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VERSATILE TEST REACTOR Experimental Capabilities: Driving Nuclear Innovation

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VERSATILE TEST REACTOR Experimental Capabilities: Driving Nuclear Innovation VERSATILE TEST REACTOR Experimental Capabilities: Driving Nuclear Innovation WHAT ARE THE VTR test vehicles will have large VTR TEST VEHICLES? irradiation test volumes—more than VTR SYNERGY 7 liters per vehicle—that will be he United States has long been There will be four test vehicle available to all users. The VTR will categories for inserting a leader in the development be able to accommodate up to five T experiments into the VTR: of nuclear technologies. However, NTA’s, four ELTA’s, and one RTA the U.S. lacks a fast neutron testing • Dismountable Test Assembly described above. Many more test (DTA): A modified driver fuel capability to support advanced positions will be available for DTA’s. assembly that will have an insert nuclear technology, thereby placing that replaces the middle 7-19 HOW DOES THE VTR WORK the U.S. industry in a position to rely on pins of the driver fuel, which can WITH PARTNERS TO ADVANCE foreign services to support advanced contain fuel or material tests. The EXPERIMENT CAPABILITIES? reactor research and development. DTA insert can remain for one The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) is cycle, or for as many cycles as Eighteen universities, nine private the material limits of the insert entities/industry partners and intended to fill this long-standing gap, allow. The DTA insert will be six national laboratories are leveraging previous and existing U.S. removable and a new insert can collaborating within each of the test government and industry investments be loaded (during any outage). vehicle categories and key areas. in nuclear reactors to accelerate the design and construction process, using • Normal Test Assembly (NTA): The objective is to cover the wide These are the standard range of potential experiment proven nuclear reactor technology to non-instrumented open test designs that meet the needs of create a world-class test facility. assemblies that are the same relevant stakeholders and size, flat-to-flat, as the driver fuel potential users. assemblies. These experiments WHAT EXPERIMENTAL are fuels or materials. CAPABILITIES WILL THE VTR Thermocouple PROVIDE? • Extended Length Test Assembly (ELTA): These are The VTR provides a platform to test assemblies that contain Gas Line accelerate nuclear technology various sensors and instruments development for today’s light water capable of manipulating the reactors and tomorrow’s advanced test environment (temperature, reactors by conducting research in flow, etc.) during the test, and several key areas: may contain a coolant system Graphite Screw • Molten Salt Reactors segregated from the reactor/ Fuel Body Lid primary sodium coolant. All • Gas-cooled Fast Reactors ELTA’s extend through the • Lead-cooled Fast Reactors reactor head, and can contain Fuel Stack • Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors fuels or materials. Matrix Material • Structural Materials Testing • Rabbit Test Assembly (RTA), • Rabbit Systems (for rapid specimen/ or rapid shuttle system for test insertion and retrieval) short term irradiations: ideal for • Digital Engineering & Virtual irradiating samples for short Insulators Design and Construction periods of time and extracting them quickly. • Instrumentation & Controls 19-GA50603 A typical example of a test vehicle he VTR is already helping to HOW WILL RESEARCHERS University Partners BE ABLE TO ACCESS VTR address challenges faced by Abilene Christian University T CAPABILITIES? Fort Lewis College reactor innovators today through In general, the VTR will operate Georgia Tech Idaho State University development of innovative as a national user facility. Users Illinois Institute of Technology will be provided access to the sensors and monitoring systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology VTR, technical expertise from North Carolina State University digital engineering approaches, experienced scientists and Oregon State University engineers, and assistance with Purdue University enhanced modeling, and new Texas A&M University experiment design, assembly, University of California, Berkeley measurement techniques. safety analysis and examination. University of Idaho Access to user facilities is typically University of Michigan provided through open and University of New Mexico competitive review processes. University of Pittsburgh University of Utah The Nuclear Science User Facility University of Wisconsin-Madison (NSUF) will be used as the model Virginia Commonwealth University for scientific experiments. However, not all proposed experiments will National Laboratory Partners be subject to a peer reviewed Argonne National Laboratory competitive process. Idaho National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory Experiments important to national Pacific Northwest National Laboratory programs and important to Savannah River National Laboratory addressing emerging needs in the nuclear industry will receive Industry Partners a higher priority. International The Cameron Group experiments covered under Cosylab international collaboration EPRI Framatome agreements will also be a priority. GE-Hitachi/Bechtel General Atomics Other users will be accommodated Orano with full cost-recovery based TerraPower Westinghouse MEDIA CONTACT on availability of experimental positions. U.S. Department of Energy Kortny Rolston-Duce VTR Communications Director [email protected] TECHNICAL CONTACT Kevan Weaver VTR Experiments Technical Integration Principal [email protected] VTR Core Map Driver fuel rods (66) and/or DTAs (Dismountable Test Assembly) Control rod (6) Safety rod (3) ELTAs (Extended Length Test Assemblies) and/or RTA (Rabbit Test Assembly) locations NTA (Normal Test Assembly) and/or DTA (Dismountable Test Assembly) locations VTR Reflector VERSATILE Shield TEST REACTOR 19-50625_R10.
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