MIT Nuclear Research Reactor

MITR-II
MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with Tower Tech cooling tower in the foreground
Location of MITR-II
Operating Institution	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°21′37″N 71°05′47″W / 42.36028°N 71.09639°W / 42.36028; -71.09639Coordinates: 42°21′37″N 71°05′47″W / 42.36028°N 71.09639°W / 42.36028; -71.09639
Type	tank
Power	6 MW (thermal)
Construction and Upkeep
Construction Cost	$3 million USD
Construction Began	1956 June
First Criticality	1958 July
Annual Upkeep Cost	$2.5 million USD
Staff	36
Operators	15
Refuel Frequency	3-4 months
Technical Specifications
Max Thermal Flux	7.00E+13 n/cm^2-s
Max Fast Flux	1.70E+14 n/cm^2-s
Fuel Type	plate type (24 to 27x)
Cooling	light water
Neutron Moderator	light water
Neutron Reflector	heavy water, graphite
Control Rods	boron & stainless steel (6x) aluminum rod with cadmium wrap (1)
Cladding Material	aluminum alloy

The MIT Nuclear Research Reactor (MITR) serves the research purposes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a tank-type 6 MW reactor that is moderated and cooled by light water and uses heavy water as a reflector. It is the second largest university based research reactor in the U.S. (after the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center) and has been in operation since 1958.^[1] It is the fourth-oldest operating reactor in the country.^[2]

Technical specifications

The MITR-II design uses finned plate-type fuel arranged in a hexagonal pattern of rhomboid fuel assemblies. Power is controlled by 6 manual boron-stainless steel blade-type control rods and one aluminum with cadmium control rod which can be placed on automatic control. Light water flows upwards through the core and a tank of heavy water surrounds the core. A wall of dense concrete that serves as shielding surrounds the tank of heavy water. The maximum coolant temperature is 55 degrees Celsius. The light water and heavy water are cooled using forced circulation through heat exchangers to a secondary coolant system. The heat from the reactor is ultimately dissipated to the atmosphere via the secondary cooling system using two modular Tower Tech cooling towers - model TTXL-081950;.^[3]

The reactor uses highly enriched uranium fuel, in the form of uranium-aluminum cermet with aluminum cladding.

Refueling takes place 3 to 4 times every year. A single refueling consists of rearranging the assemblies in the core or a combination of rearranging and replacement of old assemblies with new ones. This is more frequent than both nuclear power plants, which may go 17 to 23 months between refueling outages when they rearrange the entire core and replace 1/3 to 1/2 of the core, and most research reactors (particularly university reactors), many of which go decades without refueling due to the high energy density of nuclear fuel and infrequent use at high power levels.

Uses

The MITR research program encompasses most aspects of neutron science and engineering including nuclear medicine. Some of these activities are:

• Boron neutron capture therapy
• Radiation synovectomy
• Neutron activation analysis for the identification of trace elements and isotope ratios in geological specimens
• Fission engineering
• Materials testing
• Training
• Neutron transmutation doping of silicon

The MITR is one of only six facilities in the world to be engaged in patient trials for the use of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) to treat both brain tumors and skin cancer. The MITR fission converter beam is the first to be designed for BNCT.

References

• Perez, Pedro B. (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. 
• K J Riley; P J Binns; O K Harling (2003). "Performance characteristics of the MIT fission converter based epithermal neutron beam". Physics in Medicine and Biology. 48 (7): 943–58. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/48/7/310. PMID 12701897. 
• "Research Reactor Details - MITR-II Mass. Inst. Tech.". Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
• MITR Staff, Safety Analysis Report for the MIT Research Reactor (MITR-II), MITNE-15, Nuclear Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oct. 1970.

External links

• Media related to MIT Nuclear Research Reactor at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Site
• 2004-5 Report to the MIT President
• ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review
• Refuting of ABC's claims about reactor by Cambridge Mayor

United States research reactors
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Licensed and operating research reactors (university-based)	Armed Forces Radiobiological Research Institute Cornell University Idaho State University Kansas State University Missouri University of Science and Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology North Carolina State University Ohio State University Oregon State University Penn State University Purdue University Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Texas A&M University University of Arizona University of California University of Florida University of Maryland University of Massachusetts Lowell University of Michigan University of Missouri University of New Mexico University of Texas at Austin University of Utah University of Wisconsin-Madison Washington State University Worcester Polytechnic Institute
U.S. company-operated research reactors	Aerotest Operations Inc. Dow Chemical Company General Electric Company Rhode Island Atomic Energy Commission U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Veterans Administration
U.S. National Labs with nuclear research reactors	Argonne National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (All Shut down) Hanford Site Idaho National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory Savannah River Site