Isotope Facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Isotope Science and Enrichment Directorate (ISED) operates a suite of core facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) that enable the full lifecycle of isotope science from irradiation and materials examination to chemical processing, production, and delivery.
These facilities support real-world applications in medicine, energy, industry and national security by providing capabilities that are rare or unavailable elsewhere in the United States. Together, they form an integrated infrastructure that allows ORNL to research, produce, process and analyze isotopes and nuclear materials at scale.
All Facilities
Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL)
IFEL was built and is maintained for the safe handling of increasing levels of radiation in the chemical, physical, and metallurgical examination of nuclear reactor fuel elements and reactor parts.
Irradiated Materials Examination and Testing Facility (IMET)
The IMET facility was designed and built in 1950 as a hot cell facility.
Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC)
At the REDC, experts in radiochemical processing use specialized equipment and systems to produce unique radioisotopes for applications in research, national security, medicine, space exploration and industry.
Stable Isotope Production and Research Center (SIPRC)
ORNL is building SIPRC to expand the nation’s capability to enrich stable isotopes for medical, industrial, research and national security uses.
Stable Isotope Production Facility (SIPF)
The DOE is committed to build SIPF to produce stable isotopes that are in short supply and cannot be enriched with current domestic capabilities.
Radioisotope Processing Facility (RPF)
ORNL looks to build RPF to address the growing demand for radioisotopes.
Isotope Research Materials Laboratory (IRML)
The IRML facility provides enriched stable isotopes to the medical, industrial, national security and scientific communities.
Radioisotope Development Laboratory (RDL)
The RDL facility is used exclusively to produce actinium-227 for the US Department of Energy’s Isotope Program.
Why Isotope Facilities Matter
Together, these facilities allow ORNL to support a domestic isotope supply chain:
- Research and development of isotope production methods
- Irradiation and examination of materials and fuels
- Chemical processing and purification of isotopes
- Production of stable and radioactive isotopes for real-world use
This integrated infrastructure makes ORNL a national leader in isotope science and a critical contributor to U.S. scientific, medical and energy priorities.
