Oregon State University Radiation Center
Encyclopedia
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
(OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Oregon State TRIGA
TRIGA
TRIGA is a class of small nuclear reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design team for TRIGA was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.TRIGA is the acronym of Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics.-Design:...
Reactor (OSTR) serves the research needs of the OSU nuclear engineering
Nuclear 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 along with other departments (notably medical applications). The University harnesses power in other creative ways: the student recreation center is one of the first in the country to have retrofitted elliptical exercise machines that collect the power generated by students.
About 70% of the research projects at the OSU Radiation Center use the reactor.
Reactor overview
The radiation center is located on the west side of the OSU campus, across the street from the Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) offices and about half a mile from Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. on the campus of Oregon State University. It is the home of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference. Originally opened in 1953 as Parker Stadium, the stadium was renamed in 1999, and its current...
.
The reactor is a Mark II TRIGA
TRIGA
TRIGA is a class of small nuclear reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design team for TRIGA was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.TRIGA is the acronym of Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics.-Design:...
reactor with a maximum thermal output of 1.1 MW and can be pulsed up to a power of 3000 MW for a very short time. The fuel is low enriched uranium. Operation began in 1967.
The reactor supported 96 academic courses in 1999. These courses were in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, geosciences
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
, oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
and atmospheric sciences
Atmospheric sciences
Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. Meteorology includes atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics with a major focus on weather...
, bioresource engineering
Bioresource engineering
Bioresource engineering is related to the applications of chemical engineering and agricultural engineering usually based on biological and/or agricultural feedstocks...
, honors college and naval engineering
Marine propulsion
Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a ship or boat across water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting a motor or engine turning a propeller, or less frequently, in jet...
disciplines.
The OSU Radiation center supported 126 projects in 2000 with 69% directly involving use of the OSTR. Contracts supporting these projects in 2000 totaled $3 million.
The mission statement of the center is
To serve as the campus wide teaching, research, and service facility for programs involving the use of ionizing radiation and radioactive materials.
Thermal neutron column
There is a large graphiteGraphite
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...
slab that serves the purpose of diffusing neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
s from the reactor which can then be used in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
Boron neutron capture therapy is an experimental form of radiotherapy that uses a neutron beam that interacts with boron injected into a patient...
(BNCT).
Radioisotope production
The OSURC has a special gas irradiation facility where the reactor can produce ArArgon
Argon is a chemical element represented by the symbol Ar. Argon has atomic number 18 and is the third element in group 18 of the periodic table . Argon is the third most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere, at 0.93%, making it more common than carbon dioxide...
-41 gas and ship it to anywhere within 24 hours.
The OSTR has beamports available with fluxes of 1.8 x 107 to 1.5 x 108
.Safety
Oregon Department of EnergyOregon Department of Energy
The Oregon Department of Energy is the chief regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for matters related to energy production, conservation and related safety and environmental impact...
has coordinated the HAZMAT Radiological Training Courses at the center for HAZMAT response teams throughout the state of Oregon for the last 15 years.
Further, instead of only having a Public Safety force on campus and/or local Police, OSU's primary security force are Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police
The Oregon State Police is the main state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. They have been charged to enforce all of Oregon's criminal laws and to help local law enforcement agencies with their duties...
, making Oregon State University the only known University to employ State Troopers for security.
Forensic analysis
The reactor has also used Neutron activationNeutron activation
Neutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when atomic nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. The excited nucleus often decays immediately by emitting particles such as neutrons, protons, or alpha...
analysis to help with the forensic analysis in a high profile serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
case (the I-5 Bandit
Randall Woodfield
Randall Brent "Randy" Woodfield is an American serial killer who was dubbed The I-5 Killer or The I-5 Bandit by law enforcement due to the crimes he allegedly committed along the Interstate 5 corridor running through Washington, Oregon, and California. Before his capture, the I-5 Killer was...
) and several other cases, including one where a local district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
used the center's services to help solve a high profile triple homicide case.
Research
The following are some ongoing projects in conjunction with the reactor:- Neutron activationNeutron activationNeutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when atomic nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. The excited nucleus often decays immediately by emitting particles such as neutrons, protons, or alpha...
analysis - Radiotracer techniques
- Medical isotope development and production
- Geological age dating
- Neutron radiographyNeutron RadiographyNeutron Radiography is the process by which film is exposed by first passing neutrons through an object to produce a visible image of the materials that make up the object. Primarily used in scientific investigations.- Brief History of Neutron Imaging :...
- Thermal hydraulicsThermal hydraulicsThermal hydraulics is the study of hydraulic flow in thermal systems. A common example is steam generation in power plants and the associated energy transfer to mechanical motion and the change of states of the water while undergoing this process.The common adjectives are "thermohydraulic",...
of nuclear steam systems - Radiation sterilization
- Radiation dosimeter testing
- Boron Neutron Capture TherapyBoron Neutron Capture TherapyBoron neutron capture therapy is an experimental form of radiotherapy that uses a neutron beam that interacts with boron injected into a patient...
- Radiochemical methodologies
External links
- OSU Radiation Center (official site)
- OSU Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics
- ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review