View source for Albany Research Center

{{Organization 
|OrganizationName=Albany Research Center
|OrganizationType=Research and Development Agencies (Sub-organization)
|Mission=The Albany Research Center, now part of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), focuses on materials research, particularly related to fossil energy systems. Its mission includes developing new materials for energy systems, improving energy efficiency, and addressing environmental impacts of energy production.
|OrganizationExecutive=Director
|Employees=120
|Budget=Part of NETL's budget, not specified individually.
|Website=https://netl.doe.gov/
|Services=Materials engineering for energy systems; Fossil energy research; Geospatial information systems; Advanced alloys and ceramics research
|ParentOrganization=Department of Energy
|TopOrganization=Department of Energy
|CreationLegislation=Originally established in 1943 as the Northwest Electro-development Laboratory
|Regulations=
|HeadquartersLocation=44.621752, -123.084831
|HeadquartersAddress=1450 Queen Ave SW, Albany, OR 97321, USA
}}
{{Infobox Laboratory
|name           = Albany Research Center
|motto          = 
|image          = [[File:Albany Research Center.JPG|250px]]
|established    = 1943
|type           = Fossil energy
|budget         = 
|debt           = 
|research_field = GIS, materials, refinery, MHD
|rector         = 
|chancellor     = 
|president      = 
|vice-president = 
|provost        = 
|principal      = 
|vice_chancellor = 
|dean           = 
|director       = 
|head           = 
|faculty        = 
|staff          = 120
|students       = 
|undergrad      = 
|postgrad       = 
|doctoral       = 
|profess        = 
|alumni         = 
|city           = [[Albany, Oregon]], [[United States|USA]]<br/>{{coord|44|37|13|N|123|7|14|W|type:landmark_region:US-OR|display=inline,title}}
|address        = 
|telephone      = 
|campus         = {{convert|44|acre|km2}}
|free           = 
|sports         = 
|colours        = 
|nickname       = 
|mascot         = 
|fightsong      = 
|affiliations   = [[National Energy Technology Laboratory]]
|operating_agency = [[U.S. Department of Energy]]
|nobel_laureates = 
|website        = [https://netl.doe.gov/ netl.doe.gov]
|logo           = 
|footnotes      = 
}}
The '''Albany Research Center''', now part of [[National Energy Technology Laboratory]] (NETL), is a [[U.S. Department of Energy]] laboratory staffed by Federal employees and contractors located in [[Albany, Oregon]]. Founded in 1943, the laboratory initially specialized in life cycle research starting with the formulation, characterization, and/or melting of most [[metal]]s, [[alloy]]s, and [[ceramic]]s; casting and fabrication, [[prototype]] development; and the [[recycle]] and remediation of [[waste]] streams associated with these processes. Researchers at the laboratory routinely solved industrial processing problems by investigating melting, casting, fabrication, physical and chemical analysis and wear, corrosion and performance testing of materials through the use of equipment and analytical techniques. Since joining NETL, the laboratory has switched its research focus mainly to materials and processes for fossil energy production and conversion. The facility rests on {{convert|44|acre}} and occupies 38 buildings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbeagle.com/component/content/article/39.html |title=National Energy Technology Laboratory |publisher=Goldbelt Eagle |accessdate=11 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308031149/http://www.gbeagle.com/component/content/article/39.html |archivedate=8 March 2012 }}</ref>

==History==

The [[United States Bureau of Mines]] selected a location in Albany to be home to the Northwest Electro-development Laboratory on March 17, 1943.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/about/arc_history.html|title=Albany, Oregon History|work=About NETL|publisher=U.S. Department of Energy|accessdate=10 December 2009| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20091210064935/http://www.netl.doe.gov/about/arc_history.html| archivedate= 10 December 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The grounds of the center and some buildings had been the home of [[Albany College]] (now Lewis & Clark College) from 1925 until 1937.<ref>{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Ralph|title=In Search of Western Oregon|publisher=Caxton Press|year=1990|page=[https://archive.org/details/insearchofwester00frie/page/499 499]|isbn=978-0-87004-332-1|url=https://archive.org/details/insearchofwester00frie|url-access=registration|quote=albany-research-center oregon.}}</ref><ref name=Oregon>Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. [[Binfords & Mort Publishing]]. p. 6.</ref> The facility was planned to develop new metallurgical processes as well as study ways to use low-grade resources using the surplus of electricity in the region.<ref name="history"/>

In 1945 the name was changed to the Albany Metallurgy Research Center,<ref name="history"/> and [[William J. Kroll]] was hired to scale up [[Kroll process|his titanium process]]. By 1947 it had successfully produced two tons of [[titanium sponge]], which is typically melted down to produce ingots or standard geometrical shapes.<ref name="potter23">{{cite news |url=https://www.construction-physics.com/p/the-story-of-titanium |title=The Story of Titanium |first=Brian |last=Potter |date=7 July 2023}}</ref>

Research at the facility in the early years included studying [[zirconium]], which led to advances in producing ductile zirconium under Kroll,<ref name="history"/> who used a similar process to his own because of [[Periodic table|the similarity in electronic structure between Ti and Zr]]. This interested the [[United States Navy|Navy]] and the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] who were developing the {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571}} the first nuclear-powered submarine,<ref name="history"/> because Zr had been selected to line the reactor vessel. In 1955, production of zirconium at the research center stopped when it was taken over by private industry.<ref name="history"/> Other work at Albany included research on [[titanium]] casting, recycling metals and alloys, creating sulfurcrete, and studying metal corrosion among other areas.<ref name="history"/>

The center was renamed as the Albany Research Center in 1977, and in 1985 it was listed by the [[American Society for Metals]] as a historical landmark.<ref name="history"/> During the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s, the center worked with the [[Oregon Department of Transportation]] on preventing corrosion on bridges exposed to salt water.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_e138d805-939f-5e71-96a9-00d707f53c9c.html|title=Bridge work: Albany lab's research prolongs bridge life on salt-soaked coast|last=Paul|first=Alex|date=September 2, 2007|work=[[Albany Democrat-Herald]]|accessdate=10 December 2009}}</ref> In 1996, the [[United States Congress]] eliminated the Bureau of Mines, with the Albany facility then transferred to the U.S. Department of Energy.<ref name="history"/> At first it reported directly to the department's [[Office of Fossil Energy]], but in 2005 it was realigned under the [[National Energy Technology Laboratory]] with the name changing to NETL-Albany.<ref name="history"/> At that time the research center had a staff of 85 people and an annual budget of $10 million.<ref>{{cite news|title=Department of Energy jobs to be put out for bid|last=Associated Press|date=October 3, 2005|work=[[The World (Coos Bay)|The World]]}}</ref> Though the research center began additional upgrades in 2009 to add on two new modular office complexes to the facility and bringing to total staff up to 120 people.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://democratherald.com/business/agriculture/article_9b94c978-e5c7-11de-a4e8-001cc4c03286.html|title=National Energy Technology Laboratory starts facility upgrade|last=Lathrop|first=Steve|date=December 10, 2009|work=Albany Democrat-Herald|accessdate=11 June 2010}}</ref> During that same year the center received an [[R&D 100 Award]] from ''R&D Magazine''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://democratherald.com/business/article_9ba40c18-1941-5422-9e41-21420648bc3a.html|title=Four Albany projects earn awards|date=August 3, 2009|work=Albany Democrat-Herald|accessdate=11 June 2010}}</ref>

===FUSRAP cleanup===
From 1945 until 1978, the Research Center was involved in working with radioactive materials, first for the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] and later for the [[Energy Research and Development Administration]].

As part of [[Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program]] (FUSRAP) cleanup operations, a radiological survey was conducted of the site in 1985.  Portions of 18 buildings and 37 exterior locations were designated as needing decontamination. The cleanup was done in two phases: Phase I from July 1987 to January 1988 and Phase II from August 1990 to April 1991.  The hazardous waste material was sent to the [[Hanford Site]] for disposal. The site was certified to [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]] standards and guidelines for cleanup of residual [[radioactive contamination]] in 1993.<ref>{{cite web | title =Albany, Oregon, Site Fact Sheet | work =Legacy Management | publisher =U.S. Department of Energy | date =2009-05-18 | url =http://www.lm.doe.gov/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=1760 | format = PDF | accessdate =2009-11-06| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20091105170334/http://www.lm.doe.gov/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=1760| archivedate= 5 November 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==Operations==
In conjunction with the [[Office of Fossil Energy]], the facility investigates many of the nation's challenges in the production and use of all types of [[fossil fuel|fossil energy]] systems to include the need to produce new materials for the energy systems of tomorrow and to develop new methods to ameliorate the releases associated with these new systems.<ref name="flc">{{cite journal|date=Spring 2004 |title=Laboratory Profile: DOE - Albany Research Center (ARC) |journal=Far West Bulletin |publisher=Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer |url=http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwnews/fwarch/fw041d.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718161438/http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwnews/fwarch/fw041d.htm |archivedate=2011-07-18 }}</ref> Three directorates of NETL's Research & Innovation Center are represented at the Albany site: Geological and Environmental Systems, Materials Engineering and Manufacturing, and Energy Conversion Engineering. Specific research is conducted on [[geographic information system]]s for fossil fuels, advanced alloys and ceramics for coal and natural gas power plants, and [[magnetohydrodynamic generator]]s.<ref name="flc"/> Their facilities include a GIS visualization laboratory, fabrication plant, a melting and casting facility, and a MHD laboratory.<ref name="flc"/>

==References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=iT8rAAAAYAAJ An assessment of the minerals thermochemistry program of the Bureau of Mines]

{{U.S. National Labs}}

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[[Category:United States Department of Energy national laboratories]]
[[Category:Laboratories in Oregon]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Albany, Oregon]]
[[Category:1943 establishments in Oregon]]