3 ms·

Not true: TRIGA reactors can be put into prompt critical but shut themselves quickly as they get hot. They do it on purpose with a pneumatically ejected contro

Not true: TRIGA reactors can be put into prompt critical but shut themselves quickly as they get hot. They do it on purpose with a pneumatically ejected control rod to generate a high neutron flux pulse: https://ne.oregonstate.edu/11-mw-triga-mark-ii-pulsing-research-reactor https://ne.oregonstate.edu/11-mw-triga-mark-ii-pulsing-resea... As far as meltdown: if you drain all of the water, they do not generate enough decay heat to melt down due to their size. They were invented by Freeman Dyson as a "reactor safe enough for high school students to operate".

toomuchtodo 7y ago
Is it legal to own and operate such a reactor as a private citizen?
- FiatLuxDave 7y ago
  You would have to get a license, either from the NRC or from your state regulator (it is different in different states). Oregon is an NRC agreement state, so in Oregon it would be from the state. Typically there is a person whose name is on the license, who is responsible for the proper use of the reactor. At an organization this could be the boss, owner, or RSO. In theory, as a private citizen you could get a license, as long as you can prove to the regulator that you have the experience and training to operate the reactor properly. Of course, you would have to comply with all the rules and regulations. This could be quite burdensome for a private citizen, especially with the additional security rules added post 9/11 (assuming you are not a billionaire). Edit: removed link to quantities of concern, sorry, rules are different for reactors. Edit again: better link for security regs: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power.html https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power.html
java-man 7y ago
Thank you for providing a valuable insight on a subset of the types currently used. In Moscow (Russia) alone, there are nearly a dozen of research reactors, of various designs.

toomuchtodo 7y ago

Is it legal to own and operate such a reactor as a private citizen?

FiatLuxDave 7y ago
You would have to get a license, either from the NRC or from your state regulator (it is different in different states). Oregon is an NRC agreement state, so in Oregon it would be from the state. Typically there is a person whose name is on the license, who is responsible for the proper use of the reactor. At an organization this could be the boss, owner, or RSO. In theory, as a private citizen you could get a license, as long as you can prove to the regulator that you have the experience and training to operate the reactor properly. Of course, you would have to comply with all the rules and regulations. This could be quite burdensome for a private citizen, especially with the additional security rules added post 9/11 (assuming you are not a billionaire). Edit: removed link to quantities of concern, sorry, rules are different for reactors. Edit again: better link for security regs: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power.html https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power.html

java-man 7y ago

Thank you for providing a valuable insight on a subset of the types currently used. In Moscow (Russia) alone, there are nearly a dozen of research reactors, of various designs.