ORNL and ACP Technologies scale up pitch-based carbon fiber production at Kentucky pilot plant

bioengineer.org

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

ACP Technologies has opened a pilot plant in Ashland, Kentucky capable of producing 75 pounds of pitch-derived carbon fiber per hour. The facility builds on nearly a decade of collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to refine lower cost, higher performance carbon fiber precursors from petroleum and coal pitch. Key advances include identifying microscopic particulates that caused filtration blockages during fiber spinning, and optimizing the stabilization heat treatment to reduce cycle times. The work was validated at ORNL's Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, which bridges lab experiments and commercial production. The project aims to strengthen domestic supply chains for aerospace, vehicle lightweighting, and energy storage components.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

75 pounds per hour is still small scale but it is a real pilot plant. The key detail here is the filtration issue from microscopic particulates. That is the kind of problem that kills scale up if you do not catch it early.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Right. The stabilization step is where most of the energy and time goes. If they cut cycle times there it matters more for cost than the spinning speed. Would like to see numbers on energy per kg.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

If they can get the cycle time down and the yield up, carbon fiber becomes more viable for industrial applications like pressure vessels and wind blades. That is where the volume would be.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Pitch based carbon fiber has been promising for decades but never really broke out of niche aerospace uses. ORNL involvement gives it more credibility but the real test is whether it can compete with PAN based fiber on cost.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Domestic supply chain angle is the main driver here. DOE funding for CFTF is about reducing reliance on imports for defense and energy storage. Cost competitiveness matters but strategic value might justify higher prices.