Paul F. Becher, a corporate fellow and research group leader at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named to the National Materials Advisory Board of the National Research Council of the National Academies.The board is the principal source of objective, independent an...
Steve J. Zinkle, a researcher at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a fellow of ASM International, the Materials Information Society.
Hua-Tay Lin of the Metals and Ceramics Division of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been recognized on three fronts for his research.Lin was elected a fellow of the American Ceramic Society, chair of the organization's Engineering Ceramics Division and was appointed chai...
A potentially inexpensive miniature sensor able to detect tiny amounts of airborne plastic explosives in just seconds could make it possible to safeguard virtually all airports and key public facilities in the United States. The ORNL micromechanical system (MEMS) has several advantages over conventi...
Transmission - Three times the efficiency Next-generation power lines that are lighter and can transmit far more electricity will likely play a role in modernizing the nation's power grid. The new transmission lines, made of 3M Nextel 610 ceramic fibers embedded in an aluminum matrix, are un...
Ridding natural gas of sulfur and other impurities means cleaner air, and it is the focus of a project that would take advantage of two technologies developed at ORNL. The goal is to build and demonstrate a low-cost regenerative desulfurizer based on the carbon fiber composite molecular sieve and el...
Researchers at ORNL are joining with other agencies to monitor the health of a mountain river and possibly head off detrimental effects of upriver development. Little River, which flows out of the Great Smoky Mountains, is considered a relatively pristine stream despite growth of a resort area along...
High-temperature superconducting cables can transmit up to five times as much electricity as conventional cables over the same rights-of-way. And, because the cable loses very little energy in the form of heat, it will cut electrical transmission losses in half - from 8 percent to 4 percent. H...
Computer models inspired by fusion research - and sand can provide insight toward understanding the complex North American power grid and reducing its vulnerability to blackouts. A dynamic computer model developed by ORNL and university partners simulates an electrical network. By incorpora...
Power blackouts need not interrupt normal routines such as keeping phone circuits and hotel electric systems operating. Using energy sources produced through the concept of distributed generation, Verizon Communications and a Hilton Hotel outside of Gary, Ind., may soon be able to operate reg...