A Simplified Shuttle Irradiation Facility for ATR
During the past fifteen years there has been a steady increase in the demand for radioisotopes in nuclear medicine and a corresponding decline in the number of reactors within the U.S. capable of producing them. The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is the largest operating test reactor in the U.S., but its isotope production capabilities have been limited by the lack of an installed isotope shuttle irradiation system. A concept for a simple “low cost” shuttle irradiation facility for ATR has been developed. Costs were reduced (in comparison to previous ATR designs) by using a shielded trough of water installed in an occupiable cubicle as a shielding and contamination control barrier for the send and receive station. This shielding concept also allows all control valves to be operated by hand and thus the need for an automatic control system was eliminated. It was determined that 4 – 5 ft of water would be adequate to shield the isotopes of interest while shuttles are transferred to a small carrier. An additional feature of the current design is a non-isolatable by-pass line, which provides a minimum coolant flow to the test region regardless of which control valves are opened or closed. This by-pass line allows the shuttle facility to be operated without bringing reactor coolant water into the cubicle except for send and receive operations. The irradiation position selected for this concept is a 1.5 inch “B” hole (B-11). This position provides neutron fluxes of approximately: 1.6 x 1014 (<0.5 eV) and 4.0 x 1013 (>0.8 MeV) n/cm2*sec.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 911293
- Report Number(s):
- INEEL/CON-98-01277; TRN: US0704516
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Global '99,Jackson, WY,08/29/1999,09/03/1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CONTAMINATION
CONTROL SYSTEMS
COOLANTS
DESIGN
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPE PRODUCTION
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
RADIOISOTOPES
SHIELDING
SHIELDS
TEST REACTORS
VALVES
WATER
ATR
demand
isotope shuttle irradiation system
nuclear medicine
producing reactors
radioisotopes