NPL instruments at the research reactor LVR-15

The research reactor LVR-15 at the Research Centre Řež, Ltd. is a light water swimming pool type reactor with force cooling. The maximum reactor power is 10 MW thermal power. Fuel and control elements are of IRT-2M type enriched to 80% or 36% in 235U. Combined water-beryllium reflector is used. The reactor core grid has 80 cells, in the basic operation configuration 28-34 cells contain fuel elements. 2 - 4 of the fuel cells are dedicated to channels for experimental probes and 3 - 6 cells in the reflector and core periphery to vertical irradiation channels. Further 3 cells are dedicated to shut-down rod, 8 cells to compensation rods and 1 cell to fine control rod. The reactor core is situated in the reactor vessel (outer diameter 230 cm, total height of the vessel 623 cm), which is made of steel, the internal parts of the reactor are made of aluminum alloy. The reactor has a forced circulation of the coolant (light demineralised water).  The basic operation ON/OFF schedule is 3/1 week.

The reactor serves as a radiation source for:

• material testing experiments of the reactor pressure vessel at water loops, where the temperature, pressure, dosis and water chemistry conditions similar to that existing in reactors of nuclear power stations are simulated
• material testing at irradiation rigs
• activation analysis with the pneumatic rabbit system
• experiments at beam tubes in the field of basic and applied research
• irradiation of iridium for medical purposes, irradiation for radio-pharmaceutical production
• irradiation of silicon single crystals
• experiments at the thermal column in the field of neutron capture therapy

Main Reactor Characteristics ^*

^* See the web pages of the Research Center Řež for more details

Experimental hall