OAK RIDGE, Tennessee — To address emerging science challenges and advance neutron science research capabilities, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is upgrading the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) with a second target station (STS). The Architecture Engineering (AE) Design contract for facilities and infrastructure for the STS was awarded to Burns & McDonnell.

The STS, which is a major upgrade to the SNS, will provide beams with orders of magnitude higher cold neutron brightness compared to the existing first target station (FTS). The facility will enable researchers to use the unique properties of neutrons to advance scientific discovery and solve the most challenging clean energy and technology problems.

The STS upgrade will include site improvements, utilities, a proton beam line tunnel, and new laboratory space in more than 350,000 square feet of new buildings that complement the capabilities of the FTS and High Flux Isotope Reactor at ORNL. The unprecedented high brightness of cold neutrons at the STS will provide new capabilities for research including:

• Time-resolved measurements of kinetic processes and beyond-equilibrium matter
• Simultaneous measurements of hierarchical architectures from the atomic scale to micron and beyond
• Measurements on small samples of newly discovered or synthesized materials
• Exploration of new frontiers in materials at extreme conditions

The Burns & McDonnell team will work with ORNL on the next phases of design and development of facilities and infrastructure for the STS. Facility design will take place through 2025, with construction to follow.

“Burns & McDonnell is proud to be selected as STS AE Conventional Facilities design provider,” said Willie Clark, federal strategies director at Burns & McDonnell. “Our extensive experience working with the DOE Office of Science and National Nuclear Security Administration makes our team a perfect fit for this project, and we look forward to designing this state-of-the-art facility at ORNL.”

Burns & McDonnell has completed previous projects at ORNL, including a site utility master plan and a balance of the plant design for the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment (MPEX) project.

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