Technical Innovations in a Post-Cold War Nuclear Town

9/30/2011

As a result of decades of research in the areas of carbon fiber and carbon fiber composite materials, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is leading efforts that could revolutionize and revitalize U.S. manufacturing while reducing the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. Many of these efforts will culminate in a new facility being built on land formerly part of the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation.

Carbon fiber is a strong, stiff, lightweight material with tremendous potential for automobiles, wind energy, and other industrial applications. However, due to its high cost, carbon fiber composite materials have not been widely applied in the United States for industrial applications. Most of the carbon fiber produced today is made from a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor, which is a costly, petroleum-based material. Because of their high cost, their use has historically been limited to aerospace and other “high end” applications.

Researchers at ORNL have shown, on a small scale, that carbon fibers can be produced at lower costs using less expensive precursors and by employing advanced manufacturing methods to reduce energy required for production. With the potential of ORNL’s discoveries, DOE awarded ORNL $34.7M to design, construct, and operate a new Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF). The CFTF is specifically designed to provide semi-production scale of technology demonstration necessary to bridge the gap between laboratory research and full-scale production.

The goals of the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility include: Demonstrate Low-Cost Carbon Fiber technology scalability; and produce quantities of low-cost carbon fiber needed for material and process evaluations in composite materials applications by/with industrial partner.

The CFTF will have unique capabilities, with the flexibility to process a range of feed stocks and product forms. CFTF will bridge the “valley of death” between laboratory research and commercial scale deployment of low-cost carbon fiber technologies, thus filling a critical need for promoting U.S. industrial competitiveness for the manufacture of carbon fiber.

The CFTF will be housed in a leased facility currently under construction at the Horizon Center, a site that was once part of the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation. The Horizon Center, managed by the city of Oak Ridge’s Industrial Development Board, is located 15 miles from ORNL and just minutes from the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former site of the massive gaseous diffusion complex used to support nuclear weapons production. The CFTF is planned to be in operation in early 2013.

Over the next several years, the market for carbon fiber is estimated to grow significantly, and the production of new, lower cost fibers will allow this market to grow exponentially in the coming years. For example, automobiles incorporating extensive carbon fiber in place of traditional steel will require 20-30 percent less fuel than today’s automobiles. Center cores for power transmission lines made of low-cost carbon fiber are lightweight and have virtually no line sag, eliminating significant energy losses. Stronger, stiffer wind turbine blades enable increased blade lengths that generate more energy.

ORNL is collaborating with a number of industrial partners in efforts to commercialize these low-cost carbon fiber technologies. As technologies are proven, industries across the carbon fiber value chain are likely to invest in new precursor and carbon fiber production plants and in composites design, manufacturing, and testing facilities. Through this commercialization we hope to boost local, regional and U.S. jobs growth and spur economic development. In essence, we are trying to change the world.  

Source: Lee McGetrick, Director, Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory