• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

DOE labs, including ORNL, recognized as international R&D hub by IAEA

Posted at 7:48 pm September 18, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/ORNL)

The High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/ORNL)

 

Federal laboratories in Oak Ridge and Idaho, along with a nuclear research center in Belgium, will make their research reactors, labs, and education and training facilities available to scientists from other countries for training, research, and development, officials announced at the IAEA General Conference in Austria on Monday.

The IAEA is the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The facilities that will make their reactors available are the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, and the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK*CEN, the IAEA said.

The institutions received designations as IAEA International Centres based on Research Reactor, or ICERR, the IAEA said.

The reactors include the High Flux Isotope Reactor at ORNL, the Advance Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory, and the Belgian Reactor 2.

“The IAEA ICERR scheme helps IAEA member states access state-of-the-art facilities and so achieve their national nuclear research and development and capacity building objectives,” IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said at Monday’s designation ceremony. “Through advanced training, ICERRs foster knowledge, build nuclear competence, and develop nuclear safety culture.”

The IAEA said the High Flux Isotope Reactor at ORNL is the world’s leading source of heavy elements used for research, medicine, and industrial applications. The High Flux Isotope Reactor and its associated nuclear facilities provide unique capabilities only available through DOE for post-irradiation testing of materials and processing of radioisotopes.

Advertisement

The U.S. Department of Energy said ORNL is a global leader for the production of many important isotopes, including plutonium-238, which fuels NASA’s deep space exploration efforts; californium-252, which is used for real-time sulfur analysis in the power industry; nickel-63, which is used in explosive detectors at airports; radium-223, which aids palliative treatment for metastatic cancer; and berkelium-249, which recently enabled the discovery of tennessine, element 117.

“The nuclear research facilities at ORNL are vital to scientific research, nuclear security, and nuclear nonproliferation,” ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said. “Our capabilities are further enhanced by numerous partnerships with industry, academia, and other premier research facilities like INL.”

The IAEA said the Advance Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory is the most versatile test reactor in the world. It is used to study the effects of radiation on materials and is also capable of producing rare and valuable medical and industrial isotopes.

DOE said INL’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), Transient Reactor Experiment and Test (TREAT) reactor, nuclear fuel fabrication facilities, and nuclear facilities for post-irradiation examination (PIE) of nuclear fuels and materials provide unmatched capabilities, all in one geographic location.

“This new opportunity to facilitate the expanded use of our national labs’ research reactor facilities will enable the United States to continue to be a world leader and global partner in the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology,” said Rick Perry, U.S. energy secretary. “This is a tremendous honor recognizing the critical work being conducted at DOE’s Oak Ridge and Idaho national laboratories, and it highlights the importance of our nuclear research facilities and the scientific and nuclear security contributions they bring to the world.”

Thomas Zacharia (Photo courtesy D. Ray Smith)

Thomas Zacharia (Photo courtesy D. Ray Smith)

The Belgian research reactor BR2 (Belgian Reactor 2) is one of the most powerful and flexible research reactors in the world. It produces 20 to 25 percent of the world’s most important radioisotopes, including medical isotopes essential for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

“This is an outstanding recognition for Belgium,” said Eric van Walle, director general of SCK•CEN. “The nuclear expertise and experience obtained through our research and development support the education and training activities with which we transfer knowledge and skills to current and future generations. We are proud to contribute to IAEA’s goal with our unique infrastructure.”

The Belgian SCK•CEN and US Department of Energy’s Idaho and Oak Ridge National Labs join France’s CEA and the Russian Federation’s RIAR centers in welcoming researchers under the IAEA scheme, the IAEA said.

The ICERR scheme was launched in 2014 to help member states, mainly without research reactors, gain timely access to research reactor infrastructure and carry out nuclear research and development as well as build capacity, the IAEA said. Member states that want to gain access to an ICERR have to become an affiliate by signing a bilateral agreement with the centers designated as ICERR. The IAEA facilitates this process, also through the sharing of the information on the capabilities offered by the ICERRs, the agency said.

The IAEA is a 168-member international organization that includes the United States. With headquarters in Vienna, it is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. It works for safe, secure, and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.

Advertisement

Here is more information from DOE about HFIR (High Flux Isotope Reactor) at ORNL and ATR (Advanced Test Reactor) at INL:

HFIR—Operating at 85 megawatts, HFIR is the highest flux reactor-based source of neutrons in the United States, and it provides one of the highest steady-state neutron fluxes in the world. Every year, more than 500 researchers use its thermal and cold neutrons to perform neutron scattering experiments, in the study of physics, chemistry, materials, engineering, biology, and nuclear forensics. Recent research results are helping to develop better drugs for diseases such as HIV, improving the efficiency and durability of 3D-printed rocket parts, and improving the safety and efficiency of batteries in cell phones and cars. HFIR, coupled with ORNL’s hot cell and other nuclear facilities, enables a diverse range of nuclear science and technology research, from examining materials for next-generation reactors to developing new types of nuclear fuel.

ATR—The ATR can operate at up to 250 megawatts, and it also provides a steady-state neutron flux for numerous researchers all at the same time. There are 77 test locations within the core and beryllium reflector of the reactor, including six locations that replicate physical conditions—temperature, pressure, chemistry and flow—of various power plants. Nine of the 77 locations are referred to as “flux traps” due to their positions near the fuel, and experiments can be from one-half inch to five inches in diameter and up to four feet long. ATR simultaneously provides irradiation of nuclear fuels, materials and isotopes for the U.S. Navy, DOE research programs, industry, universities, and international customers.

In addition to the steady-state capabilities of ATR, the TREAT reactor will soon provide researchers the ability to test current and new nuclear fuel designs in off-normal reactor conditions. The TREAT will provide very brief, very intense power surges, replicating severe accident conditions. In less than one second, fuels can be exposed to up to 18,000 megawatts thermal energy.

INL has the capability to fabricate nuclear fuel or materials specimens, irradiate them in steady-state or transient conditions, and perform PIE on the experiments in the largest inert hot cell in the United States. Capabilities are being brought online to provide unprecedented examinations of irradiated materials, providing researchers across the nation and around the world even greater understanding of the processes in nuclear reactions, fuels, and materials.

INL is the nation’s lead laboratory for nuclear research as well as leading DOE’s Nuclear Science User Facility, providing access to nuclear research capabilities at national laboratories, universities, and industry facilities.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

See the DOE press release here.

See the IAEA press release here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2017 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Advance Test Reactor, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK*CEN, Belgian Reactor 2, DOE, Eric van Walle, HFIR, High Flux Isotope Reactor, IAEA, IAEA ICERR, IAEA International Centres based on Research Reactor, ICERR, Idaho National Laboratory, INL, International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear facilities, nuclear research and development, nuclear research center, nuclear research facilities, nuclear science and technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, research reactor, Rick Perry, Thomas Zacharia, Transient Reactor Experiment and Test reactor, TREAT, U.S. Department of Energy, Yukiya Amano

Advertisements

 



Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Some of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require significant time to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More U.S. Department of Energy News

SNS on hiatus for upgrade

The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—already the world’s most powerful accelerator-based neutron source—will be on a planned hiatus through June 2024 as crews work to upgrade the … [Read More...]

Sholl named interim executive director of UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute

David Sholl, director of the Transformational Decarbonization Initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been appointed interim executive director of the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute. His … [Read More...]

ORNL scientist to lead project studying permafrost thaw, climate processes in Alaska

Submitted Colleen Iversen—ecosystem ecologist, group leader, and distinguished staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—has been named director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Next-Generation Ecosystem … [Read More...]

DOE asks for public comment about ETTP groundwater decision

The U.S. Department of Energy has asked for public comment about a proposed plan to reduce groundwater contamination in the main plant area of East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site in west Oak … [Read More...]

Ken Tarcza joins ORAU as chief of staff

Ken Tarcza has joined Oak Ridge Associated Universities as chief of staff. Tarcza comes to ORAU after an impressive military and federal career, a press release said. A graduate of West Point, Tarcza spent his military … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • ORPD investigating fatal crash on South Illinois
  • SNS on hiatus for upgrade
  • County sees increase in infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices
  • ASAP of Anderson welcomes new executive director
  • Briceville Fire Department celebrates new station
  • Officers searching for suspect in fatal shooting
  • Oak Ridge to host movie premiere of ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Oak Ridge Schools to host panel discussion, documentary screening for ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Sam Bush to headline Summer Sessions concert
  • Anderson County government offices closed Monday, Tuesday

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today