Oregon State University Radiation Center

The Oregon State University Radiation Center (OSURC) is a research facility that houses a nuclear reactor at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The Oregon State TRIGA Reactor (OSTR) serves the research needs of the OSU nuclear engineering department along with other departments (notably medical applications).

Entrance to the Radiation Center

About 70% of the research projects at the OSU Radiation Center use the reactor.

Reactor overview
Exterior of reactor

The radiation center is located on the west side of the OSU campus, across the street from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices and about half a mile from Reser Stadium.[1]

The reactor is a Mark II TRIGA reactor with a maximum thermal output of 1.1 MW and can be pulsed up to a power of 3000 MW for a very short time.[2] The fuel is low enriched uranium.[3] Operation began in 1967.[1][2]

The reactor supported 96 academic courses in 1999. These courses were in chemistry, civil engineering, chemical engineering, geosciences, oceanography and atmospheric sciences, bioresource engineering, honors college and naval engineering disciplines.[2]

The OSU Radiation center supported 126 projects in 2000 with 69% directly involving use of the OSTR.[2] Contracts supporting these projects in 2000 totaled $3 million.[2]

The mission statement of the center is

To serve as the campus wide teaching, research, and service facility for programs involving the use of ionizing radiation and radioactive materials.[4]

Thermal column

The thermal column is a large graphite slab that pierces the concrete bioshield of the reactor and makes contact with the graphite neutron reflector surrounding the core. The purpose of the thermal column is to create an irradiation facility that filters out high energy neutrons to create a high thermal neutron flux. The thermal column is primarily used for fission tracking of certain minerals that contain fissile material.

In-Core Irradiation Facilities

OSTR has six in-core irradiation facilities:

The Cadmium-Lined In-Core Irradiation Tube (or CLICIT) is a vacuum-filled irradiation facility occupying a fuel slot in the central area of the core. Cadmium is a thermal neutron absorber, allowing only epithermal neutrons and fast neutrons to enter. The primary purpose of this facility is Ar-Ar dating and K-Ar dating via neutron activation.

The Cadmium-Lined Outer-Core Irradiation Tube (or CLOCIT) is a vacuum-filled irradiation facility occupying a fuel slot in one of the outer rings of the core. Its purpose is similar to the CLICIT, however due to its location, irradiations take 1.8 times longer than the CLICIT.

The In-Core Irradiation Tube (or ICIT) is located in the same ring as the CLOCIT and is the highest neutron flux facility offered at OSTR. It is similar to the CLICIT and CLOCIT but it lacks Cadmium lining, resulting in unfiltered neutron irradiation.

The Rotating Rack, colloquially known as the Lazy Susan, is a ring surrounding the core between the core and the graphite neutron reflector. It rotates around the core about once a minute, providing an even flux to the samples inside. This facility has 40 nitrogen-filled slots for samples to be irradiated in.

The Pneumatic Transfer System, colloquially known as the Rabbit, is an irradiation facility that is pneumatically operated to rapidly insert and remove samples during operation. The primary purpose of this facility is to perform neutron activation analysis on isotopes with short half-lives.

The Central Thimble is a water-filled tube extending down the central position of the core. Its purpose is to provide the highest flux available in the core; however, it is currently not in use at OSTR.

Safety

Oregon Department of Energy has coordinated the HAZMAT Radiological Training Courses at the center for HAZMAT response teams throughout the state of Oregon for the last 15 years.[2] Additionally, federal guidelines require a rapid, armed response to incidents that may occur at the Radiation Center, which is provided by the on-campus Public Safety force since 2021. Prior to this, OSU contracted with Oregon State Police since 1989 for this role.[5]

Forensic analysis

The reactor has also used Neutron activation analysis to help with the forensic analysis in a high-profile serial killer case (the I-5 Bandit) and several other cases.[6]

Research

The following are some ongoing projects in conjunction with the reactor:

References
  1. ABC News: Oregon State University
  2. Binney, S.E.; S.R. Reese; D.S. Pratt (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. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  3. http://www.rertr.anl.gov/RERTR31/pdf/S4-P2%20_Keller.pdf
  4. Building On A Vision: Research, Testing Facilities & Labs
  5. "FAQ". Oregon State University Public Safety. OSU Department of Public Safety. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  6. 4-07-98 TV detective series to dust off old technology

44.565196°N 123.28913°W / 44.565196; -123.28913

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