A PNNL study that evaluated the use of friction stir technology on stainless steel has shown that the steel resists erosion more than three times that of its unprocessed counterpart.
Keerti S. Kappagantula, a scientist in PNNL’s Energy Processes and Materials Division, was featured in ASM International’s Women in Engineering Series.
A new technology that offers a novel way to manufacture extrusions with unprecedented improvements in material properties recently received a U.S. patent.
PNNL is advancing scientific frontiers and addressing challenges in energy, the environment and national security. So, in no particular order, here are PNNL's top 10 research accomplishments of 2018
Steve Short, a nuclear engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been selected as a fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers.
On October 22, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)granted Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station a 40-year operating license for its new Unit 2 reactor. This is the first nuclear reactor to be granted an operating license by the NRC in two decades.
Pressurized water nuclear reactors in the United States generate about 13 percent of U.S. electricity. Though efficient, these reactors face a unique challenge with stress corrosion cracking (SCC). This type of corrosion is one of the primary life-limiting degradation mechanisms of nickel-base alloy pressure boundary components, such as instrumentation and control rod nozzles, the welds that attach these nozzles to the reactor vessel, and welds that connect feedwater piping to the reactor vessel. As interest grows in a more sustainable and efficient fleet of nuclear reactors across the world, there is increasing interest in characterizing SCC initiation response.
PNNL researchers have demonstrated a process for the expanded use of lightweight aluminum in cars and trucks at the speed, scale, quality and consistency required by the auto industry.
