North Carolina State University reactor program

Template:Infobox Reactor The first university based reactor program and Nuclear Engineering curricula began at NC State and is still running. The first research reactor was built in 1953, scaled up in 1957 and 1960 (referred to as R-1, R-2, and R-3), and finally deactivated in 1973 to make way for the PULSTAR reactor. The old reactor is now decommissioned and the PULSTAR is used for a variety of purposes which include training and research. The reactor has been and remains to be located in Burlington Engineering laboratories on main campus, which was built when the first reactor was built and then expanded to and renamed when the PULSTAR was built.

The current reactor is one of two PULSTAR reactors built, and the only still in operation. The other reactor was a 2 MW reactor at the University of Buffalo, which went critical in 1964 and was decommissioned in 1994.

Current Reactor Operations

The "observation room" of NC State's Pulstar Nuclear Reactor.

The PULSTAR reactor is situated along Engineering Row in the main campus, surrounded by Mann Hall, Daniels, Polk hall, and a park. The reactor has a dedicated building and uses one cooling tower which can be seen releasing water vapor when the reactor is at a high power. This building is not a Containment building but maintains a negative pressure so that should there be a release of radioactive material, it would not seep out and would be contained in the reactor building. The reactor can be operated up to a power of 100 kW on only natural circulation, after which pumps must be turned on.

The reactor enriches the department curricula by providing hands on experience as well as training for students. Department enrollment was 72 total undergraduate students, 15 masters students, and 22 PhD students in 2002, all of whom directly benefit from use of the reactor. Additionally, 34 researches outside of Nuclear Engineering use the reactor and associated facilities.

The primary research purpose of the reactor is to provide a neutron source for activities such as Neutron activation analysis. For example, Cobalt-60 irradiators are used by a number of departments to sterilize biological samples. It is also used for professional training for nuclear utility operators and engineers, DOE Interns, State and local radiation protection personnel.

This reactor is particularly well suited for duplicating the fuel performance of power reactors. The core consists of low enriched Uranium pins that are intended to be very similar to what is used in commercial nuclear power plants. This reactor was one of only two Pulstar reactors ever built.

There are five beam ports adjacent to the core of the reactor. This reactor is also well suited for experiments requiring a large neutron flux because peaking occurs around the edge of the core due to under moderation.

The PULSTAR reactor is a public facility and gives frequent tours with advance notice and clearance.

In September of 2007, students, faculty and staff produced the most intense operating positron (antimatter electron) beam anywhere in the world, according to a story written by NC State's Dave Pond, which can be viewed at http://ncsu.edu/featured-stories/innovation-discovery/oct-2007/antimatter-nuclear/index.php.

Early History

The first reactor was a part of a 1-story building called Burlington Nuclear Laboratories at the time and currently referred to as the old building of the Burlington Engineering Labs, which has classrooms surrounding the reactor bay. The old building is still in use with the reactor bay housing various new projects. The reactor itself has been completely decommissioned and moved out.

R-1

Picture of R-1 reactor while still in construction from University Archives

In 1950, Dr. Clifford K. Beck was recruited from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to join the faculty with plans to make NCSU the first academic institution to operate a nuclear reactor.

The first reactor at an academic institution went critical on September 5, 1953, approximately four years after construction had been started. This reactor was dubbed R-1 because it was the first university research reactor. It was a 10 kW, homogeneous reactor using highly-enriched Uranyl Sulfate as fuel. It operated for a short time but was shut down due to corrosion problems that lead to fuel leakage. Howard Blakeslee, science editor of Associated Press Service, called the reactor the First Temple of the Atom because of the public nature of this reactor.

In 1954 construction of Burlington Nuclear Laboratory began with funds from the AEC and Burlington Mills. The purpose of this building was to house the successor to the R-1. Also in 1954 the fist two PhD's in Nuclear Engineering were presented.

In 1955, Dr. Raymond L. Murray, another recruit from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, joined the faculty, who later became the longest serving department head.

R-3

In 1956 work to build a heterogeneous reactor called R-3 began. This design was to use Materials Test Reactor plate-type fuel in Burlington Nuclear Labs. This reactor operated at a maximum power of 100 kW.

In the late 1950’s, Dr. Raymond L. Murray became head of the Applied Physics department where he also provided leadership to the beginning of a nuclear engineering educational program. The decision was made to offer the first B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering in the nation. In 1959 Clifford Beck departed the program to accept a position with the newly created Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington. Raymond Murray and Professor Harold Lammonds assumed supervision of the nuclear program.

Between 1962 and 1964, the shielding of the R-3 reactor was extended to allow operation at higher power levels and this improved reactor began operation in 1963, operating at a steady-state power level of 250kW. This reactor became a major part of the nuclear engineering instructional program and also began to provide some services in radioisotope production and neutron activation analysis.

In 1963 Raymond Murray resigned his position as head of Applied Physics to become Department Head of Nuclear Engineering. Simultaneous with this decision, the Nuclear Engineering Department was transferred from Applied Physics into the School of Engineering, then headed by Dr. Ralph E. Fadum, Dean.

Through the late 60s and early 70s the Air Force and Army began to send qualified students to the program to obtain M.S. degrees and later staff the nuclear programs in their own organizations. In the 70’s, the NESEP program (Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program) brought a number of well qualified enlisted men into the nuclear program to earn undergraduate degrees and a number of foreign countries contributed students to earn BS, MS or PhD degrees and then return to their respective countries.

By the time of shutdown, the reactor had achieved a total of 2 Megawatt-days of operation.

History After Construction of the PULSTAR

View looking down on the reactor pool

Internal discussions within Nuclear Engineering focused upon whether it would be better to further upgrade the R-3 reactor for both teaching and research or to shut down the reactor completely and replace it with an entirely new reactor. Dr. Martin Welt championed the latter point of view and this position was adopted by the department.

A new 3-story addition to Burlington Labs was constructed (the new building) and between the new building and the old building a reactor building was constructed along with a loading dock and walkway that bridged the old and new buildings. The reactor building housed the 1 MW pool nuclear reactor manufactured by AMF and known as the “Pulstar” reactor, named for its pulsing ability, where it can safely become super prompt critical and produce very short pulses of radiation.

The reactor became operational August 25, 1972, replacing the previous series. The initial costs were reported to be 1.5 M US$.

In the 1980s a Prompt Gamma facility and a Neutron Radiography facility were added. The prompt gamma facility preforms the analysis of elements that emit characteristic signatures immediately on neutron capture. The Neutron Radiography facility provides imaging capabilities to the fundamental difference in the interaction of neutrons with nuclei in comparison to the interaction of x-rays and electrons.

In 1997 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a 20 year license extension.

Facilities

Neutron Imaging Facility

Neutron radiography is a powerful non-destructive imaging technique for the internal evaluation of materials or components. It involves the attenuation of a neutron beam by an object to be radiographed, and registration of the attenuation process (as an image) digitally or on film. Neutron radiography is similar in principle to X-ray radiography, and is complimentary in the nature of information supplied. The interactions of X-rays and neutrons with matter are fundamentally different, however, forming the basis of many unique applications using neutrons. While X-rays interact with the electron cloud surrounding the nucleus of an atom, neutrons interact with the nucleus itself. For more information see neutron radiology.

Ultra Cold Neutron Source

The Ultra Cold Neutron Source (UCNS) uses neutrons produced in the reactor by slowing them down through a chamber of methane and other materials and holds them in a tank of D₂O. This addition is essentially a tap of neutrons from a beamport adjacent to the reaction to do this research.

External links

• Official site
• ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review
• Article by The Technician (the NCSU campus paper) about the PULSTAR (mirrored version)
• Nuclear Engineering Collections at NCSU