Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program

Jensen, Shawn R.; Craft, Aaron E.; Papaioannou, Glen C.; Empie, Wyatt W.; Ward, Blaine R.; Batt, Lee A.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2019.1605780

Title: Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program

Abstract

The TREAT radiography system is used to perform neutron radiography of fuels, experiments, and other specimens before and after irradiation within the TREAT reactor. The TREAT neutron radiography facility performed approximately 5,000 radiographs by the spring of 1977. Originally built in 1958, the TREAT Facility was in operation until it was placed in a shutdown status in 1994. Following the Fukishima disaster and seeing a need for enhanced accident tolerant fuels, the United Stated Department of Energy decided to restart the TREAT facility and resume transient operations. In November 2017, the TREAT reactor was successfully restarted and is currently performing operational testing in preparation for initial experiment irradiations and transient testing. This paper discusses efforts to reactivate the TREAT neutron radiography facility. To characterize the neutron beam, gold foil activation measurements were made to determine an average neutron flux and flux profile. An open beam image provides the information about variations in the beam profile. In conclusion, a series of system qualification radiographs have been acquired to determine the effective image acquisition parameters, resulting image quality, and the relationships between the two.

Authors:

^[1];

^[1]; Empie, Wyatt W. ^[1]; Ward, Blaine R. ^[1]; Batt, Lee A. ^[1]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: Fri May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2019

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE-NE

OSTI Identifier:: 1565915

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-18-51168-Rev000
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450; TRN: US2000945

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Nuclear Technology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 205; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450

Publisher:: Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility; TREAT; Neutron radiography

Citation Formats


                    Jensen, Shawn R., Craft, Aaron E., Papaioannou, Glen C., Empie, Wyatt W., Ward, Blaine R., and Batt, Lee A. Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program.  United States: N. p., 2019. 
Web.  doi:10.1080/00295450.2019.1605780.

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                    Jensen, Shawn R., Craft, Aaron E., Papaioannou, Glen C., Empie, Wyatt W., Ward, Blaine R., & Batt, Lee A. Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1605780

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                    Jensen, Shawn R., Craft, Aaron E., Papaioannou, Glen C., Empie, Wyatt W., Ward, Blaine R., and Batt, Lee A. Fri .  
"Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1605780.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1565915.

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@article{osti_1565915,

  title        = {Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program},

  author       = {Jensen, Shawn R. and Craft, Aaron E. and Papaioannou, Glen C. and Empie, Wyatt W. and Ward, Blaine R. and Batt, Lee A.},

  abstractNote = {The TREAT radiography system is used to perform neutron radiography of fuels, experiments, and other specimens before and after irradiation within the TREAT reactor. The TREAT neutron radiography facility performed approximately 5,000 radiographs by the spring of 1977. Originally built in 1958, the TREAT Facility was in operation until it was placed in a shutdown status in 1994. Following the Fukishima disaster and seeing a need for enhanced accident tolerant fuels, the United Stated Department of Energy decided to restart the TREAT facility and resume transient operations. In November 2017, the TREAT reactor was successfully restarted and is currently performing operational testing in preparation for initial experiment irradiations and transient testing. This paper discusses efforts to reactivate the TREAT neutron radiography facility. To characterize the neutron beam, gold foil activation measurements were made to determine an average neutron flux and flux profile. An open beam image provides the information about variations in the beam profile. In conclusion, a series of system qualification radiographs have been acquired to determine the effective image acquisition parameters, resulting image quality, and the relationships between the two.},

  doi          = {10.1080/00295450.2019.1605780},

  journal      = {Nuclear Technology},

  number       = 10,

  volume       = 205,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Fri May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2019},

  month        = {Fri May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2019}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Characterization of a Neutron Beam Following Reconfiguration of the Neutron Radiography Reactor (NRAD) Core and Addition of New Fuel Elements
journal, February 2016

Craft, Aaron E.; Hilton, Bruce A.; Papaioannou, Glen C.
Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 1
DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2015.10.006

Conversion from Film to Image Plates for Transfer Method Neutron Radiography of Nuclear Fuel
journal, January 2017

Craft, Aaron E.; Papaioannou, Glen C.; Chichester, David L.
Physics Procedia, Vol. 88
DOI: 10.1016/j.phpro.2017.06.010

Applications of Neutron Radiography for the Nuclear Power Industry
journal, January 2017

Craft, Aaron E.; Barton, John P.
Physics Procedia, Vol. 88
DOI: 10.1016/j.phpro.2017.06.009

Neutron Radiography of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel at Idaho National Laboratory
journal, January 2015

Craft, Aaron E.; Wachs, Daniel M.; Okuniewski, Maria A.
Physics Procedia, Vol. 69
DOI: 10.1016/j.phpro.2015.07.068

Determination of the neutron energy spectrum of a radial neutron beam at a TRIGA reactor
journal, September 2019

Giegel, Sam H.; Pope, Chad L.; Craft, Aaron E.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 454
DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2019.05.072

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Similar Records

Title: Restart of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Neutron Radiography Program

Abstract

Citation Formats

Characterization of a Neutron Beam Following Reconfiguration of the Neutron Radiography Reactor (NRAD) Core and Addition of New Fuel Elements journal, February 2016

Conversion from Film to Image Plates for Transfer Method Neutron Radiography of Nuclear Fuel journal, January 2017

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Determination of the neutron energy spectrum of a radial neutron beam at a TRIGA reactor journal, September 2019

Characterization of a Neutron Beam Following Reconfiguration of the Neutron Radiography Reactor (NRAD) Core and Addition of New Fuel Elements
journal, February 2016

Conversion from Film to Image Plates for Transfer Method Neutron Radiography of Nuclear Fuel
journal, January 2017

Applications of Neutron Radiography for the Nuclear Power Industry
journal, January 2017

Neutron Radiography of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel at Idaho National Laboratory
journal, January 2015

Determination of the neutron energy spectrum of a radial neutron beam at a TRIGA reactor
journal, September 2019