Vehicle Technologies
At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, vehicle research is about more than how vehicles are powered—it’s also about how they’re made and used. The Lab’s vehicle technology research portfolio advances all types of vehicles—on-road, rail, maritime, aviation, and off-road—through a range of innovations, from helping manufacturers produce high-performance vehicle components using low-cost domestic materials, to optimizing the movement of goods and people around the nation, to effectively and reliably integrating vehicles with electricity and energy systems.
Smart Advanced Manufacturing
PNNL—with a rich, successful history of materials research and development—is delving deeper into the world of materials manufacturing. Solid Phase Processing, or SPP, is an emerging approach to producing a wide range of metal and multi-material products that has the potential to decrease the energy intensity of manufacturing and deliver higher-performing components, all at a lower cost.
Transportation
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is advancing transportation technologies that offer American manufacturers and consumers more choices with fewer compromises. PNNL researchers leverage innovation in a wide range of sectors to strengthen domestic transportation industries and ensure that people and goods can move safely, reliably, quickly, and affordably.
Maritime Security
PNNL is leveraging decades of expertise and advancing technologies to enhance maritime security at home and abroad through improving part security, enhancing situational awareness, and enabling novel sensing techniques in the maritime domain.
Waste Processing
What to do with Hanford’s 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste stored in 177 underground tanks, which already are past their expected lifetime? In partnership with DOE and site contractors, PNNL researchers are leading the development of the chemical and engineering processes to determine the mixture in each tank, the safest way to remove it, and the most efficient way to treat and store it.
Marine Energy
PNNL scientists are working to understand marine energy opportunities to advance the widespread deployment of this renewable resource.
Nuclear Forensics
PNNL is a critical provider of research, technology, and operations for the United States’ pre- and post-detonation nuclear forensics missions. We leverage more than 40 years of experience in radiochemistry, plutonium processing science, and nuclear material detection technologies.
Flexible Loads and Generation
PNNL brings recognized expertise and capabilities to its research in flexible generation and loads, driving decarbonization, efficiency, and economic solutions for the nation.
Subsurface Energy Systems
A deep understanding of the chemical and physical interactions between formation fluids, reservoir rock, overburden, and injected materials helps PNNL facilitate the development of transformational technologies for subsurface energy systems.