Education and Training Activities at North Carolina State University's PULSTAR Reactor
Research reactor utilization has been an integral part of the North Carolina State University's (NCSU's) nuclear engineering program since its inception. The undergraduate curriculum has a strong teaching laboratory component. Graduate classes use the reactor for selected demonstrations, experiments, and projects. The reactor is also used for commercial power reactor operator training programs, neutron radiography, neutron activation analysis (NAA), and sample and tracer activation for industrial short courses and services as part of the university's land grant mission. The PULSTAR reactor is a 1-MW pool-type reactor that uses 4% enriched UO2 pellet fuel in Zircaloy II cladding. Standard irradiation facilities include wet exposure ports, a graphite thermal column, and a pneumatic transfer system. In the near term, general facility upgrades include the installation of signal isolation and computer data acquisition and display functions to improve the teaching and research interface with the reactor. In the longer term, the authors foresee studies of new core designs and the development of beam experiment design tools. These would be used to study modifications that may be desired at the end of the current core life and to undertake the development of new research instruments.
- Research Organization:
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- OSTI ID:
- 6965309
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-920606--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 65; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
- Publisher:
- American Nuclear Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Nuclear training programs at North Carolina State University
Determination of the PULSTAR research reactor neutron energy spectrum
Related Subjects
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACTINIDES
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
ALLOY-ZR98SN-2
ALLOYS
ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY
BETA SPECTROSCOPY
CALIBRATION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHROMIUM ADDITIONS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
CRITICALITY
EDUCATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENGINEERING
ENRICHED URANIUM
FEEDBACK
FLUID MECHANICS
FUEL CANS
FUEL MANAGEMENT
Future Considerations
GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRAULICS
INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY
IRON ADDITIONS
IRON ALLOYS
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
LIFETIME
MATERIALS
MECHANICS
METALS
MODERATORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY
NICKEL ADDITIONS
NICKEL ALLOYS
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA)
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Nuclear Engineering Program
OPERATION
PHYSICS
POOL TYPE REACTORS
POWER DENSITY
PULSTAR-RALEIGH REACTOR
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR INSTRUMENTATION
REACTOR OPERATION
REACTOR PHYSICS
REACTOR START-UP
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESEARCH REACTORS
Research Reactor Utilization
SERVICE LIFE
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
SPECTROSCOPY
START-UP
SUBCRITICALITY
TIN ALLOYS
TRAINING
URANIUM
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCALOY 2
ZIRCONIUM ALLOY
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS