Center for Applied Energy Research, Carbon Fiber Development Facility - WORK IN PROGRESS
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky


The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) is home to the largest carbon fiber spin line at any institution in North America. Over the past decade, CAER researchers have built a solution spinning line that draws visitors, collaborators, and research partners from across the Commonwealth, the nation and the world.

Omni Architects was selected to provide design services for a facility to house a Carbon Fiber Development research program. The scope of work for this project includes the design and construction of an addition to the existing Spinline building on the CAER campus. The research program is being funded to construct a pilot-scale process development unit for the conversion of coal to high-value carbon products. In partnership with ORNL, and with funding from the DOE, UK CAER will produce high-value carbon fiber from raw coal at the largest scale in the US. This new purpose-built facility is necessary to efficiently and safely process tons of coal into mesophase pitch, recover and utilize by-products, and develop new sustainable technologies to generate high value carbon fiber, binders and other materials for composite structures.
The project is currently in the Programming phase.