manager.

But the companies are working toward the development of a fuel fabrication facility that could possibly be in Oak Ridge, where Centrus, formerly known as USEC, has had operations for about 15 years.

“We really think that Oak Ridge can be a nexus for the advanced reactor industry in the U.S. going forward,” Derryberry said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
[Read more…]

ORNL, TVA, NuScale Power, others to present at nuclear supply chain workshop

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Nuclear Suppliers Workshop Oak Ridge September 6-7 2017 Oak Ridge

The agenda has been finalized for the Nuclear Suppliers Workshop in September that will be hosted by the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council and the East Tennessee Economic Council.

On September 6-7, companies interested in being part of the supply chain and searching for manufacturing opportunities around small modular reactors, next generation nuclear technology, nuclear medicine, and national security programs are invited to attend the Nuclear Suppliers Workshop at Pollard Technology Conference Center in Oak Ridge.

Thomas Zacharia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be the keynote speaker, a press release said. The Tennessee Valley Authority, NuScale Power, Duke Energy, AMS Corporation, Teledyne Brown Engineering, and others will also present. [Read more…]

Breakfast Rotary welcomes ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia

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Thomas Zacharia (Photo courtesy D. Ray Smith)

Thomas Zacharia (Photo courtesy D. Ray Smith)

 

Submitted

The Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club welcomed Thomas Zacharia, director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to its August 9 breakfast meeting. Zacharia became director of ORNL on July 1, 2017, after a long and successful career with ORNL beginning in 1987 as a postdoctoral researcher and culminating in his recent appointment as director.

His professional career at ORNL spans many fields with a special focus in materials research and computational sciences. In his comments to the club, he outlined his long-term expectations for ORNL and its critical role in supporting U.S. Department of Energy missions to advance science and technology in such areas as high-performance computing, advanced materials, nuclear power, and national security.

In addition, Thomas stated he expects ORNL will continue to expand its role in transferring ORNL technologies to industry in the local area and across the nation. ORNL scientific discoveries are expected to continue to help make our economy more competitive in world markets. [Read more…]

ORNL workforce reduction could save $34 million per year, mostly affect those of retirement age

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The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is pictured above. (Photo by ORNL)

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is pictured above. (Photo by ORNL)

 

The workforce reduction of up to 350 positions at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is expected to decrease personnel costs by about $34 million each year, and the lab expects most of those who apply for voluntary separations from the lab to be of retirement age, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

The workforce reduction, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, was announced by new ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia in a Tuesday morning email to employees.

“From time to time, sustaining our work effectively and efficiently requires the most difficult of decisions, which is to reduce our staff in certain areas of the lab,” Zacharia said in that email.

The lab hopes to reduce its workforce of 4,800 employees by about 7.3 percent (350 positions) using voluntary separations. Involuntary separations will be used if necessary.

On Wednesday, ORNL spokesperson Morgan McCorkle said the lab plans to reduce about 250 overhead positions and 100 research and development jobs. Overhead jobs are those not directly related to research. The research and development staff who will be eligible for voluntary separations are those who charge more than half of their time to overhead accounts or whose program budgets were reduced in fiscal year 2017, McCorkle said.

A specific breakdown of the affected jobs is not yet available. [Read more…]

ORNL to reduce workforce by up to 350 by end of year

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Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia

Note: This story was last updated at 10:50 a.m. Aug. 9.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will reduce its workforce by up to 350 positions by the end of the calendar year, ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said in a Tuesday morning email to employees.

The workforce restructuring plan has been proposed by UT-Battelle and approved by the U.S. Department of Energy, Zacharia said. ORNL is DOE’s largest multiprogram science and energy laboratory.

“From time to time, sustaining our work effectively and efficiently requires the most difficult of decisions, which is to reduce our staff in certain areas of the lab,” Zacharia said. “To allow us to provide for our research missions and to allocate resources most productively, the Department of Energy has approved a Workforce Restructuring Plan proposed by UT-Battelle that will reduce ORNL’s workforce by up to 350 positions by the end of the calendar year.”

Zacharia said the reductions will be made primarily among staff who charge to “indirect accounts,” along with some research staff affected by fiscal year 2017 funding who could not be placed elsewhere in the lab.

“By reducing these positions, ORNL will be able to maintain competitive chargeout rates while freeing resources for discretionary investments that will modernize lab infrastructure and maintain core research capabilities in the mission areas assigned to ORNL,” Zacharia said. [Read more…]

ORNL names chief scientist of Global Security Directorate

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James Peery

James Peery

 

James Peery, who has led critical national security programs at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been selected as the chief scientist of the Global Security Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“James brings more than two decades of experience in creating successful national security initiatives for the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Brent Park, associate laboratory director of global security at ORNL. “In particular, his leadership in cybersecurity, data analytics, and high-performance computing will enable him to lead the laboratory’s cybersecurity initiative for the electric grid and beyond.”

Next-generation cybersecurity for the electric grid is a multi-directorate, multi-program effort at ORNL that supports the DOE cybersecurity program for critical energy infrastructure, a press release said. The initiative aims to enable electric utilities and other components of the nation’s energy supply to defend against emerging and previously unseen cyberattacks.

Peery also will help ORNL researchers draw on the lab’s distinctive capabilities to develop scientific and technological solutions aligned with national security policies and strategies, the press release said. [Read more…]

Buchanan named deputy for science, technology at ORNL

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Michelle Buchanan

Michelle Buchanan

 

Michelle Buchanan, an accomplished scientific leader and researcher, has been appointed deputy for science and technology at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory by new Lab Director Thomas Zacharia, a press release said. Her appointment is effective October 1.

“Dr. Buchanan’s research accomplishments, programmatic expertise, and reputation for achievement support ORNL’s role as a premier research institution that provides scientific expertise and breakthroughs that are critical to national priorities in energy, industry, and national security,” said Zacharia, who served in the deputy’s position until becoming lab director on July 1.

Buchanan has been associate laboratory director for physical sciences since 2004, with responsibilities including the lab’s Chemical Sciences, Physics, and Materials Science and Technology divisions, as well as its Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science user facility. The lab will conduct an international search for her replacement, the press release said.

As deputy for science and technology, Buchanan’s responsibilities will cover the range of ORNL research—computing and computational sciences, neutron science, nuclear science and engineering, the physical sciences, energy and environmental science, and national security—as well as the lab’s leadership role in U.S. ITER, the Exascale Computing Project, and ORNL research centers and institutes, the press release said. [Read more…]

DOE funds Center for Bioenergy Innovation at ORNL to accelerate biofuels, bioproducts research

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Gerald Tuskan will serve as chief executive officer of the new ORNL-led Center for Bioenergy Innovation, one of four DOE bioenergy research centers. (Photo by ORNL)

Gerald Tuskan will serve as chief executive officer of the new ORNL-led Center for Bioenergy Innovation, one of four DOE bioenergy research centers. (Photo by ORNL)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced funding for new research centers to accelerate the development of specialty plants and processes for a new generation of biofuels and bioproducts.

The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is one of four bioenergy centers chosen by DOE to advance a new biobased economy with the production of fuels and other products directly from nonfood biomass. The DOE announcement provides a total of $40 million in initial funding for the four centers in fiscal year 2018, with plans for a total five years of funding, a press release said.

The new centers follow the success of predecessor Bioenergy Research Centers established by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research within DOE’s Office of Science in 2007. The ORNL-led BioEnergy Science Center (BESC), for instance, has demonstrated scientific breakthroughs in its mission to overcome the natural resistance of plants to being broken down and converted into useful bioproducts.

“Our team of leading researchers is excited to use new approaches in biology to address the basic research challenges in developing real-world applications in the future sustainable bioeconomy,” said CBI Chief Executive Officer Gerald Tuskan. Tuskan, an ORNL Corporate Fellow, led the sequencing of the genome of Populus—a fast-growing perennial tree recognized for its potential in biofuels production—as well as the largest study of natural diversity in poplar trees for BESC. [Read more…]

Zacharia named director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia

 

Thomas Zacharia, who built Oak Ridge National Laboratory into a global supercomputing power, has been selected as the laboratory’s next director by UT-Battelle, the partnership that operates ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, a press release said.

“Thomas has a compelling vision for the future of ORNL that is directly aligned with the U.S. Department of Energy’s strategic priorities,” said Joe DiPietro, chair of the UT-Battelle Board of Governors and president of the University of Tennessee.

“He has led many of the innovative research and development initiatives that ORNL has successfully pursued over the past decade. His background in materials and computing positions him well to strengthen ORNL’s signature research capabilities in computational, neutron, materials, and nuclear science. His vision of ORNL playing a prominent role in advancing U.S. national and energy security reflects his leadership strengths. He has been key to the success of developing joint academic programs with UT. Finally, he embraces diversity and has a passion for developing and strengthening the workforce at the laboratory.”

Zacharia came to ORNL in 1987 as a postdoctoral researcher after receiving his Ph.D. in engineering science from Clarkson University in New York. He also holds a master’s in materials science from the University of Mississippi and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Karnataka, India. [Read more…]

ORNL, HTS International Corporation to collaborate on manufacturing research

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory and HTS International are exploring collaborations in advanced manufacturing research such as conformal cooling. These specially placed coolant lines allow parts to cool faster, which increases productivity for molding and casting manufacturers. (Image by ORNL)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and HTS International are exploring collaborations in advanced manufacturing research such as conformal cooling. These specially placed coolant lines allow parts to cool faster, which increases productivity for molding and casting manufacturers. (Image by ORNL)

 

HTS International Corporation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have signed an agreement to explore potential collaborations in advanced manufacturing research.

The memorandum of understanding follows HTS’s recent decision to locate its headquarters and production operations in a Knox County business park adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL (in Hardin Valley). The lab’s expertise and unique facilities in materials science, metallurgy, and advanced manufacturing attracted the attention of HTS’s leadership during a 2015 visit to Tennessee.

“Our researchers push the boundaries of what’s possible with materials and advanced manufacturing techniques, and we value partners such as HTS,” said Thomas Zacharia, deputy for science and technology at ORNL. “Industrial partners help to ensure we’re tackling the right problems, and our results help them to improve production capabilities and American competitiveness.”

HTS supplies specialty products to the injection molding and die casting industries, using its proprietary metal fusion technology to produce large-scale steel production components with conformal cooling. These specially placed coolant lines allow parts to cool faster, which increases productivity for molding and casting manufacturers. [Read more…]

Groundbreaking ceremony held for first new Habitat home in 2017

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Habitat for Humanity Morgan Groundbreaking January 2017

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County (HFHAC) has plans to build three new homes in Oak Ridge in 2017. Now, thanks to generous sponsors and construction volunteers, these plans are being realized, a press release said. The foundation has been dug for the first home, located at 214 North Illinois Avenue. (Submitted photo)

 

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, or HFHAC, has plans to build three new homes in Oak Ridge in 2017.

“Now, thanks to all of the generous sponsors and construction volunteers, these plans are being realized!” a press release said.

The foundation has been dug for the first home, which is located at 214 North Illinois Avenue.

Representatives from UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, presented a $25,000 check to HFHAC during a January 5 groundbreaking ceremony. The donation will be used to purchase materials for the Morgan family home, the press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: LeMond Composites opening celebration

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lemond-composites-ceremony-2-oct-12-2016-web

Greg LeMond, center, three-time Tour de France champion, celebrated the opening of LeMond Composites, a new company he co-founded, during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2016, at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. The company is expected to make composite bicycles and carbon fiber, and invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs. Behind LeMond is Nicolas Wegener, LeMond Composites chief operating officer. At left is Thomas Zacharia, ORNL deputy director for science and technology. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A new company co-founded by Greg LeMond, a three-time Tour de France champion, will make composite bicycles and carbon fiber for other products in Oak Ridge, and the business, called LeMond Composites, will invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs, officials said during a Wednesday afternoon ceremony. Here are photos from the ceremony. [Read more…]