skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Advanced Test Reactor - A National Scientific User Facility

Abstract

The ATR is a pressurized, light-water moderated and cooled, beryllium-reflected nuclear research reactor with a maximum operating power of 250 MWth. The unique serpentine configuration of the fuel elements creates five main reactor power lobes (regions) and nine flux traps. In addition to these nine flux traps there are 68 additional irradiation positions in the reactor core reflector tank. There are also 34 low-flux irradiation positions in the irradiation tanks outside the core reflector tank. The ATR is designed to provide a test environment for the evaluation of the effects of intense radiation (neutron and gamma). Due to the unique serpentine core design each of the five lobes can be operated at different powers and controlled independently. Options exist for the individual test trains and assemblies to be either cooled by the ATR coolant (i.e., exposed to ATR coolant flow rates, pressures, temperatures, and neutron flux) or to be installed in their own independent test loops where such parameters as temperature, pressure, flow rate, neutron flux, and energy can be controlled per experimenter specifications. The full-power maximum thermal neutron flux is ~1.0 x1015 n/cm2-sec with a maximum fast flux of ~5.0 x1014 n/cm2-sec. The Advanced Test Reactor, now a Nationalmore » Scientific User Facility, is a versatile tool in which a variety of nuclear reactor, nuclear physics, reactor fuel, and structural material irradiation experiments can be conducted. The cumulative effects of years of irradiation in a normal power reactor can be duplicated in a few weeks or months in the ATR due to its unique design, power density, and operating flexibility.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE - NE
OSTI Identifier:
934543
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-07-13310
TRN: US0803896
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC07-99ID-13727
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 16th International Conference On Nuclear Engineering,Orlando, Florida,05/11/2008,05/15/2008
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; BUILDING MATERIALS; FLOW RATE; FUEL ELEMENTS; IRRADIATION; NEUTRON FLUX; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR FUELS; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; POWER DENSITY; POWER REACTORS; REACTOR CORES; REACTORS; RESEARCH REACTORS; TEST REACTORS; THERMAL NEUTRONS; Advanced Test Reactor; ATR; INL; National Scientific User Facility; NSUF; Nuclear Test Reactor; Research Reactor

Citation Formats

Stanley, Clifford J. Advanced Test Reactor - A National Scientific User Facility. United States: N. p., 2008. Web.
Stanley, Clifford J. Advanced Test Reactor - A National Scientific User Facility. United States.
Stanley, Clifford J. 2008. "Advanced Test Reactor - A National Scientific User Facility". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/934543.
@article{osti_934543,
title = {Advanced Test Reactor - A National Scientific User Facility},
author = {Stanley, Clifford J},
abstractNote = {The ATR is a pressurized, light-water moderated and cooled, beryllium-reflected nuclear research reactor with a maximum operating power of 250 MWth. The unique serpentine configuration of the fuel elements creates five main reactor power lobes (regions) and nine flux traps. In addition to these nine flux traps there are 68 additional irradiation positions in the reactor core reflector tank. There are also 34 low-flux irradiation positions in the irradiation tanks outside the core reflector tank. The ATR is designed to provide a test environment for the evaluation of the effects of intense radiation (neutron and gamma). Due to the unique serpentine core design each of the five lobes can be operated at different powers and controlled independently. Options exist for the individual test trains and assemblies to be either cooled by the ATR coolant (i.e., exposed to ATR coolant flow rates, pressures, temperatures, and neutron flux) or to be installed in their own independent test loops where such parameters as temperature, pressure, flow rate, neutron flux, and energy can be controlled per experimenter specifications. The full-power maximum thermal neutron flux is ~1.0 x1015 n/cm2-sec with a maximum fast flux of ~5.0 x1014 n/cm2-sec. The Advanced Test Reactor, now a National Scientific User Facility, is a versatile tool in which a variety of nuclear reactor, nuclear physics, reactor fuel, and structural material irradiation experiments can be conducted. The cumulative effects of years of irradiation in a normal power reactor can be duplicated in a few weeks or months in the ATR due to its unique design, power density, and operating flexibility.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/934543}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008},
month = {Thu May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: