Mississippi’s Schulz XP is part of one of the biggest science experiments ever undertaken: the international ITER project. Schulz’s piping will help cool the fusion reactor and joins the more than 20 miles of pipeline needed for the project. Another key ORNL partner is Mississippi State University where students and faculty are contributing to understanding the stability of the national grid and building energy infrastructure resilience.
ORNL’s user facilities offer a diverse set of tools for experiments across a range of fields, including biology, materials and energy sciences, physics, engineering, and chemistry. Learn more about ORNL’s user facilities. Data reflects fiscal year 2020 except for scientific publications, which covers 2016–2020. Partner stories reflect work conducted from 2016 to present.
Chosen for its unique capabilities, Schulz XP, part of PCC Energy Group, is delivering $30 million worth of large-diameter extruded piping for the international fusion reactor project known as ITER. The piping is part of the cooling water system for the tokamak, which contains the plasma that powers the reactor. Schulz’s piping, which meets French standards, represents a large portion of the 22-mile system that acts as a safeguard. US ITER, managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is responsible for the design and fabrication of the tokamak cooling water system.
Learn more about fusion research at ORNL.
Listen to ORNL’s Sound of Science podcast episode “Fusion: Energy at the Extreme.”
ORNL is partnering with Mississippi State University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in a project that aims to better understand and predict near-term reliability and resilience of the national grid. Specifically, scientists are looking at interdependencies across the bulk power system and natural gas supply infrastructure. This project builds on ORNL’s work on the Department of Energy’s North American Energy Resilience Model, a collaboration of national labs, industry, and academia providing a comprehensive model of North America’s energy sector infrastructure to predict and prepare for natural and manmade grid impacts.
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