Oak Ridge National Laboratory Institutional Plan: FY 1982-1987

ORNL is perhaps uniquely qualified to organize an
engineering science center that would concentrate on
research in transport phenomena and solid mechanics
because the Laboratory has a long history of technol
ogy development that has required engineering sci
ence input, particularly in these areas. Development
activities have included (1) R&D in the nuclear fuel
cycle, culminating in a major national program to
develop processes for and the design of a major hot
demonstration of a fuel reprocessing facility for
LMFBR spent fuel; (2) the design, construction, and
testing of six nuclear reactors; (3) process develop
ment in coal conversion; (4) construction of major
development facilities for use in fossil and nuclear
energy programs (e.g., a fluidized-bed used in study
ing coal combustion and flue-gas treatment, and a
blow-down heat transfer facility for use in nuclear
reactor safety R&D); and (5) increasing roles in
nuclear reactor safety, environmental control technol
ogy, and conservation.
Research activities at the center will be directed
toward basic studies in continuum mechanics which
require specialized facilities and a broad range of
technical expertise. The proposed center would be
physically dispersed but centrally funded and
managed—much as existing programs are now—in a
matrix structure. This center would serve as a focal
point for collaborative efforts among researchers from
government, industry, and the academic community
and would provide opportunities for research that is
beyond the scope of individual institutions. To pro
mote a maximum interaction with the industrial sec
tor, management activities at the Center would
organize workshops involving industry and universi
ties to present results and discuss research
priorities,
• establish a visiting scientist program to allow
researchers from industry and universities to work
at the center, and
provide for the publication of the major results of
the center's research activities in the open litera-
Operating cost
Direct FTE
Scientific and Technical Activities 33
Resource projections for the proposed
engineering science center"
"Funding for FY 1983 is in millions of current dollars and
reflects a 10% escalation factor from FY 1981 to FY 1982 and
from FY 1982 to FY 1983. Funding for FY 1984 through FY
1987 is in millions of constant 1983 dollars. Personnel numbers
are in full-time equivalent (FTE) person-years.
Strategic Materials for Energy
Potential shortages of strategic materials, especially
metals critical to energy production or energy conser
vation, threaten serious problems for both the domes
tic and world economy. Of particular concern is our
increasing dependence on foreign suppliers for these
materials. New domestic supplies of these minerals
are potentially available from unconventional sources.
In the future, the United States may experience
domestic supply problems for such critical energy-
production metals as uranium, thorium, tungsten, and
platinum. Other metals such as aluminum and
chromium, both of which are critical to our economy,
are already predominantly imported.
We propose that ORNL play a major role in
developing and implementing a multidisciplinary
research program directed toward the identification
and solution of long-range resource problems. Activi
ties would range from basic geologic characterization
of resources to economic analysis, to development of
processing technology, and to substitution analysis.
Such a program would focus on efficiently recovering
fuel materials and metals critical to energy production
or conservation from unconventional sources, such as
low-grade ores, waste substances, or eastern shales.
Several current research efforts (e.g., exploratory
assessment of Chattanooga shale as a potential source
of oil, uranium, and strategic metals; recovery of