Researching Reactors
Research reactors comprise a wide range of civil and commercial nuclear reactors which are generally not used for power generation. The term is used here ot include test reactors, which are more powerful than most. The primary purpose of a research reactor is to provide a neutron source for research and other purposes. Their output (neutron beams) can have different characteristics depending on use. They are small relative to power reactors whose primary function is to product heat to make electricity. They are essentailly net energy users. Their power is designated in kilowatts or megawatts. Most reange up to 100 MW, compared with 3000 MW for a typical power reactor.
The primary reason that AAEA invests into research reactors and researching new reactors themselves is that traditional nuclear power plants are too large. Existing nuclear technology is based on uranium fission, which requires enormous generators to work properly. The plants are huge, complicated, and extremely expensive to build, insure, and operate.
The AAEA looks to it's institutes and the international nuclear industry to develop more efficient and effective reactors so that we can minimize the geographical and economic footprint that these vital plants use.
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Neutron Beams
Neutron beams are uniquely suited to studying the structure and dynamics of materials at the atomic level. Neutron scattering is used to examine samples under different conditions such as variations in vacuum pressure, high temperature, low temperature and magnetic field, essentially under real-world conditions.
Using neutron activation analysis, it is possible to measure minute quantities of an element. Atoms in a sample are made radioactive by exposure to neutrons in a reactor. The characteristic radiation each element emits can then be detected.
Neutron activation is also used to produce the radioisotopes, widely used in industry and medicine, by bombarding particular elements with neutrons so that the target nucleus has a neutron added. For example, yttrium-90 microspheres to treat liver cancer are produced by bombarding yttrium-89 with neutrons.
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