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Department of Energy designates Advanced Test Reactor a National Scientific User Facility

The Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility

The Department of Energy put the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory on a new plane when it designated the versatile reactor a National Scientific User Facility (NSUF) April 23, 2007.

That designation will help assert United States leadership in nuclear science and technology, and it will attract new users - universities, laboratories and industry - to conduct research at the ATR.

The NSUF will support basic and applied nuclear research and development, furthering President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, which, in turn, will advance the nation's energy security needs.

"Clean, safe nuclear energy must be a component of our nation's energy mix as our economy and demand for clean energy continues to grow," DOE Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon said. "By encouraging research and development at DOE's Idaho facility, we are advancing our nation's scientific know-how - necessary to spur construction of the next generation of nuclear plants."

The ATR NSUF will directly contribute to the development of improved products and processes, encourage innovative scientific research and increase U.S. scientific competitiveness.

The ATR was built to improve the performance of nuclear reactors, and continues to perform this function today., as well as performing an important role in the development of the next generation of reactors. The reactor also produces valuable medical isotopes used in treatments that save thousands of lives each year. As a National Scientific User Facility, the ATR offers unique domestic capabilities for nuclear fuel and reactor materials system development that industry, universities and regulatory agencies will be able to utilize.

DOE officials noted that letters of support from universities, laboratories, industry and other federal programs provided strong evidence for the necessity of the NSUF program.

FY 2008 ATR NSUF Solicitation for Irradiation Experiments

The Fiscal Year 2008 Solicitation for Irradiation Experiments was issued via the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility Website. The deadline for proposal submittal is Monday, Jan. 21, 2008.

This is a pilot solicitation to select at least two experiments for irradiation in FY 2008. The solicitation is limited to U.S. colleges and universities, but encourages collaborations between universities, and, where appropriate, industry partners. Individual research proposals are sought in the areas of core materials and cladding, advanced nuclear fuel development and advanced, in-reactor instrumentation. Full instructions can be obtained at https://secure.inl.gov/atrproposal.

Successful research proposals will pass an independent technical review and show support for Department of Energy research and development programs such as Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, the Next Generation Nuclaer Platn and Light-Water Reactor fuels and materials programs.

Outstanding proposals that cannot be accommodated in FY2008 because of cost, schedule, or complexity may be selected for irradiation in FY2009 or future years.

NSUF Summer School focus on nuclear research

University students and faculty walking to the Advanced Test Reactor (in the background) are among the hundreds of visitors to tour the versatile reactor each year.

Idaho National Laboratory's Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) will offer a one-week summer school, June 16-20, for researchers interested in materials, nuclear fuels and modeling of materials in reactor operating environments.

The summer school also will offer an introduction of NSUF capabilities, safety and engineering disciplines, as well as an overview of facilities associated with post irradiation and analytical analysis.

Applications will be available in January 2008 and will be due Feb. 1, 2008. The application will be posted on the ATR NSUF Web site at: http://nuclear.inl.gov/atr/

Enrollment is open to university students, post-doctoral students, faculty and industry researchers working or studying in the areas of nuclear energy, including engineering, materials science and physics, and related engineering and science fields. Students should be enrolled at the upper level undergraduate or graduate level.

Topics that will be presented are:

• Basics of irradiation damage and corrosion in reactor materials
• Light water reactor fuels and materials
• Fast reactor fuels and materials
• Fuel and material modeling
• Gas reactor fuels
• Capabilities of the ATR NSUF for irradiation testing and post-irradiation examination

There is no registration fee for the 2008 Summer School. Scholarships include travel between the students' homes and Idaho National Laboratory, lodging and meals. Attendance at the summer school will be limited to 25 participants.

Participants not receiving scholarship will be responsible for their own travel, motels and meals.

ATR User Facility first annual workshop brought potential users together to learn about the research asset

Fifty-five nuclear professionals from universities, industry and laboratories attended the ATR National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) first annual workshop in September 2007 to learn about this new program.

What they saw was the versatile Advanced Test Reactor for irradiating experiment specimens: and, at the Hot Fuel Examination Facility, large hot cells equipped with an array of tools for post irradiation examination of specimens and specialized examination equipment.

What they heard was a strong message from the Department of Energy's Principal Deputy Assistance Secretary for Nuclear Energy Shane Johnson who declared that Idaho National Laboratory is "open for business."

Speaking about the resources of the ATR NSUF in particular, but for all Idaho National Laboratory research capabilities in general, Johnson said, "This is a government asset that we are proud of, and we want the university community to get excited about it. The department wants to see ATR used in pursuit of nuclear science and engineering development."

A key aspect of the NSUF is to make INL's testing and examination facilities available to the university and industry researchers. To promote accessibility, DOE-Idaho Deputy Manager for Nuclear Energy Ray Furstenau said, "We are going to develop a simple, reasonable and attractive model that encourages and enables customers to use the ATR. We will make the process of getting an experiment into the ATR simpler, faster and more cost-effective."

Mitchell Meyer, interim director of the NSUF, said 2008 will be an ambitious year. Among the goals:

• Sponsor at least two pilot experiments chosen through a peer-review selection process, with experiment results to be published.
• Begin long-term irradiation testing collaboration among university and industry researchers and national laboratories.
• Enhance irradiation and post irradiation examination capability.
• Create ATR-specific university and industry educational initiatives, including a summer school program that will include hands-on experience and sponsor ATR NSUF summer internships.

DOE commits $15 million to INL for post-irradiation examination equipment

Technicians at the Hot Fuel Examination Facility will use state-of-the-art Post-Irradiation Examination equipment to study test materials taken from the Advanced Test Reactor.

The U.S. Department of Energy has provided $15 million for new post-irradiation examination equipment at Idaho National Laboratory. The state-of-the-art equipment will be a key asset to Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility researchers.

The equipment will be purchased and installed during the period from 2007 to 2009 and will bring additional world-class nuclear research capabilities to INL. Equipment will include a shielded electron microprobe for microchemical analysis on irradiated fuel and material specimens, a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope that will allow preparation of small specimens for transmission electron microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy, and micro x-ray diffraction.

The equipment will allow researchers to more accurately characterize the behavior of experimental nuclear fuels and materials after they are removed from the Advanced Test Reactor. The accurate and detailed characterization of irradiated experimental specimens, when used in conjunction with computer modeling, will allow the DOE to better understand the behavior of the advanced fuels and materials and guide further development of robust and efficient nuclear reactors.