- Institution Name
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Name
- ATR Canal (ATR Canal)
- Building
- TRA-670
- Primary Facility Type
- Gamma Irradiations
- Secondary Facility Type
- No Secondary Facility Type Defined
- Tertiary Facility Type
- No Tertiary Facility Type Defined
- Core Functions
- Located in the ATR canal, the Gamma Facility is an stainless steel dry tube projecting from the spent fuel rack to the top of the ATR canal. The tube contains a removable shielded plug at the top to block shine and is sealed at the bottom and weighted with lead. Spent fuel can be placed in the fuel grid around the gamma facility to generate high gamma fields. The gamma facility has historically been used to determine material degradation in a high gamma field. For example it has been used to determine effects on electronics, wire insulation, and even oil. The 21-foot tube has a useable inner diameter of 12.7 cm (5 inches) [or 8.9-cm (3.5-in)] and a useable length of 6 m (19 feet - 8 inches) from the top to the lead. The mid-plane of the gamma field is approximately 5.54 m (18 feet - 2 inches) from the top of the tube. Test samples are lowered through the open end of the dry tube to the gamma field. A shield plug caps the open end of the dry tube and shields the gamma beam emitted from the fuel elements near the lower end of the dry tube.
- Unique Functions
- The ATR Gamma Facility is located toward the east end and on the south side of the ATR storage canal. The gamma field is produced by placing irradiated fuel elements in grid locations around the position where the test is inserted. The dose rate of the field produced is approximately 1E+6 R/hr., but can be varied (5E+6 R/hr. maximum) by varying the distance of fuel elements from the test or by selecting fuel of different gamma strengths. That intensity will fall off at the rate of approximately 5% per day as the fission products in the fuel elements decay away. The peak field at the center of the tube was recently measured to be approximately 5E+6 rad/hr. The dose rates are normally measured by using high range ionization chambers and instrumentation. These can be lowered into the dry tube for actual counting before installing the test sample hardware. Fuel elements can be moved from one location to another with the dry tube in place.
- Hotwork Facilities
- Located in Building TRA-670 in the ATR canal.
- Support Equipment
- Located in Building TRA-670 in the ATR canal.
- Radiological Limit
- >1R/hr @ 30cm
- Materials Allowed
- beta/gamma only
- Sample Encapsulation
- Test dependent
- Atmosphere
- air
- Commissioning Date
- 2016
- Recent Upgrade
- 2016
- RAM License
- Department of Energy
- License End Date
- No License End Date Defined
- Docket Number
- No Docket Number Defined
- User Facility
- No
- GAIN Partner
- No
- NSUF Partner
- Yes
- 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
- Matthew Arrowood
- Date Of Data
- December 7, 2023 10:55 AM
- Image Name
- GammaTube.png
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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