Philippine Research Reactor-1

Last updated

Philippine Research Reactor-1
Philippine Research Reactor-1 2020.jpg
Operating Institution Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
Location University of the Philippines - Diliman, Quezon City
Coordinates 14°39′37″N121°3′21″E / 14.66028°N 121.05583°E / 14.66028; 121.05583
Type Research reactor
Power0 MW
(3 MW; old reactor)
First CriticalityN.A (current subcritical reactor)
August 26, 1963 (old reactor)
Shutdown date1988 [a]

The Philippine Research Reactor-1 (PRR-1) is a research reactor that is owned and maintained by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) in Quezon City, Philippines. The PRR-1 is the first nuclear reactor and the only operating nuclear facility in the Philippines. The PRR-1 initially operated as a critical reactor from 1963 to 1988 and the facility became dormant for 34 years. A new subcritical reactor, the Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education, and Research (SATER), was setup within the facility which was first loaded with nuclear rods in June 2022.

Contents

History

The fuel being lowered into the core of the SATER reactor, 2022 PRR-1 SATER launch.jpg
The fuel being lowered into the core of the SATER reactor, 2022

The Philippine Research Reactor-1 was built under the Atoms for Peace nuclear research exchange program of the United States. [1] The reactor which had its first criticality on August 26, 1963, [2] was built by U.S. firm General Atomics and was originally a 1 MW MTR-type open pool general-purpose reactor. [1] It was successfully operated from 1964 to 1984 and was utilized for training and research in nuclear science as well as for isotope production.

In 1984, the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC; then name of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI)) decided to convert and upgrade the reactor into a 3 MW TRIGA Mark III reactor. The converted reactor achieved criticality in April 1988. [2] The converted PRR-1 TRIGA reactor used low-enriched uranium instead of highly enriched uranium. After its conversion, technical and administrative problems rendered the facility inoperable, which resulted in its extended shutdown. In 2005, it was initially decided that the reactor would be decommissioned. [1]

The PNRI with the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency set up a new subcritical reactor with zero-power configuration, the Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education, and Research (SATER) facility. [3] [4] [5] [6] The SATER project was conceptualized in 2014, but actual work on it only began in 2017. [6] After 34 years of the PRR-1 being left unused, the commissioning process of the SATER began when it was loaded with 44 nuclear rods on June 20, 2022. SATER is meant as a training reactor for research reactor operators, regulators and users. The SATER is expected to be fully operational by 2023. [5] [7]

Notes

  1. ↑ Shutdown date of the TRIGA Mark III critical reactor. A subcritical reactor became operational in its place in 2022.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center</span> North Korean nuclear site

The Nyongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center (녕변원자력연구소) is North Korea's major nuclear facility, operating its first nuclear reactors. It is located in Nyongbyon County in North Pyongan Province, about 100 km north of Pyongyang. The center produced the fissile material for North Korea's six nuclear weapon tests from 2006 to 2017, and since 2009 is developing indigenous light water reactor nuclear power station technology.

The Army Nuclear Power Program (ANPP) was a program of the United States Army to develop small pressurized water and boiling water nuclear power reactors to generate electrical and space-heating energy primarily at remote, relatively inaccessible sites. The ANPP had several accomplishments, but ultimately it was considered to be "a solution in search of a problem." The U.S. Army Engineer Reactors Group managed this program and it was headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The program began in 1954 as the Army Reactors Branch and had effectively terminated by about 1977, with the last class of NPP operators graduating in 1977. Work continued for some time thereafter either for decommissioning of the plants or placing them into SAFSTOR. The current development of small modular reactors has led to a renewed interest in military applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRIGA</span> Class of nuclear reactor used for education and research

TRIGA is a class of nuclear research reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design team for TRIGA, which included Edward Teller, was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research reactor</span> Nuclear device not intended for power or weapons

Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.

The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant is a large commercial nuclear power plant located at the Paradise Point in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant is a large commercial nuclear power plant located at Chashma in Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan.

In Pakistan, nuclear power is provided by six commercial nuclear power plants with a net capacity of 3,262 megawatts (3.262 GW) from pressurized water reactors. In 2020, Pakistan's nuclear power plants produced a total of 133 terawatt-hours of electricity, which accounted for roughly 10% of the nation's total electric energy generation.

There are two nuclear research reactors that serve the Texas A&M University Nuclear Science Center. The older of the two is the AGN-201M model, a low-power teaching reactor. The newer reactor, the TRIGA Mark I, is focused strongly towards research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria reactor</span>

The Maria reactor is Poland's second nuclear research reactor and is the only one still in use. It is located at Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych - "NCBJ" at Świerk-Otwock, near Warsaw and named in honor of Maria Skłodowska-Curie. It is the only reactor of Polish design.

Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity in India after coal, hydro, solar and wind. As of November 2023, India has 23 nuclear reactors in operation in 8 nuclear power plants, with a total installed capacity of 8,180 MW. Nuclear power produced a total of 48 TWh in 2023, contributing around 3% of total power generation in India. 11 more reactors are under construction with a combined generation capacity of 8,700 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear facilities in Iran</span>

Iran's nuclear program is made up of a number of nuclear facilities, including nuclear reactors and various nuclear fuel cycle facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IR-40</span> Heavy water reactor in Arak, Iran

IR-40 also known as Arak Nuclear Complex is an Iranian 40 megawatt (thermal) heavy water reactor near Arak, adjacent to the 1990s era Arak Heavy Water Production Plant. Civil works for the construction began in October 2004. It was initially planned that the reactor would begin nuclear operations in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Atomic Research Reactor</span> Pair of research nuclear reactors in Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan

The Pakistan Atomic Research Reactor or (PARR) are two nuclear research reactors and two other experimental neutron sources located in the PINSTECH Laboratory, Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State University Reactor</span> Nuclear research reactor in Washington State University

The Washington State University Reactor (WSUR) is housed in the Dodgen Research Facility, and was completed in 1961. The (then) Washington State College Reactor was the brainchild of Harold W. Dodgen, a former researcher on the Manhattan Project where he earned his PhD from 1943 to 1946. He secured funding for the ambitious 'Reactor Project' from the National Science Foundation, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the College administration totaling $479,000. Dodgen's basis for constructing a reactor was that the College was primely located as a training facility for the Hanford site, as well as Idaho National Laboratory because there was no other research reactor in the West at that time. After completing the extensive application and design process with the help of contractors from General Electric they broke ground in August 1957 and the first criticality was achieved on March 7, 1961 at a power level of 1W. They gradually increased power over the next year to achieve their maximum licensed operating power of 100 kW.

The Regional Center for Nuclear Studies in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo,, prior to 1970 known as the Trico Center, houses the TRICO I and TRICO II nuclear research reactors. TRICO I was the first nuclear reactor on the African continent.

ETRR-2 or ET-RR-2, or is the second nuclear reactor in Egypt supplied by the Argentine company Investigacion Aplicada (INVAP) in 1992. The reactor is owned and operated by Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Cairo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Nuclear Research Institute</span> Agency of the Philippine government

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) is a government agency under the Department of Science and Technology mandated to undertake research and development activities in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, institute regulations on the said uses, and carry out the enforcement of said regulations to protect the health and safety of radiation workers and the general public.

The Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) is a nuclear research reactor located in Accra, Ghana and is the only nuclear reactor in the country. It is operated by the National Nuclear Research Institute, a sub-division of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. The reactor is a commercial version of the Chinese Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) design. The reactor had its first criticality on December 17, 1994.

The Nigeria research reactor (NIRR-1) is a nuclear research reactor located in Zaria, Nigeria. The reactor is located at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), part of Ahmadu Bello University. The reactor had its first criticality in 2004, launched by the then director of CERT, Prof. Ibrahim Musa Umar and is the only nuclear reactor currently operating in Nigeria.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Santoro, David (July 2013). "ASEAN's Nuclear Landscape – Part 1" (PDF). Issues & Insights. 13 (10). Center for Strategic & International Studies: 1–6. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Conduct of Feasibility Study (F/S) for the Establishment of a Nucleart Reactor" (PDF). National Economic and Development Authority. pp. 1–2. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ Asuncion-Astronomo, Alvie; Olivares, Ryan; Romallosa, K; Marquez, J (November 29, 2019). Utilizing the Philippine Research Reactor-1 TRIGA Fuel in a Subcritical Assembly.
  4. ↑ "Header Information - RRDB - IAEA". nucleus.iaea.org. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Liou, Joanne (August 24, 2022). "After 34-Year Gap, the Philippines has a Nuclear Facility Again". International Atomic Energy Agency . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  6. 1 2 "PH nuclear agency reopens nuclear reactor training facility". Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. June 20, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ Nazario, Dhel (June 21, 2022). "DOST-PNRI starts commissioning of PRR-1 SATER, PH's sole nuclear reactor training facility". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.