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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.
Mark F. Sulcoski, Kenneth W. Tobin, Jack S. Brenizer, Jr.
Nuclear Technology | Volume 82 | Number 3 | September 1988 | Pages 355-362
Technical Paper | Analyse | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34136
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The University of Virginia’s real-time neutron radiography facility was characterized by measurement of the total neutron flux, gold/cadmium ratio, neutron/ gamma ratio, and the effective collimator length-to-aperture diameter (L/D) ratio. The real-time neutron imaging system and collimator were further characterized by measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the system. The collimator effectiveness was measured by using the MTF to determine the “unparallelism” of the neutron beam. The MTF was also used to determine the effects of any reactor or beamport changes and to examine the effect of various system components on image quality. The computer-based image processing system allowed rapid calculation of the MTF and the collimator effectiveness. The results of these measurements, using no collimator and a simple tube collimator, demonstrated the method’s ability to determine the effective L/D ratio. The MTF measurement scheme provided a fast, reliable, and reproducible means of monitoring any changes in the real-time system, including both the neutron beam and the electronic components. The MTFs for various system components were measured using a separation technique. A parameter fN was used to give a quantitative measure of an individual system component’s performance.
