Senior Technician Chem Lab

Vincent J Guy

Laboratory Technician

Vincent Joseph Guy received his bachelor’s degree of Science in Chemistry in June 1991.  He joined ORNL in January 1993 as an Assistant Technician in Nuclear Operations in the Chemical Technology Division at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC).  In May 2010, he joined the Transuranium Analytical Laboratory (TAL) of the Chemical Sciences Division as a Staff Technician.  Over the past eleven years, he has steadily increased his technical expertise, leadership, roles, and responsibilities within the TAL while supporting nuclear isotope production at REDC.  Joseph plays an integral part of the TAL’s support of REDC’s R&D and production projects including Pu-238 Production Project (and Np-237 Reprocessing), Cf-252/Bk-249 Campaigns (and Cm-244 reprocessing), Pm-147 purification, Ni-63 purification, U-233 Rescue Program, and many smaller isotope purifications runs. 

Joseph is one of our most experienced technicians with over 30 years’ experience in high level nuclear operations.  Joseph’s highly specialized in-depth knowledge of the complex nuclear systems and protocols utilized in a Category 2 Nuclear Facility separates him and enables him to serve in a leadership capacity. He serves as a wealth of knowledge in the radiochemistry discipline for all REDC research and production operations activities. He completes a wide range of tasks in the TAL including operation of the hot cell manipulators, completing bagging operations into and out of closed port gloveboxes, completing complex separations and sample preps for the radiochemical determinations from REDC’s R&D and production projects. Joseph is consistently relied on to take on the most difficult samples (highest activity and most complex matrixes), and develop the best sample analysis plan, and then ensure its successful completion through his own work as well as directing the work of others.   

Joseph is an active member of the American Glovebox Society and was named a member of ORNL’s Ts-117 Discovery Team – Technical Support.  He was recently awarded the Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Award for service and contribution to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Radioisotope Power Systems Team. 

 

Technical Excellence/Productivity  

  • Leads production efforts at processing highly radioactive samples for high impact projects/campaigns. 

  • Expert level understanding of the specialized analyses that we complete in a high-level nuclear operation. 

  • Often called upon to take on the analysis of the most difficult analyses in the most complex matrixes. 

  • In cell titrations of low acid concentration in high Neptunium dissolver solutions. 

  • Completing the very difficult %TBP analysis inside the hot cell. 

  • Led Investigations into effectiveness of various titration methods in gloveboxes using a Metrohm titrator and Omnis software. 

  • Played a central role in the complete redesign of the titrator system. 

  • Extremely experienced at using radiochemical instrumentation suite: Protean alpha counters, Genie gamma detectors, LB-4000 low-activity counter, and alpha pulse height analyzers.