Partial view of
the IEA-R1
reactor core |
Mission
To develop scientific research and to provide services using the
Nuclear Reactor IEA-R1 as a source of neutrons and gamma radiation,
generating scientific and technological knowledge, contributing to
human resources development and to the improvement of the
quality of life of
the Brazilian population.
The Research Reactor Center (CRPq) operates and maintains the IEA-R1 research reactor at IPEN. The CRPq has a three-fold mission of promoting basic and applied research in nuclear and neutron related sciences, providing educational opportunities for students in these fields including Postgraduate and under-graduate teaching, and providing services and applications resulting from the reactor utilization. The research programs include topics in nuclear and solid-state physics, nuclear metrology, and radiochemistry, covering both fundamental questions and applied science. Most of the programs have strong ties to universities, other national research institutes and research laboratories. CRPq takes its role quite seriously as one of the major research nuclear reactor facility in the country providing educational opportunities to students in their programs related to nuclear sciences.
The scientific programs at CRPq span several multidisciplinary, fundamental and applied research areas. Specific research programs include low energy nuclear physics, nuclear and neutron metrology, neutron physics, nuclear hyperfine interaction and neutron activation analysis.
A major program to upgrade the diffractometer installed at the beam-hole BH-6 of the reactor was concluded during the year 2004. The project, in collaboration with the Missouri university research reactor (MURR) includes 9 position sensitive detectors (PSD), a rotating-oscillating collimator and an elastically bent silicon single crystal monochromator. The PSD stack will allow simultaneous measurement of neutron intensity in an angular interval of 30° and the monochromator will permit the choice of three different neutron wavelengths. The combination of monochromator and PSD will lead to a considerable improvement in the spectral resolution and the data collection efficiency over the existing configuration. The new neutron diffractometer is an important and unique research facility not only in the country but also in the region and is open to interested users from the universities and research institutions.
The first generation real-time neutron radiography equipment installed at the beam-hole BH-8, of the reactor in the year 2000, has been operating regularly and being used intensively in the research and neutron radiography services.
Aiming at the production of primary radioisotopes like 99Mo, precursor of 99mTc and 131I, widely used in nuclear medicine, a modernization program for the safe and sustainable operation of the reactor was started several years ago. Under this program a new system for the treatment and purification of the reactor pool water was acquired and installed in 2004 replacing the old one. The original control and safety rods of the reactor, which had started to show the signs of ageing, were replaced by new ones fabricated at IPEN. The reactor operated during 2003-2004 at 3 MW and it is planned to raise the power gradually to 5 MW. It is further planned to increase the reactor operation cycle from the present 64 hours to 120 hour continuous per week to meet the increasing demand of 131I.
Rajendra Narain Saxena
Manager
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