REACTOR DESIGN | EXPLORING INL INL’s future focus For more than 70 years the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been
at the forefront of reactor research and continues to pioneer novel designs and fuels to power them. Dr Jess C. Gehin, Associate Laboratory Director of
Nuclear Science & Technology tells NEI about the cutting edge of nuclear research By Judith Perera
NEI: Please give a brief history of INL and the facilities currently available to support the development of advanced reactors and new nuclear fuels? Idaho National Laboratory (INL) originates from the National Reactor Testing Station, which was established in 1949 to provide a location to develop, test, and demonstrate civilian reactor systems and support the nuclear navy. The site is well known for its first reactor, the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I), which started operations in December 1951. EBR-I was the first nuclear reactor to produce usable amounts of electricity. The reactor was also novel in that it used a liquid metal coolant and operated using a fast neutron spectrum that enabled demonstration of nuclear fuel breeding, a key concept for maximizing uranium resource use. Over the ensuing decades, 52 reactors were operated on the site establishing the technical and scientific basis that underpins the safe operation of our current commercial reactors as well as for the development of future advanced reactor concepts. Four of those 52 reactors are still operating. There are many research and development facilities at the laboratory that support nuclear energy development, but some key facilities are summarized below: 1) Research fuel fabrication facilities – INL has several facilities devoted to developing and fabricating nuclear fuels for research and development. These facilities can produce metallic- and ceramic-based fuels that support testing in INL’s test reactors and commercial power reactors.
2) Fuels and material irradiation capabilities: a. The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) provides steady- state irradiation capabilities for reactor fuels and materials testing, which supports nearly all U.S. reactors in operation or planned, including research reactors, commercial power reactors, naval reactors and future reactors. b. The Transient Reactor Test facility (TREAT) provides powerful reactor pulses that can test the performance of fuels and materials during power excursions. The TREAT building will also serve as the operational location for the MARVEL reactor.
3) Irradiated fuels examination facilities – INL has three primary irradiated fuels and materials examination facilities: a. The Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) is a large hot cell facility that can be used to perform engineering- scale examinations of irradiated fuels and materials. HFEF can accommodate a full range of fuels from TRISO coated particle fuels, metallic fuels and light water reactor fuels. The facility is also used to create samples to be sent to other facilities for more detailed examinations. b. Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL) contains a wide range of unique scientific instruments that allow researchers to examine the microstructure of nuclear fuels and materials to gain a fundamental understanding of material performance under irradiation. c. Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL) is a new facility still under construction that will provide leading
Above: Molten salt reactors are an active area of nuclear research at INL 14 | March 2024 |
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