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Aerial view of the lab
During World War II, the United States launched the Manhattan Project in order to build an atomic bomb before Germany did. As part of the Manhattan Project, in February 1943, in the small town of Clinton, 30 kilometers west of Knoxville, Tennessee, ground was broken for the Clinton Laboratory (later renamed the Oak Ridge National Laboratory ORNL), which was engaged in nuclear weapons testing research.
Within a year, a secret city, Oak Ridge, and a national laboratory for nuclear test research were built in a barren, uninhabited area. For a long time, Oak Ridge could not be found on publicly available maps. Even in 2013, GPS could only find the street where the lab was located, but not the exact location of its door number.
History
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Laboratory entrance sign
In the 1950s and 1960s, ORNL was an international center for research related to nuclear energy and the physical and life sciences, and with the creation of the U.S. Department of Energy in the 1970s, ORNL's research program expanded to include the areas of energy generation, transmission, and conservation.
By the beginning of the 21st century, the laboratory was supporting the United States with a mission that was equally important in peacetime but different from that of the Manhattan Project era.
Scientific strengths
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ORNL has numerous important scientific research facilities, moving to a higher level with the construction of a new Center for Nanomaterials Science, a Center for Genetic Science, the world's largest supercomputer center performing 40*1012 calculations per second, and more, and is responsible for the largest U.S. civil Scientific research projects - the $1.4 billion Fractured Neutron Source, with a number of nuclear science laboratories such as high-throughput isotope reaction push, etc., and gradually developed into a large-scale integrated research base, which has made a great contribution to the development of the United States.
ORNL currently employs 4,600 people, including 3,000 scientists and engineers.ORNL hosts 3,000 guest researchers each year for two weeks or longer, with about 25 percent of the guests coming from industry. It hosts 30,000 visitors a year, plus another 10,000 students before they enter the university.
ORNL receives more than $1.65 billion in annual funding, 80 percent of which comes from the Department of Energy and 20 percent from federal government and private-sector clients. Its funding for fiscal year 2003 exceeded $1 billion for the first time. The University of Tennessee - Battelle Memorial Institute has provided millions of dollars to support math and science education, economic development and other programs in the greater Oak Ridge area.
ORNL is planning to invest $300 million to modernize the site for the next generation of big science research. Funding is being provided by the federal, state and private sectors for 11 new installations, including the Center for Functional Genomics, Nanomaterials Science, the Advanced Materials Characterization Laboratory and the Joint Institute for Computational Science.
The $1.6 billion Scattered Neutron Source SNS is the world's largest civilian science project, making ORNL the world's premier center for neutron science research. [1]
Research Areas
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ITER schematic
ORNL's mission is to conduct basic and applied research and development that provides scientific knowledge and technologically innovative solutions to complex problems, enhances U.S. leadership in major scientific fields; improves the utilization of clean energy; restores and protects the environment and contributes to national security.
With the construction of modern facilities enabling cutting-edge research, ORNL is repositioning its future big science missions in advanced computing, advanced materials, biological systems, energy sciences, nanotechnology, national security, neutron science, research facilities, and other related research areas.
ORNL engages in research and development activities across a wide range of field science disciplines, and ORNL is an international leader in many scientific fields. It is primarily engaged in research in the following scientific areas, including neutron science, complex biological systems, energy, advanced materials, national security, and high-performance computing.
1. Neutron Science
2. Biological Systems
3. Energy
-Bioenergy Programs
-Power Transmission Technology Technologies
-Energy Efficiency and Electricity Technologies (EERE)
-Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
-Industrial Technology Programs
-... U.S. Participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Fusion Reactor (ITER) Project
4, Advanced Materials
-Center for Basic and Applied Research on Catalysis
-Center for the Physics of Defects in Structural Materials
-Center for Nanomaterials Science
-Laboratory for High-Temperature Materials
-Industrial Technology Program
5, National Security
< p>6, High Performance Computing7, Nanotechnology
- Bio- and Nanoscale Systems Group
- Center for Nanoscale Applications
- Superconducting Wires
ORNL developed high-temperature superconducting wires through three-dimensional self-assembly of insulating nanodots. wires. The array of nanodots distributed throughout the thickness of the thick-film superconducting second-generation wires serves as an effective flux pinning center for the most practical power applications, and in 2006, the achievement was recognized by Nanotechnology Digest, a professional journal, with an International Nanotechnology 50 Award as the "Best of the Best. In 2008, the lab's Dr. Amit Goyal received the Inventor Award for developing this technology.
- Diagnostics
ORNL is developing and implementing nanostructured devices that directly manipulate the transcription process - the process by which genes within a cell can be electronically induced or repressed. The approach is to utilize cell-permeable nanoelectrodes as cellular interfaces with nanofunctions so that tethered genetic material can be introduced into a cell and regulated by external stimuli applied through a multi-scale device platform. The research platform is a powerful tool for including understanding the function of individual genes within a single cell for a wide range of applications.
- Nanofermentation
Nanofermentation employs natural metal-reducing strains of bacteria to create customized single-crystal nanoparticles of a variety of important engineered materials. The discovery that bacteria can be used in industrial bioprocessing to create mixed metal oxides has led to a breakthrough in large-scale nanopowder synthesis. The size and morphology of the particles can be controlled by centralized methods, including temperature, incubation time, and selection of electron donors or certain chemical additives.
Using familiar, well-established industrial equipment and simple fermentation practices, nano-fermentation takes place at or near room temperature. The strain is completely natural and not dangerous. The operation can be carried out under a wide range of conditions that make the product fit specific needs and can be easily scaled up. Nano-fermentation produces extremely fine, well-controlled and strongly crystalline products of a wide range of compositions.
- Nano-Strengthened Alleys
ORNL's revolutionary rapid infrared heating process controls grain refinement at the nanometer scale to produce high performance forgings with superior tensile strength and fatigue resistance. ORNL is working with the Forging Industry Association to commercialize this R&D 100 award winning technology. 100 Award-winning technology for commercialization.
- Superhydrophobic Materials
ORNL has developed superhydrophobic (water-resistant) nanostructured materials that have the potential to reduce energy loss through reduced friction and reduced corrosion.ORNL is working to commercialize superhydrophobic oxide-based powders. These powders have nanoscale properties that are precisely repetitive and have a high degree of uniformity of size at the surface of each particle.
These features are coated with a fluorine-containing compound-treated monolayer. There are many general and advanced uses for these super-repellents, including energy-saving applications targeting drag reduction and enhanced heat transfer, novel sensors, and biomedical applications.ORNL is currently working to improve the quality of the powders and develop binder systems.
- Real-Time Characterization
ORNL has developed a technique for real-time sampling of nanoparticles produced by gas-phase processes using a commercial differential mobility analyzer. The production process has been demonstrated for metal oxide particles and carbon nanomaterials. The system was tested on a plasma arc reactor from Luna nanoWorks.
- Nanoscale Science and Devices Group
The Nanoscale Science and Devices Group is part of ORNL's Biosciences Division. Its research areas include: absorption-induced stress, nanoelectromechanical systems and microelectromechanical systems sensors, nanoscale molecular mechanics, physics and chemistry of interfaces, scanning probe microscopy and molecular combs.
By conducting research in these areas, the once-obvious boundary line between molecular biology, fluid dynamics, quantum mechanics, and photonics is being crossed by establishing the basis for an exciting convergence of many traditionally separate scientific fields. The technological advances made have the potential to benefit humanity, from improved screening and treatment of cancer, to the detection of landmines, to the artificial restoration of sight and hearing to the visually and auditorily impaired, to the protection of civilians and troops against conventional weapons, as well as nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
- Bio and Nanoscale Group
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Nanotechnology research in the Bio and Nanoscale Group includes projects in nanosensing and actuation using nanoscale analogs; molecular-scale molecular scaling of biofunctional surfaces via scanning probe lithography; and patterning of biomolecular interfaces to nanoscale devices. These projects address the design, construction, and implementation of nanostructures useful for interfacing, mimicking, or characterizing biological systems.
8. Other Research Areas
In addition to its primary areas of focus, ORNL conducts world-class research in the following areas of science:
- Chemical Sciences
ORNL uses experimental, theoretical, and computational methods to conduct basic and applied research in chemistry, including: chemical-biological sciences, fluid-interfacial reactions, structures and transport , geochemistry and aqueous solution chemistry, diverse catalysis, laser spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, materials chemistry, molecular transformations and fuel chemistry, neutron science, polymers, synthesis and characterization, characterization of radioactive materials, separation chemistry, surface science and interfacial chemistry, as well as theory, modeling and simulation.
-Nuclear Physics
Research focuses on the experimental aspects of heavy ion and atomic physics, and on the theoretical aspects of nuclear physics, astrophysics, and the physics of the nuclear-particle interface. [1]
Memorabilia
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1939 Discovery of nuclear fission
1942 Oak Ridge chosen as the site for the Manhattan Project of World War II
1943 The world's first continuously operating $12 million graphite reactor reaches criticality after nine months of construction
1944 Graphite Plutonium is produced in the reactor in preparation for the Hanford Reactor, which produces the plutonium needed for the atomic bomb that ended World War II
1945 Element 61 (promethium) is discovered in the graphite reactor; the first neutron scattering studies are carried out in the reactor (by Ernie Wollan and Cliff Shull (right); the latter is awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering work on the graphite reactor. (Ernie Wollan and Cliff Shull (pictured right; the latter won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on graphite reactors)
1946 First radioisotopes produced by reactors are delivered to cancer hospitals; the pressurized-water reactor is envisioned (and later used for nuclear power and submersible propulsion); radiation detectors and dosimeters are devised
1947 Mice are used to study the hereditary effects of radiation on mammals; the Atomic Council is founded
1948 Fuel composition designed for use in research reactors; Materials Experimental Reactor designed at ORNL, built in Idaho
1949 Praxis process developed at ORNL, which later became a worldwide method of recovering uranium and plutonium from used reactor fuel
1950 Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology established; low-fluid-strength test reactor First operation
1951 Integral shielded reactor begins operation; neutron half-life measured; 5 MW electrostatic gas pedal installed
1952 Construction of ORNL's first heavy-ion cyclotron; based on studies of irradiated rat embryos, ORNL cautions against X-rays of women who may become pregnant; first operation of homogeneous reactor experiment
1953 Installation at ORNL of the Oak Ridge automated computer and logic machine, then the world's most powerful; ORNL's portable reactor designed for Army use at remote sites
1954 ORNL's ecological program begins; testing of ORNL's experimental aircraft reactors; first operation of the Tower Shield Facility, which provides data for the backward-bound nuclear aircraft program and the first nuclear reactor to be used to collide molecular beams using two different types of reactants. Reactors collide with molecular beams to study chemical reactions in detail for the first time
1955 ORNL's small "swimming pool" reactor is shown to President Eisenhower at the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of the Atom; Alvin Weinberg is named ORNL Director, a position he holds for 18 years
1956 Nuclear program begins. >
1956 Ribonucleic acid (RNA) discovered; first bone marrow transplant demonstrated. Committee of the National Academy of Sciences makes predictions about the hereditary effects of radiation on humans based on ORNL rat data
1957 Decisions on permissible levels of medical radiation and radionuclides in the workplace are made under the influence of ORNL leadership; ORNL's first fusion research unit is built
1958 Oak Ridge Research Reactor begins operation; the United States' first search for a high-level nuclear waste storage site is begun by ORNL
1959 Maleness in rats is found to be dependent on the presence of the Y chromosome; ORNL researchers characterize the masking fleet shielding used on the first U.S. nuclear-powered civilian ship
1960 Pocket whistler used as a personal radiation monitor is made; an experimental program to measure the genetic effects of chemicals on rats is started 1961 Development of radioisotope heating source to power space satellites begins; transmutation admixture method developed at ORNL reactor; later used to make electronics components
1962 Physical research on radiation protection conducted; research reactor completed; ion-channeling effect discovered through computer simulations; civil-military research program launched; wooden test stand Radioisotope cesium-137 used for labeling; analysis shows hazards of radioactive particles from nuclear weapons experiments
1963 Radiation Shielding Information Center established; Oak Ridge isochronous cyclotron first operated
1964 Becomes the first national laboratory to employ social scientists, initially for civil-military research; ORNL concept of nuclear desalination introduced at UN General Assembly. ORNL nuclear desalination concept
1965 High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and Molten Salt Reactor operation (MSR)
1966 Graphite Reactor named a National Historic Landmark; KENO Monte Carlo code developed for evaluating nuclear criticality safety
1967 Walker Branch Watershed Research Facility opens to ecosystem research; ORNL selected to lead U.S. ecosystem research under the International Biological Program; viruses isolated in ORNL high-speed centrifuges; simulation code developed for evaluating radiation shielding protection
1968 Second molten-salt reactor operates, using uranium 233 (this is the first reactor to use this fuel) ; invents fast centrifuge analyzer for medical diagnostics; produces ultrapure vaccines using regional centrifuges developed at ORNL; designs stainless steel alloy that better resists neutron-induced expansion
1969 First neutron cross-section measurements are made with the new Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator; ORNL becomes a leader in geographic information systems coupled with remote sensing; designs the Apollo 11 moon rock collector
1970 SCALE standard proposed to help ensure safe storage and transportation of spent nuclear fuel; ORNL's first tokamak fusion research unit for plasma physics experiments operates
1971 Water Ecology Laboratory established; data on favorite water temperatures of fish needed for environmental impact statements obtained; gas pedal studies determine Possible shapes of deformed uranium 234 nuclei determined in accelerator studies
1972 Conservation of energy research program initiated; mouse embryos frozen, thawed, and transplanted into maternal mice to produce healthy pups; in bioreactors, discovery of garden-soil bacteria to remove nitrates and rare metals from industrial wastewater; discovery of quadrupole magnet grand **** oscillations; extensive study of modes of emergence of grand oscillations of these atomic nuclei
1973 Composition of lunar rocks analyzed; ultrasonic fish markers made to measure and transmit favorite water temperatures of fish
1974 Herman Postma named ORNL director for 14 years; chromium-molybdenum steel developed; used worldwide in electric utility boilers and oil refinery boilers
1975 Computer model of ecosystems developed, making ORNL a leader in systems ecology; strong iridium alloy developed to seal nuclear fuel in space probes
1976 Experimental ANFLOW bioreactor installed at Oak Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant; program initiated to improve the production of liquid and gaseous fuels from coal and to determine their biological effects
1978 Jimmy Carter visits ORNL; program to improve production of liquid and gaseous fuels from coal and to determine their biological effects begins. President Jimmy Carter visits ORNL; core-block injection method for fueling fission-energy research equipment is developed and adopted worldwide
1979 ORNL's neutral injector helps Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory set a record for fusion-plasma temperatures; ORNL helps the Nuclear Regulatory Commission determine the causes and consequences of the accident at the Three Mile Island plant; discovery of ethylnitrosourea as a causative agent for fission-energy research; discovery of the role of ethylnitrosourea as an agent for fusion-energy research. nitrosourea was the most effective chemical for inducing mutations in rats; in studies of rats, nitrites in food preservatives were found to react with food and drug amines to form cancer-causing nitroamines
1980 The Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility (HHIRF) was opened to the public as a user facility for nuclear physics; the National Center for Small-Angle Scattering Research was opened and the HHIRF becomes a user facility; National Environmental Research Park (12,400 acres) opens; new ion-implantation technique found to improve properties of material surfaces; ORNL creates longer-lasting artificial joints after nitrogen ions are injected into a titanium alloy; computer modeling is developed to predict the effects of the power plant on fish in the Hudson River; ORNL researchers initiate research on remote-control technology and become the world's leader in building robots that undertake dangerous task robots
1981 Whisker-toughened, fracture-resistant ceramics developed for use in cutting tools in factories
1982 Standards developed and designs drawn up to improve the efficiency of freezers and heating pumps; standards for insulation developed, later adopted by federal departments; improved nickel-aluminide alloys developed for use in the commercial production of steel and automotive components; Successful testing of superconducting magnets by fusion energy researchers on a large coil test facility; establishment of the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, a world-renowned repository of data on global change
1984 Experiments begun to produce hydrogen containing enormous amounts of energy from water, using light and action in spinach and algae
1985 Development of iodine-123 tracer for use with fatty acids for medical scans to diagnose heart disease; scientific alliance between the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory; development of gel casting, now commercially used to form ceramic parts for micro-vortex theory
1986 ORNL determines when the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred and why so much radioactivity was released
1987 High Temperature Materials Laboratory serves as a user device Opened to industry researchers seeking to build energy-efficient engines; lasers used to make high-temperature superconducting materials; all ORNL reactors shut down in light of Department of Energy concerns about safety management of laboratory reactors
1988 Advanced toroidal device activated for fusion energy research, utilizing star mimicry; Alvin Trivelpiece named director of ORNL 1989 First draft of "General Environmental Impact Statement" provided to Nuclear Regulatory Commission for relicensing of nuclear power plants
1990 ORNL's acid rain research leads to control of sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions from industry; atomic number comparison electron microscope sees columns of atoms; computerized atomic number comparison electron microscope sees columns of atoms. columns of atoms; computer code helps troops better deploy troops and equipment on the battlefield; confirmation of the existence of quarks within neutrons
1991 Neutron activation analysis at HHFIR disproves the notion that a U.S. president died of arsenic poisoning; software is written to solve the problem by connecting PCs scattered around the country
1992 President George W. Bush visits ORNL; first draft of Acid Rain Research is published in the journal Organics of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. President George H.W. Bush visits ORNL; invents the rhenium 188 isotope generator to treat cancer and heart disease patients worldwide; invents the thin-film miniature lithium battery; discovers and clones the mouse guinea pig gene; discovers that mutated genes cause obesity, diabetes, and cancer; and develops the Graphical Input Language (GRAIL) for identifying genes in DNA sequences on computers
1993 Invented optical biopsy to detect cancerous tumors in the esophagus without surgery; UT-ORNL ranked among the top 500 supercomputers
1994 Invented the "lab-on-a-chip," now used commercially for protein analysis and drug discovery experiments; invented mass spectrometry to detect contaminants, explosives, and proteins; developed GRAIL, a graphical input language, to identify genes in DNA sequences; developed GRAIL to identify genes in DNA sequences. contaminants, explosives, and proteins; develops ALLIANCE software, which enables groups of robots to work together; prepares code to run future climate models on new parallel supercomputers
1995 Launches Intel Paragon XP/S 150, the world's fastest supercomputer at the time; invents RABiTSTM method of making high-temperature superconducting wires; and invents RABiTSTM method of making high-temperature superconducting wires. RABiTSTM method for making high-temperature superconducting wires; develops an ultrafast system for supercomputer data storage and retrieval; grows ORNL DNA protein crystals in space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia; develops a signal-analysis system for the Navy to detect passing submarines
1996 Modifies a model of the mass freezer to cut energy consumption in half; discovers that graphite foam conducts heat unusually well. Heartbeat detector designed to find terrorists and criminals hiding in cars; searchable e-book-style windows help collaborators run experiments over international networks
1997 Equipment developed to test conversion of Russian weapons-grade uranium to reactor-grade fuel; preliminary design of mass spectrometer to help Navy detect biochemical threats; first microbes genetically engineered to create the Vitamin C, which enhances signals from damaged videotapes, are approved for publication. VITALE that enhances signals from damaged videotapes to help police solve crime; world's largest catchment area experiment to illustrate the effects of drought and heavy rainfall on forests; first approved for publication of microorganisms genetically engineered
1998 Invention of the MicroCAT scanner; mapping of internal changes in mutant rats; outdoor FACE experiment shows that gumdrop candy cane trees grow well in a Concentrated CO2 atmosphere; ORNL technology helps semiconductor company discover problems causing defects in computer chips
1999 Vice President Al Gore speaks at groundbreaking ceremony for Scattered Fracture Neutron Source; invention of multifunctional biochip for rapid detection of human disease; alloy research leads to upgraded, improved, or new boilers in paper mills to make them safer
2000 Bill Madia is appointed to a new term of office in the United States. >2000 Bill Madia named ORNL director; two new supercomputers go into operation; ORNL ranks fourth in the top 100 in an international competition for protein structure prediction; University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory opens the National Center for Transportation Research; energy-efficient heater-pump water heater developed; ORNL helps sequence three human chromosomes; fusion energy theory Scientists begin designing quasi-magnetic-field polar imitators
2001 HHFIR is back in operation after replacing berkelium reflectors and adding a research building; Direct-to-digital holography for examining 3D defects is designed for semiconductor companies; GRAIL is used for landmark papers in Science and Nature on sequencing the human genome; DOE Secretary Spencer Abraham visits ORNL to transfer DOE land to ORNL for new construction; superconducting transformers and high-temperature superconducting cables developed with industry partners
2002 Fastest supercomputer targeted by ORNL-Cray partners; groundbreaking for UT-ORNL Joint Institute for Computer Science; $300 million modernization program begins construction; DOE Approval of the Naomi Stage Materials Science Center at ORNL; ORNL energy technologies displayed in Habitat for Humanity windows; actinium-225 shipped from ORNL to hospitals to treat leukemia
August 1, 2003 Jeff Wadsworth assumes the role of Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Privately funded facilities: 300,000, 500,000 tons of land transferred from the Department of Energy to ORNL; construction of the UT-ORNL Joint Research Institute for Computer Science. Transferred land for a 300,000-square-foot facility that will house state-of-the-art energy and computational science laboratories.