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Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory United States Department of Energy National Laboratories

The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories are a system of facilities and laboratories... 

 managed for the United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy

The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet [i]-level department of the United States [i] ... 

 by UT-Battelle, LLC. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southern [i] United States [i]. ... 

, near Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville is the third-largest city in the state of Tennessee [i] behind Memphis [i] ... 

. Scientists and engineers at ORNL conduct basic and applied research and development to create scientific knowledge and technological solutions that build the nation's expertise in key areas of science; increase the availability of clean, abundant energy Energy

In general, the concept [i] of energy refers to "the potential for causing changes." The word is used in ... 

; restore and protect the natural environment Natural environment

The natural environment comprises all living and non-living things that occur naturally [i] on Earth [i] ... 

; and contribute to national security National security

National security refers to the public policy [i] of maintaining the integrity and survival of the nation-state [i] ... 

.

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Encyclopedia


Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory United States Department of Energy National Laboratories

The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories are a system of facilities and laboratories... 

 managed for the United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy

The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet [i]-level department of the United States [i] ... 

 by UT-Battelle, LLC. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southern [i] United States [i]. ... 

, near Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville is the third-largest city in the state of Tennessee [i] behind Memphis [i] ... 

. Scientists and engineers at ORNL conduct basic and applied research and development to create scientific knowledge and technological solutions that build the nation's expertise in key areas of science; increase the availability of clean, abundant energy Energy

In general, the concept [i] of energy refers to "the potential for causing changes." The word is used in ... 

; restore and protect the natural environment Natural environment

The natural environment comprises all living and non-living things that occur naturally [i] on Earth [i] ... 

; and contribute to national security National security

National security refers to the public policy [i] of maintaining the integrity and survival of the nation-state [i] ... 

.

ORNL also performs other work for the Department of Energy, including isotope production, information management, and technical program management, and provides research and technical assistance to other organizations.

Research Programs

ORNL conducts research and development activities that span a wide range of scientific disciplines. The laboratory's major research areas are described briefly below.

  • Neutron scattering - The Spallation Neutron Source Spallation Neutron Source

    The Spallation Neutron Source is an accelerator-based neutron source being built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee [i] ... 

     , when combined with the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator Pulsed Neutron Source, will make ORNL the world's leading center for neutron science. Future research will be supported by these facilities and by the Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences, which is being developed in cooperation with the University of Tennessee and the SNS Project to accommodate the thousands of users expected each year from universities, U.S. industry, and other laboratories.
  • Biological systems Biology

    Biology is the branch of science [i] dealing with the study of life [i]. ... 

     - ORNL's initiative in complex biological systems draws on programs in comparative and functional genomics Functional genomics

    Functional genomics is a field of molecular biology [i] that attempts to make use of the vast wealth of ... 

    , structural biology, and computational biology Bioinformatics

    Bioinformatics and computational biology involve the use of techniques including applied mathematics [i] ... 

     and bioinformatics Bioinformatics

    Bioinformatics and computational biology involve the use of techniques including applied mathematics [i] ... 

    . This initiative focuses ORNL's expertise and facilities in in a wide range of biological fields related to the challenges of observing and understanding the functioning of complex biological systems.
  • Energy Energy

    In general, the concept [i] of energy refers to "the potential for causing changes." The word is used in ... 

     - ORNL is one of the world’s premier centers for research and development on energy production Energy development

    ergy development is the ongoing effort to provide sustainable, accessible energy [i] resources through know ... 

    , distribution, and use Energy consumption

    Energy consumption is a measure [i] of the rate of energy [i] use such as fuel [i]s or electricity [i] ... 

     and on the effects of energy technologies and decisions on society. Clean, efficient, safe production and use of energy have long been our goals in research and development. At ORNL, unique facilities for energy-related R&D are used both for technology development and for fundamental investigations in the basic energy sciences that underpin the technology.
  • Advanced materials Materials science

    Materials science is a multi-disciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications t... 

     - Scientists at ORNL are involved in studies ranging from fundamental research to the latest applications of virtually all classes of materials. ORNL's unique strengths in materials synthesis, processing, and characterization are applied to all areas of emphasis. Thousands of guest scientists come to ORNL each year to make use of its world-class facilities.
  • National security National security

    National security refers to the public policy [i] of maintaining the integrity and survival of the nation-state [i] ... 

     - ORNL provides federal, state and local government agencies and departments with technology and expertise to support national and homeland security needs. This technology and expertise is also shared with industry to enhance America’s economic competitiveness in world markets.
  • High-performance computing The laboratory conducts research and and development in computer and computational sciences in a variety of computational and experimental disciplines.
  • Chemical sciences Chemistry

    Chemistry is the science [i] of matter [i] at the atom [i]ic to molecular [i] scale, dealing primarily ... 

     - ORNL conducts both fundamental and applied research in a number of areas, including catalysis Catalysis

    In chemistry [i] and biology [i], catalysis is the acceleration of a chemical reaction [i] by means of ... 

    , surface science and interfacial chemistry; molecular transformations and fuel chemistry; heavy element chemistry and radioactive materials characterization; aqueous solution chemistry and geochemistry; mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry

    Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio [i] of ion [i]s. ... 

     and laser spectroscopy; separations chemistry; materials chemistry including synthesis and characterization of polymers Polymer

    Polymer is a term used to describe molecule [i]s consisting of structural unit [i]s and a large number o ... 

     and other soft materials; chemical biosciences; and neutron science.
  • Electron microscopy Electron microscope

    The electron microscope is a type of microscope [i] that uses electron [i]s to create an image of the ta... 

      - ORNL's electon microscopy program investigates key issues in condensed matter, materials Materials science

    Materials science is a multi-disciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications t... 

    , chemical Chemistry

    Chemistry is the science [i] of matter [i] at the atom [i]ic to molecular [i] scale, dealing primarily ... 

     and nanosciences Nanotechnology

    Nanotechnology is a field of applied science focused on the design, synthesis, characterization and appl... 

    .
  • Nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine

    Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine [i] and medical imaging [i] that uses unsealed radioactive [i] ... 

     - The laboratory's nuclear medicine research is focused on the development of improved reactor production and processing methods to provide medical radioisotopes, the development of new radionuclide generator systems, the design and evaluation of new radiopharmaceuticals for applications in nuclear medicine and oncology.
  • Physics Physics

    Physics , the most fundamental physical science [i], is concerned with the underlying principles of the ... 

     - Physics research at ORNL is focused primarily on studies of the fundamental properties of matter at the atomic Atom

    In chemistry [i] and physics [i], an atom is the smallest possible particle of a chemical element [i] t ... 

    , nuclear Atomic nucleus

    The nucleus of an atom [i] is the very dense region in its center consisting of proton [i]s and neutron [i] ... 

    , and subnuclear Subatomic particle

    A subatomic particle is a particle [i] smaller than an atom [i]: it may be elementary [i] ... 

     levels and the development of experimental devices in support of these studies.

Research Facilities


Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to a number of highly sophisticated experimental research facilities. These research laboratories are designed to serve staff scientists and engineers, as well as researchers from universities, industry, foreign institutions, and other government laboratories. For more information about these facilities, see the laboratory's website.

User Facilities


Some ORNL research facilities have been designated as "user facilities" by the U.S. Department of Energy. Work at user facilities may be conducted on a nonproprietary or proprietary basis. More information on these facilities and how to gain access to them, is available on laboratory's .

Facts and Figures


ORNL has a staff of more than 4,000, including 1500 scientists and engineers. The laboratory annually hosts approximately 3,000 who spend two weeks or longer in Oak Ridge; about 25 percent of these are from industry. ORNL receives 30,000 visitors each year, plus another 10,000 precollege students.

ORNL funding for FY 2005 exceeds $1 billion; 80 percent of that amount comes from the Department of Energy, and 20 percent is from other federal and private customers. UT-Battelle, the laboratory's management and operating contractor, has provided more than $6 million in support of math and science education, economic development and other projects in the greater Oak Ridge region East Tennessee

style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;"> [i] ... 

.
The laboratory occupies about 58 square miles , and the replacement cost of its buildings is estimated to be about $7 billion.

History


Created as part of the Manhattan Project Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project refers to the effort to develop the first nuclear weapon [i]s during World War II [i] ... 

 in 1943, Oak Ridge National Laboratory was established during World War II World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

 when American scientists feared that Nazi Germany Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governe... 

 was rapidly developing an atomic bomb Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon derives its destructive force from nuclear reaction [i]s of fission [i] ... 

. Built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian [i] and 65... 

 in less than a year on isolated farmland in the mountains of East Tennessee, Oak Ridge became a "secret city" that within two years housed more than 75,000 residents.

The goal of the Manhattan Project was to separate and produce uranium Uranium

Uranium is a chemical element [i] in the periodic table [i] that has the symbol U and atomic number [i] ... 

 and plutonium Plutonium

Plutonium is a radioactive [i], metal [i]lic chemical element [i].... 

 for use in developing a nuclear weapon. This work was carried out in three facilities, code-named Y-12, X-10 , and K-25. K-25 was a gaseous diffusion plant designed to separate U-235 Uranium-235

Uranium-235 is an isotope [i] of uranium [i] that differs from the element's other common isotope, uranium-238 [i]... 

 from U-238 Uranium-238

Uranium-238, is the most common isotope [i] of uranium [i] found. ... 

. Y-12 was dedicated to the electromagnetic separation Isotope separation

Isotope separation is the process of concentrating specific isotope [i]s of a chemical element [i] by re ... 

 of U-235. X-10 was a demonstration plant for the process to produce plutonium from uranium by nuclear bombardment.

Working under assumed names in the X-10 Graphite Reactor, Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi was an Italian [i] physicist [i] most noted for his work on beta decay [i], the deve ... 

 and his colleagues developed the world's first sustained nuclear reaction, leading to the atomic bomb Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon derives its destructive force from nuclear reaction [i]s of fission [i] ... 

 that ended the war.

ORNL's involvement with nuclear weapons ended after the war. The laboratory's scientific expertise shifted in the 1950s 1950s

The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959.... 

 and 1960s 1960s

The 1960s decade [i] refers to the years from 1960 [i] to 1969 [i], inclusive. ... 

 to peacetime research in medicine, biology, materials and physics. During this period the Graphite Reactor was used to produce the world's first medical radioisotopes Radionuclide

Atoms of chemical elements may have many isotopes with the same atomic numbers but different atomic weights /... 

 for treating cancer. Following the creation of the U.S. Department of Energy in 1977, ORNL's mission broadened to include research in energy production Energy development

ergy development is the ongoing effort to provide sustainable, accessible energy [i] resources through know ... 

, transmission Electric power transmission

Electric power transmission is one process in the transmitting of electricity [i] to consumers. ... 

 and consumption Energy consumption

Energy consumption is a measure [i] of the rate of energy [i] use such as fuel [i]s or electricity [i] ... 

. The end of the Cold War Cold War

The Cold War was the protracted geopolitical [i], ideological [i], and economic [i]... 

 and the growth of international terrorism Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use, or threatened use, of violence [i] to intimidate a population or govern ... 

 led to a further expansion of research into a range of national security-related technologies. As the laboratory entered the 21st Century, new cross-disciplinary Integrative learning

Integrative learning is a learning theory [i] describing a movement toward integrated le ... 

 programs in nanophase materials, computational sciences Supercomputer

A supercomputer is a computer [i] that leads the world in terms of processing capacity, particularly spe ... 

 and biology Biology

Biology is the branch of science [i] dealing with the study of life [i]. ... 

 has led to the term "nano-info-bio" to describe the emerging synthesis in ORNL's research agenda.

See also


  • Spallation Neutron Source Spallation Neutron Source

    The Spallation Neutron Source is an accelerator-based neutron source being built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee [i] ... 

  • Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
  • National Transportation Research Center
  • K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant
  • Y-12 National Security Complex
  • American Museum of Science and Energy

External links


General Information

  • Official ORNL website
  • News releases, RSS feeds, publications
  • Overview of the laboratory and its major programs
  • The laboratory's research and development magazine


Facts and Figures




Research Programs




Research Facilities




Research Divisions




History




Related Organizations and Facilities


  • Laboratory's management and operating contractor
  • Former K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant Site


Additional Resources


  • A map of Manhattan Project Era Oak Ridge, Tennessee.