Joint Assessment of ETRR-2 Research Reactor Operations Program, Capabilities, and Facilities

Bissani, M ; O' ; Kelly, D S

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

关键词: Training;    Reactor Operation;    Management;    Epithermal Neutrons;    Iaea;   

DOI  :  10.2172/899397
RP-ID  :  UCRL-TR-221284
RP-ID  :  W-7405-ENG-48
RP-ID  :  899397

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

A joint assessment meeting was conducted at the Egyptian Atomic Energy Agency (EAEA) followed by a tour of Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2) on March 22 and 23, 2006. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the capabilities of the new research reactor and its operations under Action Sheet 4 between the U.S. DOE and the EAEA, ''Research Reactor Operation'', and Action Sheet 6, ''Technical assistance in The Production of Radioisotopes''. Preliminary Recommendations of the joint assessment are as follows: (1) ETRR-2 utilization should be increased by encouraging frequent and sustained operations. This can be accomplished in part by (a) Improving the supply-chain management for fresh reactor fuel and alleviating the perception that the existing fuel inventory should be conserved due to unreliable fuel supply; and (b) Promulgating a policy for sample irradiation priority that encourages the use of the reactor and does not leave the decision of when to operate entirely at the discretion of reactor operations staff. (2) Each experimental facility in operation or built for a single purpose should be reevaluated to focus on those that most meet the goals of the EAEA strategic business plan. Temporary or long-term elimination of some experimental programs might be necessary to provide more focused utilization. There may be instances of emerging reactor applications for which no experimental facility is yet designed or envisioned. In some cases, an experimental facility may have a more beneficial use than the purpose for which it was originally designed. For example, (a) An effective Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) program requires nearby high quality medical facilities. These facilities are not available and are unlikely to be constructed near the Inshas site. Further, the BNCT facility is not correctly designed for advanced research and therapy programs using epithermal neutrons. (b) The ETRR-2 is frequently operated to provide color-enhanced gemstones but is operated infrequently for radioisotope production. Because the two irradiation programs compete by utilizing the same core locations, the issues should be resolved at a high level. (c) Cobalt-60 production uses the most valuable irradiation location in the ETRR-2 (the high neutron density flux-trap), but there seems to be no potential customer for the Co-60. Further, the low number of hours the reactor is operated per week precludes ever producing a marketable specific activity of Co-60. Accordingly, Co-60 production should be reevaluated. (d) ETRR-2 staff would benefit from additional training to successfully design new experiment facilities and utilize existing facilities more effectively. This training can include IAEA Fellowships, as well as topical DOE Sister Laboratory visits to gain experience using equipment and research tools at other research reactor facilities.