NSUF - Nuclear Science User Facilities

Laboratory for High and Medium Activity (LHMA)

Belgian Center for Nuclear Research (SCK/CEN), Antwerp


NEID Facility Details

Institution Name
Belgian Center for Nuclear Research (SCK/CEN)
Name
Laboratory for High and Medium Activity (LHMA)
Building
LHMA
Primary Facility Type
Hot Cells
Secondary Facility Type
Post Irradiation Examination
Tertiary Facility Type
Fuel Fabrication
Core Functions
Sample preparation and material management: Storage cell, sample conditioning (eg. welding), waste treatment, Multiple materiallography sample prep lines (cutting-embedding-polishing) Sample miniaturisation techniques and dedicated infrastructure. Non-destructive fuel analyses: Length, diameter, EC oxide thickness, EC integrity, gamma spectrometry (FGR, power, BU), volume and fission gas analyses by puncture. BONAPARTE for fuel plates (thickness and oxides) + gamma spec. Mechanical and corrosion testing for structural materials: Dynamic and static testing (tensile, impact, bending, …) in different environments (temperature, air or LWR water chemistry or LLBE autoclaves), Reconstitution and miniaturisation Microstructure analyses: LOM(µH), FEG-SEM(EDX), EPMA(WDX), XPS, XRD, TEM, [FIB] Capability to reconstruct broken samples to maximize efficiency of irradiation testing costs.
Unique Functions
Power reactor fuel Fuel fabrication: Oxide fuel laboratory (U-Th[-Pu]): Sectioning and refabrication of irradiated fuel pins Fuel irradiation testing: Pressurised water capsule for steady state/transient test, Dedicated rigs with instrumentation Fuel characterisation: Full scale Non-Destructive and Destructive Testing in hot cell, Radiochemistry laboratory Test reactor fuel and 99Mo targets: Fuel/target fabrication: Arc furnaces + glove boxes, Powder coating device, Pre-irradiation characterisation Fuel/target irradiation testing: Test baskets (‘FUTURE’) for plate irradiation and mixed elements, Instrumented test loops for full element irradiations, Advanced neutronic modelling Fuel/target characterisation: Inter-cycle inspections, Non-destructive + destructive PIE
Hotwork Facilities
No Hotwork Facilities Defined
Support Equipment
adjacent and connected to BR-2 reactor.
Radiological Limit
<1R/hr @ 30cm
Materials Allowed
alpha/beta/gamma
Sample Encapsulation
No Sample Encapsulation Defined
Atmosphere
No Atmosphere Defined
Commissioning Date
1965
Recent Upgrade
2001
RAM License
other (international)
License End Date
No License End Date Defined
Docket Number
No Docket Number Defined
User Facility
Yes
GAIN Partner
No
NSUF Partner
No
NE Use Percentage
No NE Use Percentage Defined
Utilization Hours
No Utilization Hours Defined
Number Of Users
No Number Of Users Defined
Number Of Staff
No Number Of Staff Defined
Point Of Contact
Steven Van Dyck
Website URL
https://www.sckcen.be/en/Research/Infrastructure/Labos
Date Of Data
May 5, 2016

About Us

The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) is the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's only designated nuclear energy user facility. Through peer-reviewed proposal processes, the NSUF provides researchers access to neutron, ion, and gamma irradiations, post-irradiation examination and beamline capabilities at Idaho National Laboratory and a diverse mix of university, national laboratory and industry partner institutions.

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