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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Ronald E. Wieneke
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | March 1992 | Pages 577-582
Safety; Measurement and Accountability; Operation and Maintenance; Application | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29809
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Two platinum catalyst reactor subsystems have been built for the new Tritium Emissions Reduction Facility (TERF) at Mound. The two parallel subsystems each consist of three major components: a passive conservation heat exchanger, an electric preheater, and a catalytic reactor. All subsystem components and interconnecting piping are fabricated from Inconel 625 for high temperature strength and corrosion resistance. System connections are welded for longevity and reliability. Active elements are backed up by installed spares, and the reactor catalyst is replaceable. Since double containment of tritium processing systems is an important safety concept, the entire subsystem is enclosed in a stainless steel glovebox. Careful planning during the design phase created thermal isolation from the glovebox, and the ability to translate the entire subsystem from the glovebox for major maintenance.