University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory

Laboratory in Lowell, Massachusetts From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratorymap

The Radiation Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Lowell serves the Department of Applied Physics among others. The laboratory contains the University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor (UMLRR), a 1 MW pool-type research reactor[1] that has been operating since 1974, along with a 300 kCi Co-60 gamma ray source and a 5.5 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator.

Quick Facts UMLRR, Operating Institution ...
UMLRR
Thumb
Thumb
Location of UMLRR
Operating InstitutionUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell
LocationLowell, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°39′17″N 71°19′30″W
TypePool
Power860420650 cal(th)/h
Construction and Upkeep
Construction Cost$1.2 million USD
Construction Began1974
First Criticality1975 January 2
Annual Upkeep Cost$0.3 million USD
Staff2
Operators6
Technical Specifications
Max Thermal Flux1.4e13 n/cm^2-s
Max Fast Flux9.2e12 n/cm^2-s
Fuel Typeplate type
18 per assembly
Coolinglight water
Neutron Moderatorlight water
Neutron Reflectorgraphite, light water
Control RodsBoron-Aluminium-Carbide (Boral)
4 per element
Cladding Materialaluminium alloy
Close

Reactor

The first startup was on January 2, 1975.[2] A budget for the reactor is not provided by the university or the state; funding comes from customer irradiations, grants, and the United States Department of Energy.[3][4]

Conversion to LEU

The UMass Lowell reactor has been one of the many research reactors to make the conversion from high-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) as a part of anti-terrorism security measures.[5] The used HEU fuel was reportedly shipped to the Savannah River Site. The original shipping date was June 2002 but had been postponed many times. As of present-day the shipments have been made and the reactor is in operation with LEU.

Neutron Irradiation Capabilities

Neutron irradiation facilities at the UMLRR include: 1x 8-inch beam port, 2x 6-inch beam ports, in-core radiation baskets & flux trap, thermal column, and fast neutron irradiator (FNI).[6]

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.