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U.S. Department of Energy
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DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES AND MECHANICAL COMPONENTS, MEDICAL RESEARCH REACTOR (MRR)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4127621
A description of the Medical Research Reactor (MRR), a heterogeneous tank type reactor designed exclusively for medical and biological studies, is given. It is housed in a 60-ft-diameter cylindrical gas-tight steel building. The core contains a clean critical mass of 2.24 kg U/sup 235/ in 17 fuel elements of standard curved-plate design. The MRR operates at power levels up to 3 Mw and is cooled by the forced circulation of water. The control-rod system consists of three B4C filled safety rods and one stainless-steel regulating rod which fit between fuel elements. Nuclear instrumentation includes a safety system which will set back or scram the reactor if two out of three identical channels are tripped. Heat generated in the dry graphite reflector surrounding the reactor vessel is removed by the flow of filtered air. Experimental facilities include two shielded rooms equipped with special treatment ports and vertical 20-ton shutters. The measured radiation at the treatment port for 1-Mw power is 2.03 x 10/sup 10/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/sec (thermal) with an associated gamma fInx of 37 r/ min. A broad beam experimental area located at the end of a thermal column is used for whole-body irradiation investigations. In addition to these facilities, three 4-in. horizontal thimbles, two tangential and one radial to the core, are contained in the MRR. (auth)
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, N.Y.
NSA Number:
NSA-14-026499
OSTI ID:
4127621
Report Number(s):
BNL-600
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English