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FEATURE A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 3 4 2 als when high heating rates, high temperatures, and/or high heat fluxes are required. In 2017, a new line-focus reflector for ORNL’s PAL was designed, fabricated, and installed to at- tain an incident heat flux of 12,000 kW/m 2 . The new reflector features two observation ports, which enable monitoring of specimen condition and temperature. In addition to the processing, metallurgical expertise, and facilities, unique user facilities are also available with- in the National Laboratory system. These resources serve to complement research centers at universities that provide research opportunities for the HT industry, such as the Cen- ter for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE) at Worcester Poly- technic Institute. At ORNL, the Center for Nanophase Mate- rials Sciences (CNMS) provides national and international users with community access to expertise and equipment for a broad range of nanoscience research including imag- ing, electron and atom probe microscopy, and nanoscale characterization. ORNL operates two powerful neutron scattering facil- ities for DOE’s Office of Science—the High Flux Isotope Re- actor (HFIR) and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The HB-2B NRSF beam line at the HFIR was optimized to use the high penetration power of neutrons to generate maps of the strain resulting from residual or applied stresses in engineer- ing materials. The VULCAN instrument at SNS is designed with in situ loading and deformation capabilities for phase transformation, residual stress, and texture studies from ambient to 1873 K . VULCAN provides rapid volumetric map- ping and a measurement time of minutes. In conclusion , the HT industry has the opportunity to harness the multidisci- plinary expertise and facilities available within the National Laboratory system to further advance HT applications and understanding. Adrian S. Sabau Senior Research Staff Member Oak Ridge National Laboratory RESOURCES AT NATIONAL LABS ENABLE HEAT TREATMENT ADVANCEMENTS H eat treatment is an active area of re- search and develop- ment due to its economic impact and scientific chal- lenges. Advancing heat treat- ment (HT) processes requires expertise from several areas of science and engineering: materials science (e.g., phase transformations, precipita- tion of secondary phases), physics (e.g., mass and en- ergy transport), and mechanical engineering (e.g., thermal distortion and residual stresses). The Department of Ener- gy’s (DOE) National Laboratory system addresses complex research anddevelopment challengeswithmultidisciplinary approaches. The heat treatment industry has engaged with several DOE labs, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Over the past two decades, ORNL pioneered infrared (IR) heating, IR heat treatment, magnetic processing, and resid- ual stress measurement for HT applications. IR installations for heat treatment are smaller than corresponding hot air ovens due to the higher heat fluxes and energy efficiency (ra- diant) from the IR radiator to the product. Beyond IR tung- sten-halogen lamps, which offer incident heat fluxes up to 50 kW/m 2 , ORNL employs a plasma-arc lamp (PAL) of a type that was initially developed in the semiconductor industry for the flash-anneal of semiconductors using ultra-short pulses of 200 ms. The water-wall PAL consists of a confined plasma arc in a quartz tube with a line-focus reflector, which redirects the radial radiant energy output to the specimen surface. At ORNL, the PAL is used for processing or testing new materi- GUEST DITORIAL