Missouri University of Science and Technology Nuclear Reactor
Encyclopedia
The Missouri University of Science and Technology Nuclear Reactor (MSTR or Missouri S&TR) is a pool-type nuclear reactor operated by the Missouri University of Science and Technology
(Missouri S&T). It first achieved criticality
in 1961, making it the first operational nuclear reactor in the state of Missouri
. Missouri S&T operates this reactor for training, education, and research purposes.
fuel plates. The reactor has a maximum power output of 200 kilowatts. This is all thermal energy, and none of it is used to make electricity.
The reactor uses a total of four control rod
s. Three of these control rods are used for coarse power control and emergency SCRAM
shutdowns, and utilize a combination of stainless steel
and boron
. The other control rod is used for fine power control, and simply uses stainless steel.
The building houses several experimental facilities. These facilities are used for research and for classroom lab activities. A thermal column, consisting of a 3.5 x block of graphite
, provides a source of slow neutrons. A 6 inches (15.2 cm) diameter aluminum tube, called a beam port, can be positioned between the reactor core and an experimental area in the ground floor of the reactor building, allowing irradiation of a sample with higher energy neutrons. Other facilities, called rabbits
, are used to pneumatically inject a sample directly into the core of the reactor for a specified amount of time. One of the rabbit facilities is lined with cadmium
in order to stop low-energy neutrons while allowing bombardment of the sample with high-energy neutrons.
department is involved in outreach programs to rising high school juniors, seniors, and college freshmen, such as its summertime Nuclear Engineering Camp. The camp involves tours of the Missouri S&T reactor, as well as several focused areas of study and lab experiments related to nuclear engineering.
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, United States, and part of the University of Missouri System...
(Missouri S&T). It first achieved criticality
Critical mass
A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The...
in 1961, making it the first operational nuclear reactor in the state of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Missouri S&T operates this reactor for training, education, and research purposes.
Specifications
The reactor core is situated inside a standing pool of high-purity light water on a grid plate suspended from a movable rail bridge. The pool holds 32 thousand USgals (121.1 m³) of this water in a concrete casing that is 19 by 9 ft (5.8 by 2.7 ) at the base with a depth of 27 to 30 ft (8.2 to 9.1 ). The approximately 19 fuel elements contain between nine to 18 low-enriched uraniumUranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
fuel plates. The reactor has a maximum power output of 200 kilowatts. This is all thermal energy, and none of it is used to make electricity.
The reactor uses a total of four control rod
Control rod
A control rod is a rod made of chemical elements capable of absorbing many neutrons without fissioning themselves. They are used in nuclear reactors to control the rate of fission of uranium and plutonium...
s. Three of these control rods are used for coarse power control and emergency SCRAM
Scram
A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...
shutdowns, and utilize a combination of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
and boron
Boron
Boron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...
. The other control rod is used for fine power control, and simply uses stainless steel.
The building houses several experimental facilities. These facilities are used for research and for classroom lab activities. A thermal column, consisting of a 3.5 x block of graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
, provides a source of slow neutrons. A 6 inches (15.2 cm) diameter aluminum tube, called a beam port, can be positioned between the reactor core and an experimental area in the ground floor of the reactor building, allowing irradiation of a sample with higher energy neutrons. Other facilities, called rabbits
Rabbit (nuclear)
In the field of nuclear engineering, a rabbit refers to a pneumatically controlled tool used to insert small samples of material inside the core of a nuclear reactor usually for the purpose studying the effect of irradiation on the material. Some rabbits have special linings to screen out certain...
, are used to pneumatically inject a sample directly into the core of the reactor for a specified amount of time. One of the rabbit facilities is lined with cadmium
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
in order to stop low-energy neutrons while allowing bombardment of the sample with high-energy neutrons.
Outreach
Missouri S&T's nuclear engineeringNuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
department is involved in outreach programs to rising high school juniors, seniors, and college freshmen, such as its summertime Nuclear Engineering Camp. The camp involves tours of the Missouri S&T reactor, as well as several focused areas of study and lab experiments related to nuclear engineering.