Ford Nuclear Reactor Phoenix Memorial Laboratory
2JCIJ FF1E JNLYE1 :r’r- C) MXCDHLCAN (((f/im) N U CD2L E Ak!?. I E Ak CD C) I?. L Ak 13 C)EAk’F C)I?.Y \\\(znj J/J/ r1?.Iv viw First Year, No.1 North Campus Winter, 1988 2301 Bonisteel Boulevard Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2100
MICHIGAN MEMORIAL - PHOENIX PROJECT The Michigan Memorial - Phoenix Project has been providing radiation laboratory and reactor services to The University of Michigan since it was established in 1948. This quarterly review has been started to make more faculty and staff members aware of the fact that these services are available, and to provide them with specific examples of the types of research and experimental programs being conducted. Project Charter The Nuclear Reactor Laboratory includes the Ford Nuclear Reactor and the Phoenix Memorial Laboratory, and is operated by the Michigan Memorial - Phoenix Project. The Project, established as a memorial to students and alumni of the University who died in World War II, encourages and supports research related to peaceful uses of nuclear energy and its social implications. The Nuclear Reactor Laboratory and a faculty research grant program are the means by which the Project carries out its charter. Nuclear Reactor Laboratory The primary purpose of the Nuclear Reactor laboratory is to provide University faculty with the special facilities needed for nuclear energy research and teaching. In addition, the facilities and services of the Laboratory are available for use by other colleges and universities, hospitals, industry, and electric utilities. Facilities and Services The Ford Nuclear Reactor provides a source of high energy neutrons, low energy neutrons, and gamma rays that can be used for a variety of applications including: radiation damage and effects studies, neutron activation analysis, neutron radiography, neutron scattering studies, neutron spectroscopy, and radioisotope production.
A large cobalt-60 gamma source is located in the Phoenix Memorial Laboratory. The cobalt-60 facility is used for studies of the effects of gamma radiation, and for sterilization of a variety of materials including bone and tissue used in reconstructive surgery.
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The Laboratory contains eight chemistry and two physics laboratories. In addition to standard equipment such as air, gas, vacuum, and water lines, the laboratories are equipped with radioactive drains to retention tanks, hoods that exhaust through particulate filters and filters that trap volatiles such as iodine, and utility supplies for portable glove boxes.
A variety of specially equipped laboratories are offered including a greenhouse, a darkroom, and a cold storage room. Services are available from machine and electronic shops. Two large, shielded rooms called hot caves are available for remote handling, examination, and limited machining of highly radioactive materials. Each hot cave is equipped with master-slave manipulators, a remotely operated hoist, and ports for service connections. Laboratory Operating Schedule The Ford Nuclear Reactor operates on a two—week cycle. The reactor is operated continuously at its licensed power level of two megawatts from Tuesday morning of the first week through Thursday midnight of the second week. Almost ten days of continuous operation are achieved. Approximately four days of shutdown time between the operating days are used for routine maintenance and system calibrations required by the reactor license. While normal facility hours during which technical assistance is available are 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, the Laboratory can be made available twenty—four hours a day, seven days a week to researchers. The cobalt-60 irradiation facility operates on a continuous schedule. It is available for use twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.
FORD NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATION The Ford Nuclear Reactor operates at full power, two megawatts, for ten days followed by four days of shutdown for maintenance. At full power, typical values of reactor neutron fluxes and gamma dose rates at experiment locations around the core are: Thermal Neutron Flux (n/cm Is) 131x10 Fast Neutron Flux > 1 2MeV (n/cm is) 123x10 Gamma Dose Rate (rad/hr) 2 76x10 Much of the reactor utilization comes from the Nuclear Engineering Department, primarily because of long term neutron beam experiments that involve continuous use of the reactor for gathering data. The Chemistry Department is also a regular user. A number of other departments use the facility for special projects.
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The following are representative programs of faculty and graduate students to which the laboratory has provided assistance. This listing does not include activities that involve faculty and students from other colleges and universities, nor does it include services provided to industrial research organizations. Chemistry Department Professor H. C. Griffin has been involved with Professor K. Rengan of Eastern Michigan University in setting up and utilizing a gas-jet system for collecting uranium—235 fission products at D beamport. The system is designed for the collection and study of nuclei with mass numbers less than 120 and with half-lives as short as 1 second. The gas jet is also being used directly to introduce chlorine and bromine gas for production of short lived isotopes of these gasses. By irradiating high purity nickel oxide (NiO) in the reactor and chemically purifying the products, Professor Griffin has prepared extremely pure samples of nickel-65. These samples were used in a search for low intensity gamma rays; preliminary results indicate that about 3 gammas of 2094 key are emitted in one million decays. Professor Griffin has been developing chemical separation techniques for sodium-22 in cooperation with members of the Physics Department as a meansof producing intense positron sources for positron research. Under the sponsorship of Ann Arbor Nuclear, Professor A. A. Gordus has been carrying out a research program on the production of titanium trichioride from titanium tetrachioride using radiation. The object of the work is to produce high grade chemical energy from low grade radiation energy. The project has used the reactor and the facility’s cobalt—60 irradiator. Department of Nuclear Engineering The largest departmental research commitment at the Laboratory is maintained by the Department of Nuclear Engineering. This department used the laboratory and reactor for ten formal University courses and conducted extensive, on—going research projects in the areas of neutron spectroscopy, neutron scattering, radiation effects in materials, development of low enrichment uranium reactor fuel for research and test reactors, and cross section measurements. Under the neutron spectroscopy program directed by Professor J. S. King, a wide angle, two—circle power diffractometer spectrometer has been adapted for utilization as a fully computerized, single crystal, four circle diffractometer. Current studies involve Potter diffraction on order—disorder alloys. Under sponsorship by the U.S. Department of Energy, Professor G. F. Knoll directs the cross section measurements activities. This is a large project involving the absolute measurement of fast fission and
Page 3 The University of Michigan Nuclear Reactor Laboratory Quarterly Review Winter, 1988 capture cross sections of several different isotopes. The reactor is relied upon for irradiation of sodium, gallium, and antimony sources to produce activities ranging from 10 to 40 curies each. These gamma sources are then coupled with targets of deuterium or beryllium to produce monoenergetic neutrons.
A research program to develop low enriched uranium (LEU) reactor fuel for research and test reactors is an extensive project administered by Argonne National Laboratory and supervised by Professor W. Kerr. Co—investigators are Professors J. S. King, J. C. Lee, and W. R. Martin. Several graduate students are involved in this work. Under the radiation-effects-in--materials program directed by Professor D. H. Vincent, J beamport is being used for thermal neutron profiling of helium-3 implanted in metals. The purpose is to determine the spatial distribution of helium and its redistribution as a function of isochronal and thermal annealing. The variation of helium release with temperature and concentration is studied to ascertain possible helium-metal interaction mechanisms for fusion reactor first wall or blanket materials. In addition, lattice damage studies are being conducted by Professor Vincent. Lattice damage is introduced in silicon crystal materials by neutron bombardment. The damaged crystal is used for infrared absorption characterization. Professor David Wehe supervised students who used the reactor for projects involving response of rhodium self—powered neutron detectors in steadily changing fluxes and gamma ray spectroscopy and two dimensional imaging of one of the reactor demineralizers. Physics Department Professor Joachim Janecke used the reactor to produce radioactive argon-41 for calibration of a Physics Department beta particle detector. Professor Michael Bretz has begun an investigation of the use of high energy neutron radiation effects to produce room temperature superconductors from yttrium(1)—barium(2)—copper(3) oxide compacts.
NEUTRON RADI OGRAPHY Neutron radiography is a method of recording geometric patterns of transmitted neutron intensity somewhat similar in technique to x-ray radiography. However, the results are generally quite different because neutrons tend to interact strongly with light atoms whereas x—rays tend to interact with heavy ones. The radiographs thus produced show different detail than would be obtained by x-rays. Some low density materials contained within more dense materials cannot be examined with x—rays because x-rays will not penetrate the
Page 4 The University of Michigan Nuclear Reactor Laboratory Quarterly Review Winter, 1988 outer, dense materials. Neutrons easily penetrate the outer dense materials and permit examination of the less dense materials within. For example, details of plastic, oil, water, fractures, or voids inside steel or lead can be examined with good resolution. Both static and dynamic systems can be imaged. Chemical Engineering Department Professor Scott Fogler worked in cooperation with Dr. John Lindsay in radiography projects involving water and oil flow through sandstone and porosity of shale. Dental School Professor E. R. McPhee used autoradiography to determine the porosity of a new enamel being developed for teeth. Sectioned specimens of teeth were soaked in a radioactive calcium solution. The solution penetrated porous locations in the enamel. After rinsing, the teeth were placed in contact with dental x-ray film. Gamma rays from the absorbed calcium exposed the film and created image patterns that reflected the porosity patterns.
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS Neutron activation analysis is a method of identifying and measuring minute quantities of trace elements in many types of materials. Sixty common and rare earth elements become radioactive when exposed to the neutron flux in a reactor, and the subsequent radiation produced by the decay of the activated nuclei is characteristic for each element and permits identification. Aluminum Europium Mercury Scandium Ytterbium Antimony Gadolinium Molybdenum Selenium Yttrium Arsenic Gallium Neodymium Sodium Zinc Barium Germanium Nickel Strontium Zirconium Bromine Gold Niobium Tantalum Cadmium Hafnium Osmium Tellurium Cerium Indium Palladium Terbium Cesium Iodine Platinum Thulium Chlorine Iridium Potassium Thorium Chromium Iron Praseodymium Tin Cobalt Lanthanum Rhenium Titanium Copper Lutetium Rubidium Tungsten Dysprosium Magnesium Ruthenium Uranium Erbium Manganese Samarium Vanadium
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The following elements can also be quantified using neutron activation analysis, but techniques such as special encapsulation and chemical concentration that make the analysis more difficult are required. Argon Krypton Oxygen Sulfur Boron Lithium Rhodium Thallium Calcium Neon Silicon Xenon Holmium This highly sensitive analytical technique is available as a service that can performed by the laboratory staff or that can be performed directly by researchers using the laboratory’s facilities. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department
A graduate student, Annette Olivarez, working for Professor Robert Owen, utilized neutron activation analysis to measure trace elements in geological sediment specimens. Biology Department Professor Wayne Frasch used neutron activation analysis to analyze manganese containing proteins associated with photosynthesis in plants. Professor Peter Kaufman performed silicon analysis in biological materials. The activation reaction involved in this analysis was enhanced by utilizing only high energy neutrons. Samples were encapsulated in boron nitride that acted as a shield against low energy neutrons. Chemical Engineering
A graduate student, Amit Sachdev analyzed platinum compounds by neutron activation analysis to determine chlorine, tin, and platinum aoncentrations. Chemistry Department Neutron activation analysis was performed on metal rubbings from ancient and medieval coins by Professor A. A. Gordus in order to determine elemental content. This can provide information about the origin of the coins, or the metals used in them, and the cultures associated with them. Neutron activation analysis also was performed by Professor Gordus on hair samples to obtain information on body chemistry and the impact of environmental pollution on hair chemistry.
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fine—structure analysis of spectrum lines. The parallel plates are separated by three posts with known coefficients of radiation expansion. Gamma radiation is used to adjust the lengths of the posts in order to produce perfect parallelism. Gamma rays were also used to measure the effects of radiation in space on optical filters. Further, Dr. Skinner has been testing electronic components including EPROMs, 8087 coprocessors, and power MOFSETs as part of a project sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for an upper atmosphere research satellite. Components are irradiated in 1,000 rad increments until failure. University Hospital, Otolaryngo logy Dr. Shan Baker irradiated ear lobes constructed from human rib cartilage for transplant to a boy who was born without ear lobes. University Hospital, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Dr. Jeffrey Kyllo irradiated human cartilage for implantation in human reconstructive surgery. University of Michigan, Dearborn Natural Sciences Department Dr. Miriam Zolan irradiates cell cultures to various gamma doses for a study involving isolation and characterization of radiation-sensitive mutants of copernus cinereus on fungus.
RADIOPHARMACEUT ICAL PRODUCTION
Two radioiodine compounds, NP-59 and MIBG-diagnostic, are produced by the radiopharmaceutical program at the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. NP-59, a derivative of cholesterol, is an adrenal scanning agent used in the detection of abnormalities in the adrenal gland. NP-59 is synthesized monthly for distribution. MIBG—diagnostic, a radioiodinated analog of guanethidine antihypertensive drug, is an adrenal medulla scanning agent used in the detection of disease in the adrenomedulla. MIBG is synthesized twice monthly for distribution. Radiopharmaceutical Production Summary Radiopharmaceuticals are produced weekly and shipped to over eighty-five hospitals in over thirty states and the District of Columbia in the United States and to seven hospitals in Ontario and Quebec, Canada.
Page 10 The University of Michigan Nuclear Reactor Laboratory Quarterly Review Winter, 1988
RADIOCHEMICAL PRODUCTION Preparation of radioisotopes for research is performed at the Laboratory. Elemental bromine-82 is produced by irradiating liquid bromine in the reactor. The radioactive bromine is combined with motor oil and used in engine wear tests.
NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY Hours of Operation Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Facilities can be made available 24 hours a day, if required. Tours should be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Telephone Numbers Director William Kerr (313) 764—8213 Manager Reed Robert Burn 764—6224 Assistant Manager, Operations Gary M. Cook 764—6222 Assistant Manager, Research Philip A. Simpson 764—6221 Neutron Activation Analysis Radiation Damage Studies Senior Research Associate John T. Lindsay 936—1583 Neutron Radiography Research Associate Robert B. Blackburn 936—1582 Cobalt-60 Sterilization Radioisotope Preparation Information and Tours 764—6220 764—6223 Further information and assistance can be obtained by calling any of the staff members listed above.
Page 11 NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY Campus tlail THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN North Campus 2301 Bonisteel Boulevard Ann Arbor, rlichigan 48109—2100 (313) 764—6223
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