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Timken turns to neutrons to get its bearings on internal stresses

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers from the Timken Company, a leading international manufacturer of bearings, are using neutron scattering at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor to investigate how internal residual stresses can shorten the lifetime and reliability of a bearing. By mapping the stresses in these bearings, the researchers can develop computational models to learn how to reduce the amount of stress in future bearings.

Good vibrations: Neutrons lend insight into acoustic fracking

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Hydraulic fracturing taps hard-to-reach pockets of oil and natural gas where more traditional drilling methods fall short. However, the process requires large amounts of water and chemicals, which can negatively impact public health and the environment. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using a combination of neutron and x-ray scattering to make the process safer and more efficient.

City of Knoxville demonstrates new precision de-icing technology developed by ORNL

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The City of Knoxville, Tenn., public service crews demonstrated a new de-icing device made possible by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The technology aims to more efficiently and effectively regulate brine distribution on the road during snowy weather.

Researchers demonstrate new building block in quantum computing

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a new level of control over photons encoded with quantum information. The team's experimental system allows them to manipulate the frequency of photons to bring about superposition, a state that enables quantum operations and computing.

Journal: Optica
Funder: DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, December 2018

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

ORNL story tips: ORNL solved methane mystery through tree trunk, soil study; neutrons unlock secrets of corn nanoparticles; lithium-ion battery study could inform safer designs; corrosion tests could advance molten salt reactor designs; thought leaders discuss sea of energy change at maritime risk meeting.

Journal: ACS Nano
Funder: Department of Energy Office of Science; DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Neutron production at ORNL's SNS reaches design power level

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Spallation Neutron Source at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has broken a new record by ending its first neutron production cycle at its design power level of 1.4 megawatts.

Leah Broussard: Breaking the standard model to fix understanding of the universe

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Leah Broussard, a physicist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has so much fun exploring the neutron that she alternates between calling it her 'laboratory' and 'playground' for understanding the universe. Neutrons can help identify where the Standard Model 'breaks.' Some of Broussard's experiments amount to 'crash tests' that push physics to its limits to see what in the model is missing or wrong.

Seven ORNL researchers named 2019 INCITE award winners

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Grant and Award Announcement

Seven researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been chosen by the Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment, also known as INCITE, program to lead scientific investigations that require the nation's most powerful computers. The ORNL-based projects span a broad range of the scientific spectrum and represent the potential of high-performance computing in ensuring America's scientific competitiveness and energy security.

Self-sensing materials are here

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory invented a roll-to-roll process to coat electrically conductive carbon fibers with semiconducting silicon carbide nanoparticles. This nanomaterial-embedded composite is stronger than other fiber-reinforced composites and imbued with a new capability--the ability to monitor its own structural health.

Big jobs: Safety, planning key to increasing production performance at SNS

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In December 2017, the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory entered into an extended 5-month scheduled outage to perform a number of high-priority jobs. Most notable were the replacement of the facility's inner reflector plug and the accelerator's radio frequency quadrupole. The success of the long outage demonstrated the ability to plan and execute future upgrade and construction projects such as the Proton Power Upgrade and the Second Target Station.

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