During the spring semester, student researchers from the Advanced Materials Laboratory as well as students enrolled in Dr. Jaques’ Nuclear Materials course, toured Idaho National Laboratory (INL) facilities. Undergraduates and graduate students toured the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL), Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-I), and Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). Below, students share their favorite part of the tour.
Sarah: My favorite part of the tour was pressing the SCRAM button at EBR I. I learned that at the Materials and Fuels Complex, the engineers use robotic arms to conduct post-irradiation examination in an inert atmosphere hot cell.
Will: My favorite part of the trip would have to be visiting the CAES NuScale SMR simulator room. It’s amazing to see the advancement in safety and capability that the newest reactors under development are capable of. I learned is that the design of the SMR is unitized (it has a single shell, containing its reactor core, pressurizer, and steam generators). Not only will this improve thermal efficiency, but it simplifies the arrangement of components and it should speed manufacturing.
Cade: My favorite part of the tour was visiting the hot cell and the ATR. I learned all about the operation of equipment and machinery in nuclear glove boxes or hot cells. I also liked learning about the compartments in ATR that can be rented to irradiate samples.
Ryan: My favorite part of the tour was the hot cell and I learned a lot about experimentation with highly radioactive material.
Kaelee: My favorite part of the tour was watching group members excited to see an actual reactor. While many of us have done nuclear-related research for a few years, most have never physically seen a reactor or a hot cell. I believe going and seeing those things can bring excitement back to your own research because you begin to see the importance of what you are doing in the greater scheme of things. I learned that the Advanced Test Reactor has about 75 testing locations and it can run a variety of experiments at the same time because the serpentine-shaped core can operate at different power levels.
Tim: My favorite part about the tour was seeing the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) out at the Materials Fuels Complex (MFC). I learned that it can take upwards of two years to be able to be certified to operate the manipulators for remote control in the hot cell.
Scott: My favorite part of the tour was the Advanced Test Reactor facility. I learned that the fuel in ATR is highly enriched uranium clad in an aluminum alloy. Specifically, it was interesting seeing how the fuel was integrated into the fuel assembly.
