D

Facilities at NIST’S Gaithersburg Campus

OVERVIEW OF NIST GAITHERSBURG FACILITIES

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, consists of 579 acres with 62 buildings and structures totaling almost 3.7 million gross square feet (GSF). There are currently 26 original buildings that were built between 1962 and 1966. Nearly 798,000 GSF of new facilities were built in the past 20 years (almost 22 percent of the campus GSF). The NIST older facilities were added to the National Register of Historic places as a Historic District in 2021.

Figure D-1 is a site map of the Gaithersburg Campus. The buildings designated in red are determined to be in poor condition based on the facility condition index (FCI). Based on the map, 74 percent of the all the facilities located in Gaithersburg, Maryland, are in poor condition and of those 66 percent of the research facilities are designated to be in the group of poor facilities.

NIST’S CURRENT AND PAST PROJECTS TO MODERNIZE FACILITIES

The Gaithersburg campus is 11 years younger than its sister campus in Boulder. While some new construction has created modern laboratory space, many laboratory activities are housed in spaces built in the 1960s and 1970s. These older laboratories generally have moderate temperature control (generally the same as for office spaces), no humidity control, no vibration control, and limited chilled water capacity.

As part of the effort to develop a strategic plan for the modernization of the Gaithersburg campus, NIST contracted Metropolitan Architects and Planners, Inc. to assess current conditions and make recommendations. A redacted version of the NIST Research Facilities Strategic Plan, Volume 2 Appendices, dated December 2014, was provided to the committee. It gives a detailed assessment of what the documented performance deficiencies are and why they need to be addressed. The Executive Summary stated:

The following are the key findings and recommendations in the Volume 2 Appendices for this group of facilities:

The Office of Facilities and Property Management (OFPM) told the committee that the deficiencies cited for the GPLs have largely gone unaddressed because, as stated in the summary, they cannot be addressed on a piece meal basis and funding for the modernization of the GPLs has not been forthcoming.

Since the Research Facilities Strategic Plan was published in 2014, the only new or major construction investment in Gaithersburg has been the Building 245, H-wing modernization program. The $96.4 million project was funded over 6 years (fiscal year [FY] 2016-2021) with completion of construction in December 2020. The project yielded 35 laboratories at the L4 and L5 performance level.

EFFECTIVE RESEARCH IS PERFORMED IN RECENTLY MODERNIZED LABORATORY FACILITIES

The Advanced Measurement laboratory (AML), completed in 2003, was designed to support demanding measurement requirements, including temperature control within 0.25°C, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration of supply air, slab-on-grade vibration isolation, and a conditioned power supply system, which includes specialty areas that provide better temperature control (within 0.01°C or 0.1°C), active and passive vibration control, and electromagnetic shielding.

New laboratory buildings constructed or renovated over the past 20 years have supported many technical successes. The committee viewed several such cases:

New Laboratory Enables Fire Research that Improves Building and Safety Codes
National Fire Research Laboratory (Building 205)

The National Fire Research Laboratory (NFRL), completed in 2015 using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding, is a unique facility that enables research into fire behavior and structural response to fire. The laboratory provides 32,300 square feet of experimental space built around four exhaust hoods and can accommodate sustained heat release rates up to 20 megawatts. The NFRL has yielded measurement results for structural fire performance of long-span composite floor assemblies, innovative cross-laminated timber buildings, and lightweight cold-formed steel structural systems. NFRL fire measurements have affected code changes such as new specifications for tall wood buildings in the 2021 International Building Code, and standards such as an ASTM standard for Exterior Vent Resistance to Embers and the American Institute of Steel Construction 360 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. The NFRL has also provided accurate and reliable fire calorimetry data for design of safer and cost-effective buildings.

New Capability to Support Homeland Security
Large-Scale Radiation Detection Laboratory (Building 245, Room H119)

The Radiation Physics Building, constructed in 1962, is one of the oldest laboratories on the NIST campus. The focus of a major renovation project, the new H wing, was commissioned in 2021. This new laboratory allows testing of very large systems (e.g., radiation portal monitors) in a controlled environment. These measurements support the evaluation of radiation detection instruments used to scan cargo for illicit nuclear or radiological material and to support reliable instrument for first responders addressing a radiological event. This type of measurement could not be performed in the older laboratory space due to space limitations and coordination conflicts with other measurements.

Improvements in X-Ray Calibration for Medical Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Safety
X-Ray Air-Kerma Calibration Laboratory (Building 245, Room H127)

The new X-ray measurement facility located in the H wing of the Radiation Physics Building will result in lower uncertainty in the measurements that provide traceability to diagnostic and therapeutic radiology, radiation protection, and personnel dosimetry. NIST provides X-ray dose proficiency tests for secondary calibration facilities for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) program that supports the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992, the Department of Energy, the Armed Forces National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Accredited Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory programs.

New Facility Supports Industrial Applications of X-Ray Diffraction Analysis
X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory (Building 219, Rooms B002 and B008)

X-ray diffraction is a fundamental method used to identify and define the structure of materials, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc. Housed in the Gaithersburg AML and completed in 2003, these laboratories provide a unique capability for X-ray diffraction measurements and certification of X-ray diffraction standard reference materials. Precision temperature control (0.1°C and 0.01°C spaces), cold lighting, and vibration control enable the NIST-built instruments to define the highest precision and lowest uncertainty for X-ray diffraction standard reference materials used to validate and calibrate their instruments used in a variety of industries. As an example, the precision needed to identify isoforms or polymorphs of pharmaceutical compounds relies on the use of NIST standard reference materials to calibrate the instruments; without the precision provided with the use of NIST standard reference materials, you would not be able to sufficiently describe and identify some compounds.

High Environmental Stability Allows Nanotechnology Measurements
Nanomechanics Laboratory (Building 218, Rooms D002-014)

These laboratories in the AML, completed in 2003, house instrumentation that requires temperature stability and vibration isolation to measure the nanomechanical properties of devices and materials, such as nanometer scale thin films, nanoparticle samples, and semiconductor devices. In addition, the space provides preparation capabilities for samples’ strict surface cleanliness requirements (e.g., thin films and devices used in the semiconductor industry must be kept extremely clean for accurate measurements). The instrumentation is very sensitive to drift (caused by changes in temperature, lighting, and even people moving in the laboratory) and vibration; drift in a typical laboratory would limit use to an hour or two, while the environmental stability provided by the AML shows no noticeable drift over days. This allows for greater precision and saves weeks per experiment that would otherwise be required to realign the optics and correct for instrument drift and other errors. Rather, researchers can proceed with their primary focus—measuring properties of materials and certifying reference materials and standard reference materials needed by industry. This space has been used for a series of micro- and nano-scale reference materials (such as cantilever arrays for atomic force microscopy (AFM) stiffness calibration) which are used to benchmark atomic force microscopy techniques and to develop new methods to characterize microelectromechanical devices and semiconductor materials.

New Facility Enables Additive Manufacturing Support
Additive Manufacturing Research Center (Building 304, Room 124)

Additive manufacturing is a new method of fabrication that can create novel structures unattainable through traditional means. By creating an item particle by particle, these methods promise faster and cheaper fabrication of low-volume parts or improved performance because of new applications. The Additive Manufacturing Research Center, located at the Shops Building, built in 1964, provides dedicated space to develop, assess, and standardize test methods for metal-based additive materials, processes, and equipment. This showcase facility augments manufacturing systems with specialized NIST process measurement instrumentation and test artifacts to improve the understanding of metal additive manufacturing. This knowledge is then translated to commercial tools to improve performance. While this work advances innovation in general, these measurements and standards are acutely needed in applications with regulatory requirements. For example, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission desires NIST validation before certifying reactor parts fabricated through these new processes. The Federal Aviation Administration and FDA have similar concerns in their domains as well.

RESEARCH AND MEASUREMENT SERVICE ACTIVITIES ARE IMPAIRED IN OLDER NIST FACILITIES

The physical condition and functionality of facilities has a direct impact on the success of the NIST research mission and delivering NIST’s value proposition to the nation. The unrenovated 1960s and 1970s laboratory buildings are in generally poor physical condition and have poor functionality.

Examples of Negative Impacts on Research

In addition to the site-wide facilities challenges, the committee also viewed several programs compromised by building or laboratory specific issues. In some cases, this was due to building deterioration that resulted in insufficient environmental control within the laboratory. In other cases, as projects progressed to meet the latest technology challenges, the more rigorous environmental controls required for the necessary precision metrology were beyond the original design capability. The committee viewed several laboratory activities that were operating well below potential due to facilities issues.

Unsafe Electrical Systems
Electrical Penthouse (Building 223 and Building 224)

All GPLs have a single electrical switchgear per building, creating a single point of failure for each building where interruptions adversely affect all researchers in the building. This equipment, installed as part of the original construction in 1966, is past its service life, is no longer supported by the manufacturer, and spare parts are only available from third-party resale vendors. Moreover, this equipment lacks modern safety features, putting technicians at risk of arc-flash events during repair operations. One exception is equipment supporting Building 223 (Materials Building) and Building 224 (Polymer Building), which was recently upgraded using SCMMR funds to modern switchgear equipment that provides redundancy and offers safety features such as remote shut off and bypass.

Impact: Outdated electrical infrastructure is putting people and programs at risk.

Flooding Causing Loss of Research Capability That Supports DOE and NASA Programs
Laser Spectroscopy of Atomic Transitions Laboratory (Building 221, Room C014)

This 1966 GPL Physics Building laboratory performs precision measurement of atomic energy level transitions, the quantized energies that are a fixed characteristic of atomic species. NIST publishes results in its online Atomic Spectra Database and the data are widely used in research and measurement, with this work cited daily in the scientific literature. These data directly support quantum computing and sensing research, the identification of chemical species in deep space through astronomical observation, and more. The program is supported by NIST, the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences of the Department of Energy, and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This measurement system is no longer operational due to repeated flooding due to rain infiltration into the below grade laboratory, with the laboratory showing signs of extensive damage. Despite repeated repairs, this facility problem is persistent, and as a result advanced research can no longer be supported.

Impact: Repeated failures in foundation waterproofing have effectively terminated a successful project that supports scientific advances. A timely example of work that cannot be supported is the successful James Webb Telescope that depends on atomic transition data for its analysis.

Airborne Particulates Routinely Confound Sample Preparation to Measure Nanoscopic Features
Electron Microscopy Specimen Preparation Laboratory (Building 223, Rooms A120 and B119)

Electron microscopy (EM) allows imaging of features as small as 0.1 nanometer (nm) to characterize a host of properties. Samples of electron microscopy must be carefully prepared to less than 100 nm thickness. Along with poor environmental control in the 1966 Physics Laboratory GPL, particulate matter frequently “rains” down from the original HVAC equipment diffusers and can easily contaminate painstakingly prepared EM samples and obliterate features of interest. Researchers have estimated that at least 30 percent of their time is devoted to cleaning the laboratory and shielding samples from the ever-present particulates.

Additive manufacturing programs have been specifically affected. The material properties resulting from an additive process may differ from the traditional process that begins with a well characterized bulk ingot that is machined by cutting tools. Electron microscope analysis is a key method for understanding the microstructure and nanostructure of additive materials, and the potential performance differences. The approximately $6 million transmission electron microscope (TEM) that supports this analysis has been mothballed after irreparable damage resulting from repeated power outages. The work has been moved to other TEM facilities on the NIST campus, but these tools are heavily used and availability is insufficient. As a result, NIST goals for its national Advanced Manufacturing Benchmark (AMBench) test series due in August, will not be fully met, delaying advances in the adoption of this innovative technology.

Impact: Improper function of 1960s HVAC increases the difficulty of obtaining electron microscope images, limiting use of a common characterization tool for metrology. Unplanned power outages damaged $6 million of critical equipment.

Quantum Science Program Progress Is Thwarted and Researchers Leave NIST Because Facilities Impair Their Ability to Succeed
Quantum Bioimaging Laboratory (Building 224, Room A116/8)

The NIST Innovations in Measurement Science (IMS) program seeks to make extraordinary advances in measurement science. Each year, a small number of proposals are selected through a highly competitive process to receive roughly $5 million over 5 years to perform high-risk and high-reward research. This laboratory received an IMS award to apply quantum optical methods with the potential to enhance or enable biological measurements not previously possible. These extraordinarily difficult measurements operate at the edge of technology, where noise or fluctuations can swamp the desired effect and slow the learning curve by producing confusing results. Experiments routinely take 10 to 36 hours to acquire these faint signals. Poor environmental conditions, particularly room temperature stability that can change by several degrees within a single day, has greatly hindered progress. Despite repeated attempts, by operating in the 1966 Polymer Building GPL, the team was unable to replicate several quantum imaging experiments needed to set a baseline of understanding. The lack of room temperature stability completely prevented this project moving forward, losing an opportunity in advancing a strategic technology of national importance.

Poignant workforce problems were revealed in this program. A National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow (selected from a highly competitive process to participate in this research) refused to continue to work at NIST, stating a desire “to work in a place that is serious about quantum optics,” equating the lack of proper facilities as a lack of commitment to this area of research. A second postdoc was said to leave research entirely after a frustrating experience in this laboratory. In addition to the temperature variation, dust and particulates routinely fouled precision laser optics, with one researcher noted they could always tell when the lawn was being mowed by the pollen and dust settling on the optics.

Impact: Advances in quantum science, a national priority, stalled because inadequate environmental controls are provided to the 1966 laboratory. Frustration arising from these facility limitations negatively affected early science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.

Medical Diagnosis Research Laboratory Less Than 50 Percent Efficient Due to Facilities Issues
Advanced Biophotonics Laboratory (Building 224, Room B111)

The 1966 Polymer Building GPL houses a laboratory operating a broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (BCARS) microscope developed by NIST to address pressing metrological challenges in biology and medicine. Using ultrafast lasers, the system performance is degraded by temperature variations and HVAC airflow. Temperature instabilities require that the system be realigned and reoptimized every 1 to 2 hours, limiting use to as few as 10 images per day. Strong air currents in the room dynamically vibrate the microscope resulting in up to 40 percent higher noise in the imagery, affecting the detection limit, and resulting in image areas much smaller than needed for medical diagnostics. Without these restrictions from facility issues, researchers estimate image collection would increase by a factor of 5 to 10.

Impact: Researchers estimated that productivity of the eight-person research team is halved by temperature variations and air currents resulting from the 1966 building’s mechanical systems disrupting operations.

Biometric Program at Risk Due to Inadequate Cooling Capacity
Biometrics Research Laboratory Data Center (Building 225, Room B45)

Located in a 1966 Technology Building GPL, this data center supports two dozen NIST staff performing facial recognition testing, contactless fingerprint research, iris biometrics, and other efforts. NIST’s work plays a critical role in validating the effectiveness of and accuracy of next-generation identification systems and performs this function for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, and others. The data center holds sequestered operational data for law enforcement entities and sensitivity requires in-house operation.

The data center receives inadequate cooling, creating a high risk of data loss as the primary storage array relies on automatic rebuilding of failed drives. Data center staff spend about 30 percent of their time working to mitigate facilities problems and work in a noisy environment that requires hearing protection. More broadly, annual outages scheduled to maintain operation take operations off-line for 1 month, affecting all researchers. During outages all biometric technology evaluation work is halted (including critical facial recognition vendor testing and contactless fingerprint research) and this creates significant delays in updating reported results that are used by law enforcement.

Impact: The activity that validates biometric identification for the FBI and others is experiencing repeated delays because the 1966 facility cannot provide adequate computer cooling.

Broad Opportunities for Energy Conservation Delayed by Facility Limitations
Heat Pump Environmental Chambers (Building 226, Rooms A114-A118)

Heating and cooling of residential buildings in the United States consume about 389 billion kWh (kilowatts per hour), or about 10 percent of total electricity consumption in 2021 (USEIA 2022a). At an average rate of 11 cents per kWh, this equates to $43 billion (January 2022 rates, USEIA 2022b).

Located in a 1966 Research Building GPL, this laboratory has two large environmental chambers to emulate the indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity conditions for various scenarios. An emulation includes many specific conditions (e.g., temperature and humidity at 8:00 a.m. on March 1 in Tucson, Arizona) based on historical data. Measuring heat pump performance during times and dates throughout the year, for various locations, provides data that manufacturers can use to tune installations to the local conditions and improve efficiency. NIST researchers estimate that maximizing this efficiency through localized data could save 20 percent of electrical cost, a staggering savings. Limitations in the current facilities require that chamber setpoint operation is hands-on and must be continuously monitored, limiting the ability for 24-7 operations; eliminating this problem would triple the rate of data collection with no increase in staffing.

Impact: Efforts to reduce residential and commercial building energy costs are slowed by aging facilities that cannot support 24-7 automated measurement operation.

Measurements Critical to Emerging Bioeconomy Limited by Insufficient Environmental Control
Living Measurement System Foundry (Building 227, Room A338)

Building 227, the Advanced Chemical Sciences Laboratory, is a newer laboratory competed in 1999. This houses NIST’s first “biofoundry,” launched through an Innovations in Measurement Science Program, and part of NIST’s efforts to modernize and automate cell-free biomanufacturing. This program provides measurement tools and products for synthetic and engineering biology technologies used to produce products as diverse as antibody therapies and biofuels. The biofoundry is housed in space renovated 6 years ago to accommodate a large enclosure for the automation equipment and to support the electrical and safety needs. The researchers state that the biofoundry work could not be performed in their previous GPL space. Yet despite this modernization, progress is hampered largely because of facility issues that illustrate the demands of precision measurement science.

Over the course of the year, laboratory temperature varies between 20° to 25°C, and relative humidity varies from 20 percent to 70 percent. The highly automated system combines biological materials, dispensing precise quantities from 100 nL (billionth liter) to 10 µL (millionth liter). Temperature and humidity variation affect fluid density, viscosity, and evaporation rate, leading to variations in droplet formation and errors in dispensed volume. In addition, foundry processing initiates reactions that have sensitive activation temperatures, and those reactions that are near room temperature are subject to temperature fluctuations in the laboratory that cannot be well controlled, creating additional uncertainty. Researchers estimate that results are emerging about four times slower than expected because of uncertainties arising from temperature and humidity fluctuations.

Impact: NIST efforts to enable advances in biomanufacturing are severely limited by temperature- and humidity-control requirements that surpass the design specifications of this 1999 laboratory.

Examples of Negative Impacts on Measurement Services

In addition to deleterious effects on research, the committee observed direct impacts on the NIST measurement services programs that disseminate NIST metrology capability to the U.S. government and industry. The committee viewed several measurement service activities that were seriously impeded by facilities issues.

20 Percent Down Time in Calibration Equipment Critical to Semi-Conducting and Aerospace Industry
Line Scale Calibration Laboratory (Building 220, Room A21)

The line scale laboratory provides the ruler-like standards used for link to the meter in the United States and is among the most accurate instruments in the world providing an uncertainty of parts in 10⁷, or 10 nm (billionth meter) uncertainty for a 10 cm measurement. The largest uncertainty component is the refractive index of air. Because refractive index varies with temperature and humidity this laboratory is located on the only floor of the 1966 Metrology Building GPL that provides 0.1-degree temperature stability. To meet these extraordinary measurement requirements, the measurement apparatus is further contained within a temperature-controlled enclosure that improves the temperature stability by an additional factor of 100.

Despite these extraordinary temperature controls, the lack of humidity control results in extended periods during which the measurement system cannot be used. Consumer grade humidifiers are used as needed, but despite these efforts, calibrations cannot be performed about 20 percent of the time because room humidity is out of tolerance. Moreover, uncontrolled humidity has caused rust and corrosion of precision mechanical instrumentation and standards.

This unique measurement system has been declared export controlled by NIST, providing performance at levels with national security applications. Major customers include companies in the semiconductor industry and aerospace industry. The closest alternative measurement system is operated by PTB (Physikalisch-Technische

Bundesanstalt, Germany’s National Metrology Institute) that has built a modern apparatus at an estimated cost of approximately $10 million.

Impact: The 1966 installed environmental controls are unable to support an export-controlled measurement capability that supports the semiconductor and aerospace industries.

Productivity Loss of 10 Percent in Laboratory Supporting COVID and Other Areas
Mass Spectroscopy Data Center (Building 221, Room A322)

Mass spectroscopy is a widespread analysis tool in chemical, biological, and pharmaceutical settings. Measurements performed in this laboratory are added to an ever-expanding database of standard reference data, specifically the NIST Mass Spectral Library that serves over 6,000 subscribers per year, providing reimbursable revenue of over $8 million per year. Many of these subscribers install the library in commercial instrumentation that measure mass spectra, using the NIST data to identify molecular species from the measurement.

A new focus in this laboratory is the measurement of COVID-19 spike proteins, including protein “decorations,” or the ligands that attach to the spike proteins. One specific example is glycosylation, or the attachment of sugars to spike proteins; this is believed to occur during COVID-19 infection and affects medical outcomes, but the phenomenon is not well understood. This active area of study requires additions to the NIST Mass Spectral Library to advance this research, and measurements must be run around the clock to meet this need.

The temperature control in the 1966 Physics Building GPL’s laboratory is insufficient to support the measurement equipment. The measurement system optimally operates over a temperature range of 65 to 70 degrees; the original HVAC equipment from 1963 cannot support the instrument’s heat load and the laboratory temperature is routinely above this range. The laboratory is also well below the optimum relative humidity range of 50 to 60 percent. Out-of-range measurements lead to calibration errors, requiring recalibration that consumes about 10 percent of staff effort.

Impact: A laboratory developing measurements required to enable COVID-19 research, diagnosis, and treatment is operating at less than 90 percent of capacity due inadequate cooling and humidity control from the 1966 building systems.

Unable to Meet Customer Quality Requirement for Semiconductor Industry
Critical Dimension Small Angle X-ray Scattering Laboratory (Building 224, Rooms B317-B321)

This scattering apparatus provides critical X-ray metrology that characterizes nanometer-scale features on samples provided by major semiconductor industry companies. The 1966 Polymer Building GPL that houses the laboratory provides poor temperature and humidity control that requires a time-consuming realignment process every day or two, and researchers estimate that 30 percent of their effort is diverted to overcoming facility issues rather than performing customer measurements. Fume hoods and exhaust runs are unavailable, requiring that researchers vent hazardous solvent fumes through activated charcoal filters. Most problematically, the space is not a clean room environment and measured samples are contaminated by particulates, creating a serious problem for the 10 nm feature-size devices measured. Because of this contamination, the NIST-measured samples are not permitted in fabrication facilities, requiring customers to create workarounds. This problem may further limit the ability of NIST to serve industry as feature sizes decrease and NIST anticipates requests to characterize 7 nm and 4 nm samples.

Impact: The facility has a 30 percent inefficiency due to inadequate 1966 building environmental control systems and the product is not suitable to current and anticipated customer uses. NIST’s ability to provide small angle X-ray scattering measurement support for the anticipated CHIPS for America Act will be extremely limited in this laboratory space.

Measurements Needed to Support Regulatory Compliance Unavailable Due to Facility Limitations
Dynamic Dilution Laboratory (Building 227, Room A118)

This laboratory produces reference materials for gases that are subject to regulation, with industry and consumers relying on accurate measurements for compliance. These include greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide and methane), emission gases (e.g., nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide), as well as special needs for law enforcement (e.g., ethanol for breathalyzers) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The target gases are diluted in air or nitrogen at precise levels and used for research or equipment calibrations. The mixtures are created using gravimetric analysis, with apparatus that are sensitive to vibration, temperature, and humidity. Researchers estimate laboratory environmental conditions provided by the 1999 Advanced Chemical Sciences Laboratory Building are out of specification 20 to 40 percent of the time, during which no measurements can be made, and this directly affects the productivity of 9 research staff.

Between October and March, low humidity creates static charge that affects a specific instrument, a magnetic suspension permeation balance used for measurements of formaldehyde, ethanol, and hydrochloric acid, rendering it inoperable. As a result, customers may be forced to wait up to 6 months for measurements and risk being out of compliance with EPA standards unless they stockpile standards or go outside the United States (e.g., the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom or VSL in the Netherlands).

EPA has notified NIST of emerging needs for mixtures with ethylene oxide, hydrogen fluoride, and hydrogen cyanide. Because of these facility issues NIST researchers are unable to begin work on these new gases, forcing EPA to develop alternative test methods for the emissions monitoring community for use until NIST can provide the proper standards and certification requirements.

Impact: Reference materials that support the ability of U.S. industry to comply with EPA regulations cannot be supplied in a timely manner because of inadequate environmental control in a 1999 laboratory building. Emerging regulatory issues cannot be addressed at all.

Loss of Radiation Calibration Undermines Medical and Industrial Uses
Air Kerma Gamma Ray Detector Calibration Laboratory (Building 245, Rooms B0014 and B0019)

Located in the original 1964 Radiation Physics Building, this laboratory performs the calibration of radiation detectors in terms of air kerma (an acronym for “kinetic energy released per unit mass”) using gamma-ray beams. As this requires measuring the total energy per unit mass transferred from a photon beam to air, the temperature and pressure of laboratory air is a critical part of the calibration. However, room air is not sourced from a clean environment and particulates are blown into the laboratory. The current HVAC ducting system is depositing on the equipment and furniture, requiring scientists to clean the surfaces every morning before they can begin their work (see Figure D-2). The dust accumulation also leads to contaminated samples during the day. Ideally, calibrations require room temperature to be near 22° ± 1/2°C, but temperature is unreliable and varies between 18°C and 26°C. The measurements require 35-45 percent (50 percent max) humidity control to operate, but seasonably humidity can reach 70-80 percent in the laboratory. These variations require a calibration factor correction and are a large source of uncertainty. At the time of the committee’s visit, these calibration services were out of service due to equipment damage from air contamination.

Impact: The NIST calibration service that supports applications such as medical radiation therapy and industrial sterilization and disinfection, as well as radiation safety, is inoperable due to inadequate environmentally controlled conditions in a 1964 laboratory.

Serious Delays in the Packaging and Delivery of NIST Standard Reference Materials
Standard Reference Material Preparation Facility (Building 203)

NIST Standard Reference Materials are a critical part of providing measurement traceability to industry. Located in the Standard Reference Materials Building built in 2012, this facility packages materials for shipment to customers. Because of inadequate temperature and humidity controls, packaging can only be performed up to 8 months per year; during this time portable air conditioners and humidifiers are often required to bring conditions within range. During the site visit, the committee observed a laboratory temperature well above 90°F and humidity approaching >60-70 percent. Many reference materials are hydroscopic and delays due to lack of environmental controls lead to delays in deliveries. As an example, Standard Reference Material 114r—a portland cement standard, has been delayed and has over 350 backorders for critical needs customers.

Impact: Because of a lack of temperature and humidity controls, packaging and shipment of many NIST Standard Reference Materials cannot occur 4 or more months per year.

Reference Materials Needed for Nutritional Analysis Backlogged Due to Facility Limitations
Food and Natural Products Sample Preparation Laboratory (Building 227, Room B129)

Located in the 1999 Advanced Chemical Sciences Building, this laboratory prepares 15 percent of all NIST standard reference material types, with a focus on organic materials, from peanut butter to cholesterol. Most of the preparations are mixed based on mass with the laboratory housing various balances for this task. The over 20-year-old mechanical system’s fluctuations in HVAC air flow strongly affect settling time of balances, sometimes requiring an hour to complete a measurement; variations in temperature create additional accuracy problems. Researchers estimate that facilities problems reduce productivity between 25 and 40 percent. Standard reference materials are sold on a reimbursable activity basis, so this productivity loss is directly borne by industrial customers who require these standards.

Laboratory lighting creates another impediment as some standard reference materials preparations contain light-sensitive materials and can tolerate very limited exposure to white light. These are prepared under desk lamps with specialty bulbs, again reducing productivity. NIST’s infant formula standard reference material requires such handling and is now out of stock due to preparation challenges, and is not meeting the typical demand of about 1,000 units per year.

Impact: Efforts to create standard reference materials that underpin medical diagnostics and nutritional measurements used for food production incur at least 25 percent productivity loss due to facility HVAC issues.

Specialized Laboratory Assisting U.S. Automakers’ Transition to Advanced Materials Stymied by Facility Woes
NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting (Building 231, Rooms B107-B156)

The NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting supports the U.S. automotive industry and its suppliers in efforts to incorporate advanced lightweight materials for improving fuel economy and lowering emissions while maintaining safety. The laboratory develops unique, experimental capabilities that include foundational measurements, test methods, and characterization of materials and structures under complex conditions. As a 1968 industrial building was repurposed for this emergent use, the program experiences numerous facility problems ranging from roof leaks to inadequate mechanical and electrical systems that reduce productivity. Hydraulic pumps required by testing machines rely on chilled water and electrical power that is unreliable, leading to failures and excessive monitoring. Because these measurements often require repeated cycling of material strains, the inability to operate long periods or overnight without disruption reduces data collection and slows progress. Lack of temperature and humidity control reduces measurement accuracy and thwarts more delicate measurements. During the winter, the very low humidity levels promote electrostatic discharge which has caused false trigger episodes that ruin experiments, rendering approximately 25 percent of experiments unusable.

Impact: Lightweighting technology development efforts needed to significantly increase fuel efficiency and cut emissions are hampered by being in a repurposed 1968 industrial building that provides marginal mechanical and electrical systems to support the research needs.

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