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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.
Michele Laraia, Giuseppe Brighenti, Bartolomeo Camiscioni, Giovanni Chessa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 86 | Number 2 | August 1989 | Pages 128-135
Technical Paper | Decontamination and Decommissioning / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34263
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The RB-2 research reactor was operated for 17 yr at power levels of the order of 10 kW (1963–1969) and 100 W (1971–1980). During dismantling, the radiological risk for personnel was recognizably low, but radioactivity levels associated with the waste materials and the site itself needed to be evaluated. Predismantling activities consisted of a preliminary radiological characterization, including direct measurements, spectrometric analyses of samples, and theoretical calculations. Determination of “nonradioactive” limits determined the disposition of the site and the transportation routes for the waste materials. After dismantling, the site was extensively monitored for remaining radioactivity. In general, unrestricted release has been achievable for the site; only a small area is still subject to radiological control.
