Advanced Test Reactor - A National Scientific User Facility

Conference · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2008

OSTI ID:934543

Stanley, Clifford J

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.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-99ID13727
• OSTI ID: 934543
• Report Number(s): INL/CON-07-13310
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
ATR
Advanced Test Reactor
BUILDING MATERIALS
FLOW RATE
FUEL ELEMENTS
INL
IRRADIATION
NEUTRON FLUX
NSUF
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR PHYSICS
National Scientific User Facility
Nuclear Test Reactor
POWER DENSITY
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR CORES
REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
Research Reactor
TEST REACTORS
THERMAL NEUTRONS