The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory is getting an overhaul that will shut it down for nine months, an outage that occurs about every 10 years on average. Experts will replace the reactor’s core components — akin to rebuilding the engine of a high-performance car.
ATR is the world’s most powerful and adaptable test reactors. This refurbishment will make it possible to continue essential functions for another decade or more.
As a centerpiece of the U.S. nuclear energy research infrastructure, ATR supports a wide range of vital missions for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy. ATR also supports university research and nuclear industries in the U.S. and around the world. Plus, it creates valuable isotopes for medical treatments and for NASA space exploration.
ATR’s distinctive cloverleaf design makes it possible to provide a range of capabilities that no other test reactor built to this day can match.
ATR operates at low temperatures and pressures compared to commercial power reactors, which are designed to produce heat. In contrast, the ATR’s main job is to produce neutrons. It does so at very high levels, aided by reflectors made of beryllium metal surrounding the reactor core. By exposing fuel and material samples to this environment, researchers gain valuable data about the way new materials and
designs will respond to long-term operations in high-radiation environments.
