University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory

Short description: Laboratory in Lowell, Massachusetts

UMLRR

Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 522: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/Massachusetts" does not exist.
Operating Institution| University of Massachusetts Lowell
Location| Lowell, Massachusetts
Coordinates|  [ ⚑ ] : 42°39′17″N 71°19′30″W﻿ / ﻿42.65472°N 71.325°W﻿ / 42.65472; -71.325
Type| Pool
Power| 860420650 cal(th)/h
Construction and Upkeep
Construction Cost| $1.2 million USD
Construction Began| 1974
First Criticality| 1975 January 2
Annual Upkeep Cost| $0.3 million USD
Staff| 2
Operators| 6
Technical Specifications
Max Thermal Flux| 1.4e13 n/cm^2-s
Max Fast Flux| 9.2e12 n/cm^2-s
Fuel Type| plate type
18 per assembly
Cooling| light water
Neutron Moderator| light water
Neutron Reflector| graphite, light water
Control Rods| Boron-Aluminium-Carbide (Boral)
4 per element
Cladding Material| aluminium alloy

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 MV Van de Graaff accelerator.

## Contents

* 1 Reactor
* 1.1 Conversion to LEU
* 1.2 Neutron Irradiation Capabilities
* 2 References
* 3 External links

## Reactor

First startup was January 2, 1975.[2] A budget for the reactor is not provided from the university or from 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

1. ↑ "University of Massachusetts, Lowell - Safety Analysis Report, (Chapters 1-7) Redacted For Public Release". https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1604/ML16042A017.pdf.
2. ↑ "Nuclear Research Reactors in the World". http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/rrdb/.
3. ↑ Velella, Rob. "Nuclear Fallout" from The UMass Lowell Connector (student newspaper). November 20, 2001. p. 1
4. ↑ Binney, S.E.; S.R. Reese (February 22, 2000). "University Research Reactors: Contributing to the National Scientific and Engineering Infrastructure from 1953 to 2000 and Beyond". National Organization of Test, Research and Training Reactors. http://www.trtr.org/Links/TRTR_February.html.
5. ↑ http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/820521-ejbp9X/native/820521.pdf [bare URL PDF]
6. ↑ "University of Massachusetts, Lowell - Safety Analysis Report (Chapters 8 - 15) Redacted For Public Release". https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1604/ML16042A016.pdf.

## External links

* Applied Physics Departmental Site
* ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Organization:University_of_Massachusetts_Lowell_Radiation_Laboratory&oldid=3397275"