HFIRIntheOakRidgeCountryside

HighFluxIsotopeReactor
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia
TheHighFluxIsotopeReactor(orHFIR)isanuclearresearchreactorlocatedatOakRidgeNational
Laboratory(ORNL)inOakRidge,Tennessee,UnitedStates.Operatingat85MW,HFIRisoneofthe
highestfluxreactorbasedsourcesofneutronsforcondensedmatterresearchintheUnitedStates,andit
providesoneofthehigheststeadystateneutronfluxesofanyresearchreactorintheworld.Thethermaland
coldneutronsproducedbyHFIRareusedtostudyphysics,chemistry,materialsscience,engineering,and
biology.Theintenseneutronflux,constantpowerdensity,andconstantlengthfuelcyclesareusedbymore
than500researcherseachyearforneutronscatteringresearchintothefundamentalpropertiesofcondensed
matter.HFIRhasapproximately600userseachyearforbothscatteringandincoreresearch.
TheneutronscatteringresearchfacilitiesatHFIRcontainaworld
classcollectionofinstrumentsusedforfundamentalandapplied
researchonthestructureanddynamicsofmatter.Thereactorisalso
usedformedical,industrial,andresearchisotopeproductionresearch
onsevereneutrondamagetomaterialsandneutronactivationto
examinetraceelementsintheenvironment.Additionally,thebuilding
housesagammairradiationfacilitythatusesspentfuelassembliesand
iscapableofaccommodatinghighgammadoseexperiments.
Withprojectedregularoperations,thenextmajorshutdownfora
berylliumreflectorreplacementwillnotbenecessaryuntil
approximately2023.Thisoutageprovidesanopportunitytoinstalla
coldsourceinradialbeamtubeHB2,whichwouldprovideanunparalleledfluxofcoldneutronsfeeding
instrumentsinanewguidehall.Withorwithoutthisadditionalcapability,HFIRisprojectedtocontinue
operatingthrough2040andbeyond.
InNovember2007ORNLofficialsannouncedthattimeofflighttestsonanewlyinstalledcoldsource
(whichusesliquidheliumandhydrogentoslowthemovementofneutrons)showedbetterperformancethan
designpredictions,equalingorsurpassingthepreviousworldrecordsetbytheresearchreactorattheInstitut
LaueLangevininGrenoble,France.
[1]
Contents
1History
2TechnicalDescriptionofHFIR
[2]
2.1ReactorCoreAssembly
2.2HorizontalBeamTubes
2.2.1HB1andHB3
2.2.2HB2
2.2.3HB4
Coordinates:35.9181N84.3040W
HighFluxIsotopeReactorTimeline
3InCoreExperimentFacilities
3.1FluxTrapPositions
3.1.1TargetPositions
3.1.2PeripheralTargetPositions
3.1.3HydraulicTubeFacility
3.2LargeRemovableBerylliumReflectorFacilities
3.3SmallRemovableBerylliumFacilities
3.4ControlRodAccessPlugFacilities
3.5SmallVerticalExperimentFacilities
3.6LargeVerticalExperimentFacilities
3.7SlantEngineeringFacilities
4GammaIrradiationFacility
4.1Overview
4.2RadiationDoseRatesandAccumulatedDoses
4.3Temperatures
5NeutronActivationAnalysis
5.1ProgramHighlights
5.1.1NuclearNonproliferation
5.2Environmental
5.3Forensics
5.4IsotopeProduction
5.5UltraTraceMetrology
5.6MaterialsIrradiation
6References
7Externallinks
History
InJanuary1958,theU.S.AtomicEnergyCommission(AEC)
reviewedthestatusoftransuraniumisotopeproductionintheUnited
States.ByNovemberofthesameyear,thecommissiondecidedto
buildtheHighFluxIsotopeReactor(HFIR)atOakRidgeNational
Laboratory,withafundamentalfocusonisotoperesearchand
production.Sinceitfirstwentcriticalin1965,theincoreusesfor
HFIRhavebroadenedtoincludematerialsresearch,fuelsresearch,
andfusionenergyresearch,inadditiontoisotopeproductionand
researchformedical,nuclear,detectorandsecuritypurposes.
AlowpowertestingprogramwascompletedinJanuary1966,andoperationcyclesat20,50,75,90,and100
MWbegan.Fromthetimeitattaineditsdesignpowerof100MWinSeptember1966,alittleoverfiveyears
fromthebeginningofitsconstruction,untilitwastemporarilyshutdowninlate1986,HFIRachieveda
recordofoperationtimeunsurpassedbyanyotherreactorintheUnitedStates.ByDecember1973,ithad
completedits100thfuelcycle,eachlastingapproximately23days.
InNovember1986,testsonirradiationsurveillancespecimensindicatedthatthereactorvesselwasbeing
embrittledbyneutronirradiationataratefasterthanpredicted.HFIRwasshutdowntoallowforextensive
reviewsandevaluationofthefacility.Twoyearsandfivemonthslater,afterthoroughreevaluation,
modificationstoextendthelifeoftheplantwhileprotectingtheintegrityofthepressurevessel,andupgrades
tomanagementpractices,thereactorwasrestartedat85MW.Coincidentwithphysicalandprocedural
improvementswererenewedtraining,safetyanalysis,andqualityassuranceactivities.Documentswere
updated,andnewonesweregeneratedwherenecessary.Technicalspecificationswereamendedand
reformattedtokeepabreastofthedesignchangesastheywereacceptedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy
(DOE),formerlytheAEC.Notonlyweretheprimarycoolantpressureandcorepowerreducedtopreserve
vesselintegritywhilemaintainingthermalmargins,butlongtermcommitmentsweremadefortechnological
andproceduralupgrades.
AfterathoroughreviewofmanyaspectsofHFIRoperation,thereactorwasrestartedforfuelcycle288on
April18,1989,tooperateinitiallyatverylowpowerlevels(8.5MW)untilalloperatingcrewswerefully
trainedanditwaspossibletooperatecontinuouslyathigherpower.FollowingtheApril1989restart,afurther
shutdownofninemonthsoccurredasaconsequenceofaquestionastoproceduraladequacy.Duringthis
period,oversightofHFIRwastransferredtotheDOEOfficeofNuclearEnergy(NE)previously,oversight
wasthroughtheOfficeofEnergyResearch(ER).FollowingpermissionbySecretaryofEnergyJamesD.
WatkinstoresumestartupoperationinJanuary1990,fullpowerwasreachedonMay18,1990.Ongoing
programshavebeenestablishedforproceduralandtechnologicalupgradeoftheHFIRduringitsoperating
life.
In2007,HFIRcompletedthemostdramatictransformationinits40yearhistory.Duringashutdownofmore
thanayear,thefacilitywasrefurbishedandanumberofnewinstrumentswereinstalled,aswellasacold
neutronsource.ThereactorwasrestartedinmidMayitattaineditsfullpowerof85MWwithinacoupleof
days,andexperimentsresumedwithinaweek.Improvementsandupgradesincludeanoverhaulofthereactor
structureforreliable,sustainedoperationsignificantupgradingoftheeightthermalneutronspectrometersin
thebeamroomnewcomputersystemcontrolsinstallationoftheliquidhydrogencoldsourceandanewcold
neutronguidehall.TheupgradedHFIRwilleventuallyhouse15instruments,including7forresearchusing
coldneutrons.
AlthoughHFIR'smainmissionisnowneutronscatteringresearch,oneofitsoriginalprimarypurposeswas
theproductionofcalifornium252andothertransuraniumisotopesforresearch,industrial,andmedical
applications.HFIRisthewesternworld'ssolesupplierofcalifornium252,anisotopewithusessuchas
cancertherapyandthedetectionofpollutantsintheenvironmentandexplosivesinluggage.Beyondits
contributionstoisotopeproductionandneutronscattering,HFIRalsoprovidesforavarietyofirradiationtests
andexperimentsthatbenefitfromthefacility'sexceptionallyhighneutronflux.
TechnicalDescriptionofHFIR
[2]
HighFluxIsotopeReactorSimplified
Core
85MWneutronfluxgraphforthe
HighFluxIsotopeReactor
HFIRisaberylliumreflected,lightwatercooledandmoderated,
fluxtraptypereactorthatuseshighlyenricheduranium235asthe
fuel.Thepreliminaryconceptualdesignofthereactorwasbasedon
the"fluxtrap"principle,inwhichthereactorcoreconsistsofan
annularregionoffuelsurroundinganunfueledmoderatingregionor
"island."Suchaconfigurationpermitsfastneutronsleakingfromthe
fueltobemoderatedintheislandandthusproducesaregionofvery
highthermalneutronfluxatthecenteroftheisland.Thisreservoirof
thermalizedneutronsis"trapped"withinthereactor,makingit
availableforisotopeproduction.Thelargefluxofneutronsinthe
reflectoroutsidethefuelofsuchareactormaybetappedby
extendingempty"beam"tubesintothereflector,thusallowing
neutronstobebeamedintoexperimentsoutsidethereactorshielding.
Finally,avarietyofholesinthereflectormaybeprovidedinwhichto
irradiatematerialsforexperimentsorisotopeproduction.
TheoriginalmissionofHFIRwastheproductionoftransplutonium
isotopes.However,theoriginaldesignersincludedmanyother
experimentfacilities,andseveralothershavebeenaddedsincethen.
Experimentfacilitiesavailableinclude(1)fourhorizontalbeamtubes,
whichoriginateintheberylliumreflector(2)thehydraulictube
irradiationfacility,locatedintheveryhighfluxregionoftheflux
trap,whichallowsforinsertionandremovalofsampleswhilethe
reactorisoperating(3)thirtytargetpositionsinthefluxtrap,which
normallycontaintransplutoniumproductionrodsbutwhichcanbe
usedfortheirradiationofotherexperiments(twoofthesepositions
canaccommodateinstrumentedtargets)(4)sixperipheraltarget
positionslocatedattheouteredgeofthefluxtrap(5)numerous
verticalirradiationfacilitiesofvarioussizeslocatedthroughoutthe
berylliumreflector(6)twopneumatictubefacilitiesintheberyllium
reflector,whichallowforinsertionandremovalofsampleswhilethe
reactorisoperatingforneutronactivationanalysisand(7)twoslantaccessfacilities,called"engineering
facilities,"locatedontheouteredgeoftheberylliumreflector.Inaddition,spentfuelassembliesareusedto
provideagammairradiationfacilityinthereactorpool.
ReactorCoreAssembly
Thereactorcoreassemblyiscontainedinan8ft(2.44m)diameterpressurevessellocatedinapoolofwater.
Thetopofthepressurevesselis17ft(5.18m)belowthepoolsurface.Thecontrolplatedrivemechanisms
arelocatedinasubpileroombeneaththepressurevessel.Thesefeaturesprovidethenecessaryshieldingfor
workingabovethereactorcoreandgreatlyfacilitateaccesstothepressurevessel,core,andreflectorregions.
Thereactorcoreiscylindrical,approximately2ft(0.61m)highand15inches(380mm)indiameter.A5in.
(12.70cm)diameterhole,referredtoasthe"fluxtrap,"formsthecenterofthecore.Thetargetistypically
loadedwithcurium244andothertransplutoniumisotopesandispositionedonthereactorverticalaxiswithin
thefluxtrap.Thefuelregioniscomposedoftwoconcentricfuelelements.Theinnerelementcontains171
HighFluxIsotopeReactorFuel
AssemblyPhoto
HighFluxIsotopeReactorVertical
CrossSection
fuelplates,andtheouterelementcontains369fuelplates.Thefuel
platesarecurvedintheshapeofaninvolute,thusprovidinga
constantcoolantchannelwidth.Thefuel(93%U
235
enrichedU
3
O
8

Alcermet
[3]
pg.22)isnonuniformlydistributedalongthearcofthe
involutetominimizetheradialpeaktoaveragepowerdensityratio.
Aburnablepoison(boron10)isincludedintheinnerfuelelement
primarilytoflattentheradialfluxpeakprovidingalongercyclefor
eachfuelelement.Theaveragecorelifetimewithtypicalexperiment
loadingisapproximately23daysat85MW.
Thefuelregionissurroundedbyaconcentricringofberyllium
reflectorapproximately1ft(0.30m)thick.Thisinturnissubdivided
intothreeregions:theremovablereflector,thesemipermanent
reflector,andthepermanentreflector.Theberylliumissurroundedby
awaterreflectorofeffectivelyinfinitethickness.Intheaxialdirection,
thereactorisreflectedbywater.Thecontrolplates,intheformoftwo
thin,nuclearpoisonbearingconcentriccylinders,arelocatedinan
annularregionbetweentheouterfuelelementandtheberyllium
reflector.Theseplatesaredriveninoppositedirectionstoopenand
closeawindowatthecoremidplane.Reactivityisincreasedby
downwardmotionoftheinnercylinderandtheupwardmotionofthe
fourouterquadrantplates.Theinnercylinderisusedforshimming
andpowerregulationandhasnofastsafetyfunction.Theouter
controlcylinderconsistsoffourseparatequadrantplates,eachhaving
anindependentdriveandsafetyreleasemechanism.Allcontrolplates
havethreeaxialregionsofdifferentneutronpoisoncontentdesigned
tominimizetheaxialpeaktoaveragepowerdensityratiothroughout
thecorelifetime.Anysinglequadrantplateorcylinderiscapableof
shuttingthereactordown.
Thereactorinstrumentationandcontrolsystemdesignreflectsthe
emphasisplacedoncontinuityofandsafetyofoperations.Three
independentsafetychannelsarearrangedinacoincidencesystemthat
requiresagreementoftwoofthethreeforsafetyshutdowns.Thisfeatureiscomplementedbyanextensive
"online"testingsystemthatpermitsthesafetyfunctionofanyonechanneltobetestedatanytimeduring
operation.Additionally,threeindependentautomaticcontrolchannelsarearrayedsothatfailureofasingle
channelwillnotsignificantlydisturboperation.Allofthesefactorscontributetothecontinuityofoperationof
theHFIR.
Theprimarycoolantentersthepressurevesselthroughtwo16in.(40.64cm)diameterpipesabovethecore,
passesthroughthecore,andexitsthroughan18in.(45.72cm)diameterpipebeneaththecore.Theflowrate
isapproximately16,000gpm(1.01m/s),ofwhichapproximately13,000gpm(0.82m/s)flowsthroughthe
fuelregion.Theremainderflowsthroughthetarget,reflector,andcontrolregions.Thesystemisdesignedto
operateatanominalinletpressureof468psig(3.33x10
6
Pa).Undertheseconditionstheinletcoolant
temperatureis120F(49C),thecorrespondingexittemperatureis156F(69C),andthepressuredrop
throughthecoreisabout110psi(7.58x10
5
Pa).
Fromthereactor,thecoolantflowisdistributedtothreeoffouridenticalheatexchangerandcirculationpump
combinations,eachlocatedinaseparatecelladjacenttothereactorandstoragepools.Eachcellalsocontains
aletdownvalvethatcontrolstheprimarycoolantpressure.Asecondarycoolantsystemremovesheatfromthe
primarysystemandtransfersittotheatmospherebypassingwateroverafourcellinduceddraftcooling
tower.
AfuelcyclefortheHFIRnormallyconsistsoffullpoweroperationat85MWforaperiodof21to23days
(dependingontheexperimentandradioisotopeloadinthereactor),followedbyanendofcycleoutagefor
refueling.Endofcyclerefuelingoutagesvaryasrequiredtoallowforcontrolplatereplacement,calibrations,
maintenance,andinspections.Experimentinsertionandremovalmaybeaccomplishedduringanyendof
cycleoutage.Interruptionofafuelcycleforexperimentinstallationorremovalisstronglydiscouragedto
avoidimpactonotherexperimentsandneutronscattering.
HorizontalBeamTubes
ThereactorhasfourhorizontalbeamtubeswhichsupplytheneutronstoinstrumentsusedbytheCenterfor
NeutronScattering.DetailsforeachbeamtubeandinstrumentcanbefoundontheHFIRinstrumentpage.
Eachofthebeamtubesthatsupplytheseinstrumentsisdescribedbelow.
HB1andHB3
TheHB1andHB3thermalneutronbeamtubedesignsareidenticalexceptforthelength.Botharesituated
tangentialtothereactorcoresothatthetubespointatreflectormaterialanddonotpointdirectlyatthefuel.
Aninternalcollimatorisinstalledattheoutboardend.Thiscollimatorisfabricatedoutofcarbonsteelandis
platedwithnickel.Thecollimatorprovidesa2.75inby5.5in.rectangularaperture.
Arotaryshutterislocatedoutboardofeachofthesebeamtubes.Theshutterisfabricatedusingcarbonsteel
andhighdensityconcrete.Thepurposeoftheshutteristoprovideshieldingwhentheneutronbeamisnot
required.
HB2
TheHB2thermalneutronbeamtubeissituatedradiallyrelativetothereactorcore,lookingdirectlyatthe
fuel.Twoberylliuminsertsareinstalledinthesphericaltipofthebeamtubetomaximizethethermalneutron
fluxwithinthecriticalacceptanceangleoftheneutronscatteringexperimentequipment.Thebeamtubecavity
outboardofthereactorvesselhasarectangularcrosssectionthatconvergesverticallyanddiverges
horizontallysuchthattheapertureattheoutboardwindowisarectanglenominally6intallby10inwide.A
carbonsteelcollimatorassemblyislocatedjustoutboardofthebeamtubewindow.Thiscollimatorassembly
providesfurtherneutronbeamcollimationandhousesafastneutronfiltertoincreasethesignaltonoiseratio
attheneutronscatteringinstruments.
HighFluxIsotopeReactorCoreCross
Section
Arotaryshutterislocatedoutboardoftheoutercollimatorassembly.Theshutterisfabricatedusingcarbon
steelandhighdensityconcrete.Highdensityconcreteblocksareplacedaroundtheshuttertoprevent
streaming.Thepurposeoftheshutteristoprovideshieldingwhentheneutronbeamisnotrequired.
HB4
TheHB4coldneutronsourcebeamtubeissituatedtangentialtothereactorcoresothatthetubepointsat
reflectormaterialanddoesnotpointdirectlyatthefuel.
AvacuumtubefitscloselyinsideinvesselsectionoftheHB4beamtubeallthewaytothesphericalend.
Thevacuumtubecontainsandinsulatesahydrogenmoderatorvesselanditsassociatedtubing.The
moderatorvesselcontainssupercriticalhydrogenat17K(nominal).Thermalneutronsscatteredintothe
moderatorvesselfromthereflectorarescatteredandcooledbythehydrogensothatthe412neutrons
scattereddownthetubearemaximized.
AninternalcollimatorisinstalledintheoutboardendoftheHB4tube.Thiscollimatorisfabricatedoutof
carbonsteelandisplatedwithnickel.Thecollimatorprovidesthreerectangularapertures.Theoutboard
dimensionsoftheaperturesare1.61inby4.33in2.17inby3.65inand1.78inby4.33in.
Arotaryshutterislocatedoutboardoftheoutercollimatorassembly.Theshutterisfabricatedusingcarbon
steelandhighdensityconcrete.Thepurposeoftheshutteristoprovideshieldingwhentheneutronbeamis
notrequired.Theshutterhasprovisionsforroutingthecryogenichydrogentransferline,gaseoushelium,and
vacuumpipingnecessarytosupporttheColdSource.
InCoreExperimentFacilities
FluxTrapPositions
TargetPositions
Thirtyonetargetpositionsareprovidedinthefluxtrap.These
positionswereoriginallydesignedtobeoccupiedbytargetrodsused
fortheproductionoftransplutoniumelementshowever,other
experimentscanbeirradiatedinanyofthesepositions.Asimilar
targetcapsuleconfigurationcanbeusedinnumerousapplications.A
thirdtypeoftargetisdesignedtohouseuptonine2inchlongisotope
ormaterialsirradiationcapsulesthataresimilartotherabbitfacility
capsules.Theuseofthistypeofirradiationcapsulesimplifies
fabrication,shipping,andpostirradiationprocessingwhichtranslatestoacostsavingsfortheexperimenter.
Targetirradiationcapsulesofeachtypemustbedesignedsuchthattheycanbeadequatelycooledbythe
coolantflowavailableoutsidethetargetrodshrouds.Excessiveneutronpoisonloadsinexperimentsintarget
positionsarediscouragedbecauseoftheiradverseeffectsonbothtransplutoniumisotopeproductionratesand
fuelcyclelength.Suchexperimentsrequirecarefulcoordinationtoensureminimaleffectsonadjacent
experiments,fuelcyclelength,andneutronscatteringbeambrightness.Twopositionsarenowavailablefor
instrumentedtargetexperiments:positionsE3andE6.
PeripheralTargetPositions
Sixperipheraltargetpositions(PTPs)areprovidedforexperimentslocatedattheouterradialedgeoftheflux
trap.Fastneutronfluxesinthesepositionsarethehighestavailabletoexperimentsinthereactor,althougha
steepradialgradientinthethermalneutronfluxexistsatthislocation.
Likethetargetpositions,atypeofPTPcapsuleisavailablethathousesuptonine2inchlongisotopeor
materialsirradiationcapsulesthataresimilartotherabbitfacilitycapsules.Theuseofthistypeofirradiation
capsulesimplifiesfabrication,shipping,andpostirradiationprocessingwhichtranslatestoacostsavingsfor
theexperimenter.
PTPirradiationcapsulesofeachtypemustbedesignedsuchthattheycanbeadequatelycooledbythe
coolantflowavailable.Typicalexperimentscontainaneutronpoisonloadequivalenttothatassociatedwith
200gofaluminumand35gofstainlesssteeldistributeduniformlyovera20in.(50.8cm)length.PTP
experimentscontainingneutronpoisonloadsinexcessofthatdescribedarediscouragedbecauseoftheir
adverseeffectsonisotopeproductionrates,fuelcyclelength,andfuelelementpowerdistribution.
HydraulicTubeFacility
TheHFIRhydraulictube(HT)facilityprovidestheabilitytoirradiatematerialsfordurationslessthanthe
standard~23dayHFIRfuelcycle,whichisidealfortheproductionofshorthalflifemedicalisotopesthat
requireretrievalondemand.Thesystemconsistsofthenecessarypiping,valves,andinstrumentationto
shuttleasetof2inchlongaluminumcapsules(calledrabbits)betweenthecapsuleloadingstationandthe
fluxtrapinthereactorcore.Thecapsuleloadingstationislocatedinthestoragepooladjacenttothereactor
vesselpool.Afullfacilityloadconsistsofnineverticallystackedcapsules.
Normally,theheatfluxfromneutronandgammaheatingatthesurfaceofthecapsuleislimitedto74,000
Btu/hft(2.3x10
5
W/m).Furthermore,theneutronpoisoncontentofthefacilityloadislimitedsuchthatthe
reactorcannotbetrippedbyasignificantreactivitychangeuponinsertionandremovalofthesamples.
LargeRemovableBerylliumReflectorFacilities
Eightlargediameterirradiationpositionsarelocatedintheremovableberyllium(RB)nearthecontrolregion.
ThesefacilitiesaredesignatedasRB1Aand1B,RB3Aand3B,RB5Aand5B,andRB7Aand7B.
ThesearegenerallyreferredtoastheRB*positions.Theverticalcenterlineofthesefacilitiesislocated10.75
in.(27.31cm)fromtheverticalcenterlineofthereactorandtheyarelinedwithapermanentaluminumliner
havinganinsidediameterof1.811in.(4.6cm).Thesefacilitiesaredesignedforeitherinstrumentedornon
instrumentedexperiments.Theinstrumentedcapsuledesigncanalsoemploysweeporcoolinggasesas
necessary.Instrumentleadsandaccesstubesareaccommodatedthroughpenetrationsintheuppershroud
flangeandthroughspecialpenetrationsinthepressurevesselhatch.Whennotinuse,thesefacilitiescontain
berylliumoraluminumplugs.Becauseoftheircloseproximitytothefuel,RB*experimentsarecarefully
reviewedwithrespecttotheirneutronpoisoncontent,whichislimitedbecauseofitseffectonfuelelement
powerdistributionandfuelcyclelength.Thesepositionscanaccommodate(i.e.,shielded)experiments,
makingthemwellsuitedforfusionmaterialsirradiation.UsesfortheRB*facilitieshaveincludedthe
productionofradioisotopesHighTemperatureGasCooledReactor(HTGR)fuelirradiationsandthe
irradiationofcandidatefusionreactormaterials.Thelatertypeofexperimentrequiresafastneutronflux.A
significantfastfluxispresentinadditiontothethermalflux.Forthisapplicationthecapsulesareplacedina
linercontainingathermalneutronpoisonforspectraltailoring.Theseexperimentsarecarefullyreviewedwith
respecttotheirneutronpoisoncontentandlimitedtocertainpositionstominimizetheireffectonadjacent
neutronscatteringbeamtubes.
SmallRemovableBerylliumFacilities
Foursmalldiameterirradiationpositionsarelocatedintheremovableberyllium(RB)nearthecontrolregion.
ThesefacilitiesaredesignatedasRB2,RB4,RB6,andRB8.Theverticalcenterlineofthesefacilitiesis
located10.37in.(26.35cm)fromtheverticalcenterlineofthereactorandhaveaninsidediameterof0.5in.
(1.27cm).ThesmallRBpositionsdonothaveanaluminumlinerliketheRB*facilities.Whennotinuse,
thesepositionscontainberylliumplugs.Theuseofthesefacilitieshasbeenprimarilyfortheproductionof
radioisotopes.Theneutronpoisoncontentlimitsandtheavailablepressuredroprequirementsforexperiments
inthesefacilitiesisthesameasintheRB*facilitiespreviouslydiscussed.
ControlRodAccessPlugFacilities
Eight0.5in.(1.27cm)diameterirradiationpositionsarelocatedinthesemipermanentreflector.The
semipermanentreflectorismadeupofeightseparatepiecesofberyllium,fourofwhicharereferredtoas
controlrodaccessplugs.Eachcontrolrodaccessplugcontainstwounlinedirradiationfacilities,designated
CR1throughCR8.Eachofthesefacilitiesaccommodatesanexperimentcapsulesimilartothoseusedinthe
smallremovableberylliumfacilities.Theverticalcenterlinesofallcontrolrodaccessplugirradiationfacilities
arelocated12.68in.(32.2cm)fromtheverticalcenterlineofthereactor.Onlynoninstrumentedexperiments
canbeirradiatedinthesefacilities.Whennotinuse,thesefacilitiescontainberylliumplugs.Apressuredrop
of10psi(6.89x10
4
Pa)atfullsystemflowisavailabletoprovideprimarysystemcoolantflowforcooling
experiments.
SmallVerticalExperimentFacilities
Sixteenirradiationpositionslocatedinthepermanentreflectorarereferredtoasthesmallverticalexperiment
facilities(VXF).Eachofthesefacilitieshasapermanentaluminumlinerhavinganinsidediameterof1.584
in.(4.02cm).Thefacilitiesarelocatedconcentricwiththecoreontwocirclesofradii15.43in.(39.2cm)and
17.36in.(44.1cm),respectively.Thoselocatedontheinnercircle(11inall)arereferredtoastheinnersmall
VXFs.Thoselocatedontheoutercircle(fiveinall)arereferredtoastheoutersmallVXFs.Normally,non
instrumentedexperimentsareirradiatedinthesefacilities.VXF7isdedicatedtooneofthepneumatic
irradiationfacilitiesthatsupportstheNeutronActivationAnalysisLaboratoryandisunavailableforotheruse.
Apressuredropofapproximately100psi(6.89x10
5
Pa)atfullsystemflowisavailabletoprovideprimary
systemcoolantflowforcoolingexperiments.Whennotinuse,thesefacilitiesmaycontainaberylliumor
aluminumplugoraflowregulatingorificeandnoplug.Largeneutronpoisonloadsinthesefacilitiesareof
noparticularconcernwithrespecttofuelelementpowerdistributionperturbationsoreffectsonfuelcycle
lengthbecauseoftheirdistancefromthecorehowever,experimentsarecarefullyreviewedwithrespectto
theirneutronpoisoncontent,whichislimitedtominimizetheireffectonadjacentneutronscatteringbeam
tubes.
LargeVerticalExperimentFacilities
HighFluxIsotopeReactorCherenkov
radiation
Sixirradiationpositionslocatedinthepermanentreflectorarereferredtoasthelargeverticalexperiment
facilities.Thesefacilitiesaresimilarinallrespects(astocharacteristicsandcapabilities)tothesmallvertical
experimentfacilitiesdescribedintheprecedingsectionexceptforlocationandsize.Thealuminumlinersin
thelargeVXFshaveaninsidediameterof2.834in.(7.20cm),andthefacilitiesarelocatedconcentricwith
thecoreonacircleofradius18.23in.(46.3cm).Whennotinuse,thesefacilitiescontainberylliumor
aluminumplugs.Largeneutronpoisonloadsinthesefacilitiesareofnoparticularconcernwithrespecttofuel
elementpowerdistributionperturbationsoreffectsonfuelcyclelengthbecauseoftheirdistancefromthe
corehowever,experimentsarecarefullyreviewedwithrespecttotheirneutronpoisoncontent,whichis
limitedtominimizetheireffectonadjacentneutronscatteringbeamtubes.
SlantEngineeringFacilities
Provisionhasbeenmadeforinstallationofuptotwoengineeringfacilitiestoprovideadditionalpositionsfor
experiments.Thesefacilitiesconsistof4in.(10.16cm)O.D.tubesthatareinclinedupward49from
horizontal.Theinnerendsofthetubesterminateattheouterperipheryoftheberyllium.Theupperendsofthe
tubesterminateattheouterfaceofthepoolwallinanexperimentroomonefloorabovethemainbeamroom.
OneoftheengineeringfacilitieshousesthePT2pneumatictube,whichwasinstalledin1986.
GammaIrradiationFacility
Overview
TheHFIRGammaIrradiationFacilityisanexperimentfacilityinthe
HighFluxIsotopeReactordesignedtoirradiatematerialswith
gammaradiationfromthespentfuelelementsintheHFIRloading
stationinthecleanpool.TheGammaIrradiationFacilityChamberis
astainlesssteelchambermadeof0.065wallthicknesstubingto
maximizetheinternaldimensionsofchambertoaccommodateas/
largeaspossiblesamplesandstillfitinsidethecadmiumpostofthe
spentfuelloadingstationpositions.Theinteriorchamberis
approximately3insidediameterandwillaccommodatesamplesup
to25inches(640mm)long.
Therearetwoconfigurationsforthechamberassembly,withtheonlydifferencebeingtheplugs.The
uninstrumentedconfigurationhasatopplugwhichisusedforinstallationofthesamplesandtosupportthe
inertgaslinesandmaintainaleaktightenvironmentwhileunderwater.Theinstrumentedconfigurationhasa
chamberextensionabovethechamberandanumbilicaltopermitinertgaslines,electricalcablesand
instrumentationcablesforaninstrumentedexperimenttoconnectwithheatercontrolsandinstrumentation
testingequipmentintheexperimentroom.
Aninertgascontrolpanelintheexperimentroomisrequiredtoprovideinertgasflowandpressurereliefto
thechamber.Inertgaspressureismaintainedatapproximately15psigtoassureanleakagefromthechamber
wouldbefromthechambertothepoolandnotwaterinleakage.
Samplesinthechambermaybesupportedfromthebottomofthechamberorfromtheplug(uninstrumented
configurationonly).
RadiationDoseRatesandAccumulatedDoses
CharacterizationoftheinsidesurfaceofthechamberhasbeenperformedandGammadoseratesatthis
locationhavebeenconfirmed.Gammadoseratesupto1.8E+08canbeprovided.Selectionofanappropriate
spentfuelelementcanprovideessentiallyanyrequireddoserate.Becauseofsecondaryreactionswithin
sampleandholdermaterialsinthechamber,wehavecreatedneutronicmodelstoestimatetheactualdose
ratestothesamplesindifferentholdersandatdifferentlocationswithinthechamber.Thepeakdoseratesare
neartheverticalcenterofthechamberandatthehorizontalcenterlineofthechamber.Thereisanear
symmetricaldistributionofthedoseratefromtoptobottomofthechamber.HFIRpersonnelareavailableto
assistinthedesignofsampleholdersbytheuserstoachievetherequiredaccumulateddosesanddoserates.
Temperatureofthesamplesfromtherequireddoseratecanbeestimated.
Temperatures
Recentlyperformedirradiationshaveshownthattemperaturesfromthegammaheatingcanbeveryhigh,
exceeding500degreesFinfreshspentfuelelements.Locationofthesamplesnearthechamberwallor
holderdesigntotransferheattothechamberwallcanbeusedtolowerthesampletemperature.Selectionofa
moredecayedspentfuelelementwithalowerdoseratemaybenecessaryiftemperaturelimitsareaconcern.
Theminimumtemperaturesmaintainedarearound100degreesF(thecleanpoolwatertemperature).Theuse
ofelectricheatingelementsand/orinertgas(argonorhelium)floodingallowforcontrolledtemperatures
above100degreesF.
NeutronActivationAnalysis
Neutronactivationanalysis(NAA)isapowerfulanalyticaltechniqueusedtoprobethe
elementalmakeupofawidevarietyofmaterials.NAAenjoysveryhighsensitivityand
accuracyandisgenerallypracticednondestructively.Samplesarebombardedwith
neutronsandtheemissionsfromtheradioisotopesproducedareanalyzedtodetermine
boththeirnumberandidentity.Severaluniversity,government,andindustriallaboratories,
bothdomesticandabroad,employNAAtostudyforensicevidence,lunarandmeteoritic
materials,advancedmaterials,andhighpuritymaterials.NAAisfreefromclassicalmatrixeffectsandis
capableofveryprecisemeasurementshavingdetectionlimitscommonlyinthefractionsofPPM.
ReactorbasedNAAwasfirstperformedattheGraphiteReactoratwhatisnowORNL.ThePT1facility
wasinstalledattheHFIRin1970andwasupgradedin1987whenthePT2facilitywasadded.Both
facilitiesterminateinthepermanentberylliumreflectorportionofthereactorandfacilitatethetransferof
samplestoandfromthereactor.ThePT1facilityfeaturesthehighestthermalneutronfluxinthewestern
worldandoffersmanyadvantagesinsensitivityforultratraceleveldeterminationsandforlimitedisotope
production.ThePT2facilityoffersahighlythermalizedfluxcoupledwithdelayedneutroncounting,giving
ustheabilitytomeasureverylowquantitiesoffissilematerialsinminutes.
ProgramHighlights
NuclearNonproliferation
Usingdelayedneutronanalysis,weareabletoprovideaninexpensive,precise,andaccuratescreeningof
variousmaterialsforfissilecontent.Thedeterminationrequiresonlysixminutesandfeaturesa15picogram
detectionlimit.Samplesofsmears,vegetation,soil,rock,plastics,wood,metal,andsandareequally
amenabletodelayedneutronanalysis.ThisversatileandspeedytoolfacilitatesInternationalAtomicEnergy
AgencyIAEAeffortstoestablishwideareamonitoringandenablesindividualinspectorstoobtainlarge
numbersofsamplesinthehopesoffindingrequiredevidence.Byscreeningthosesampleshere,theveryhigh
costsofdestructiveanalysisarerequiredonlyforthosesamplesdeemedinteresting."Delayedneutron
analysisisbecomingincreasinglyusefulforthesestudies.
Arecentapplicationinvolvestheirradiationofprogrammablememorydevicesthathavebeencoatedwitha
smallamountofafissileisotope.Thefissioneventsinduceduponirradiationmaybetrackedspatiallyby
comparingthevaluesinmemorywiththoseassignedtomemoryinitiallyareasofdifferencesareattributedto
damagecausedbythefissionevents.Thisworkmayassisteffortsinanalysisofmicroscopicparticlesthat
maycontainevidenceofundeclarednuclearactivitiesbylocatingsuchparticles.
Environmental
NAAiswellsuitedfordeterminingabouttwothirdsoftheknownelementsingeologicalandbiological
materialsnondestructively.SeveralprojectswerefacilitatedbyNAAthatotherwisewouldhavebeenvery
challengingorimpossiblebyothermethods.MercurycontaminationintheOakRidgearea,baselinesoil
levelsformanyelements,anduraniumisotopicratioinOakRidgeareasoilsandvegetationhaveallbeen
accomplishedonthemediumandlargescale.ThechemistryandhistoryofEarthsmoonhavebeen
elucidatedbyNAAandmanydifferentmeteoriteshavebeenstudiedhere.Traceelementsweredeterminedin
animalboneandtissueforeffortstounderstandeffectsofhabitatpollution.Thefateofthedinosaurswas
investigatedbyanalyzingtheelement,iridium,infossilizedbonedatednearintimetoknownmajormeteoritic
impacts.Recently,bioremediationstrategieshavebeenexaminedandratesofabsorptionofheavyelements
havebeendeterminedinindigenousplantsandanimals.
Forensics
Sinceitsinception,NAAhasbeenanoutstandingtoolforforensictraceelementinvestigations.Bulletlead
andjacket,paint,brass,plastic,hair,andmanyothermaterialsareoftenofinterestforcriminalinvestigations.
AtORNL,investigationsinvolvingpresidentsKennedyandTaylor,investigationofcavevandals,and
homicideinvestigationshavebeenundertaken.NAAexcelsatsuchdeterminationsbecauseitis
nondestructiveandbecausetherearefewsourcesoferror,andallareknownandcanbeestimated.Wearein
negotiationwithBrookhavenNationalLaboratoryscientiststocontinuetheiranthropogenicinvestigationof
ancientmarbleandsculpture.Suchapartnershipfollowslogicallyafterthepermanentshutdownofthe
Brookhavenreactor.
IsotopeProduction
SmallquantitiesofvariousisotopeshavebeenformedinthePT1facilityovertheyears.Tracersforanimal
studies,radiolabeledpharmaceuticals,cancertreatmenttrialsources,andsourcesinsupportofmaterials
studieshavebeenpreparedinexpensively.ThePT1facilityrepresentsthequickestaccesstothereactorand
oftenthelowestcostforlowquantityisotopeproduction.Recently,gammadensitometrysourcescomposed
of169Ybwerepreparedandmaybepreparedondemandfortheforeseeablefuture.
UltraTraceMetrology
ManyelementsmaybeeasilyandpreciselymeasuredatthepartspertrillionlevelusingNAA.Weassisted
privatecorporationswithappliedresearchintothepropertiesoffiberopticstartingmaterialsandtheir
relationshiptotraceelementconcentrationandfoundthatbreakagefrequencydoesdependonthe
concentrationofcertainelements.Diamondanddiamondfilmshavebeenanalyzedforultratraceimpurities
andourdeterminationswerethefirsttobereportedonbulksyntheticdiamond.Mostrecently,wedetermined
uraniumandthoriuminorganicscintillatoratthe1e15g/glevel,afeatpossiblebecauseofourhighest
availableflux.ThescintillatoristobeusedinaneutrinodetectionprojectinJapanthatrequiresmaterialas
freefromnaturalradioactivityaspossible.
MaterialsIrradiation
Thecombinedeffectsofneutronandgammaradiationonmaterialsareofinterestforadvancedmaterials
research,fusionenergyresearch,andforproductionofhardenedcomponentsandsystems.Manyexamples
ofmaterialsirradiationactivitiesareworthyofmention.Amostrecentexampleisthedoseresponse
investigationofdichroicmirrorceramicmaterialsforthefusionenergyresearchprogram.ThePT1andPT2
facilitiesarewellsuitedtofillthenichebetweentheveryhighfluxesintheHFIRtargetregionandthemuch
loweronesinthebeamtubes.
References
1. ^DatasuggestworldrecordatOakRidgereactor(http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/nov/26/datasuggest
worldrecordoakridgereactor/),ByFrankMunger,KnoxvilleNewsSentinel,November26,2007
2. ^"HFIRTechnicalParamters"(http://neutrons.ornl.gov/hfir/hfir_technical_parameters.shtml).OakRidgeNational
Laboratory.
3. ^N.XoubiandR.T.PrimmIII(2004)."ModelingoftheHighFluxIsotopeReactorCycle400"
(http://www.ornl.gov/info/reports/2005/34456057865571.pdf).OakRidgeTechnicalReportORNL/TM2004/251.
Externallinks
Bryan,Chris(October2011)."HighFluxIsotopeReactor"(http://neutrons.ornl.gov/facilities/HFIR/).
OakRidgeNationalLaboratoryResearchReactorsDivision.UnitedStatesDepartmentofEnergy.
RetrievedOctober26,2011.
"AerialviewofHFIRsite"(http://maps.google.com/maps?
q=Oak+Ridge,+TN&t=k&hl=en&ll=35.918128,84.303975&spn=0.01173,0.025663&om=1).Google
Maps.2006.RetrievedApril20,2006.
"TheHFIRFacilityatOakRidgeNationalLab"
(http://web.archive.org/web/20070629231331/http://neutrons.ornl.gov/facilities/facilities_hfir.shtml).
OakRidgeNationalLaboratory.2007.Archivedfromtheoriginal
(http://neutrons.ornl.gov/facilities/facilities_hfir.shtml)onJune29,2007.RetrievedJune23,2007.
Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=High_Flux_Isotope_Reactor&oldid=620998850"
Categories: BuildingsandstructuresinTennessee OakRidge,Tennessee Neutronfacilities
Nuclearresearchreactors OakRidgeNationalLaboratory
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