Nuclear Reactor Program: The PULSTAR reactor and its associated instrumentation are administered by NCSU’s Nuclear Reactor Program (NRP), which is a partner of the Nuclear Science User Facilities of Idaho National Laboratory. The NRP’s mission is “to enhance, promote, and utilize the PULSTAR research reactor and associated facilities in an exemplary manner, leading to national recognition as a premier 1-MW Nuclear Reactor Program dedicated to research, teaching, and extension.” The NRP began in 1950 with the construction of the R-1 reactor, the first academic research nuclear reactor in the world. The current director of the program is Ayman Hawari, distinguished professor of nuclear engineering.
DOE NE Award: Regarding the new PULSTAR work that is being made possible by the DOE-NE award, Hawari said, “The enhancements will also be synergistic with the operation of the PULSTAR at the upgraded power of 2 MW (anticipated during 2022) and will generally support the implementation of new capabilities at the PULSTAR (e.g., the advanced reactor experimental program). The proposed upgrades are expected to have a direct impact on the PULSTAR reactor by enhancing its operational experience and to facilitate its safe utilization by various user groups, including academic faculty, staff and students, and engineers and researchers nationally and internationally.”
About the PULSTAR reactor: A pool-type research reactor, PULSTAR is the remaining one of two original PULSTAR reactors. (The other one was a 2-MW reactor at the University of Buffalo that was decommissioned in 1994, after 30 years of operation.)
Construction on the NCSU 1-MW PULSTAR, which was designed and built by American Machine and Foundry Corporation, began in 1969. It took three years to complete at a total cost of approximately $1.5 million. Initial critically was reached on September 9, 1972.
The PULSTAR reactor uses 4 percent enriched, pin-type fuel consisting of uranium dioxide pellets in zircaloy cladding. This type of fuel allows the reactor to have response characteristics that are similar to those of commercial light water reactors, which, in turn, permits such teacher experiments as measuring moderator temperature and powering reactivity coefficients.
The PULSTAR’s heavy fuel load and its relatively high fuel-to-moderator ratio leads to high fast neutron leakage at the core boundary and, consequently, a large thermal neutron “reflector hump” at the core periphery. The result is high thermal neutron fluxes at the sample irradiation facilities and beamports.
Research and training: The PULSTAR reactor serves as an extremely valuable tool for a variety of research, development, education, and training activities.
The research group directed by Hawari is currently conducting measurements and simulations to investigate the scattering of thermal neutrons in matter and to generate thermal neutron scattering cross-section data. His research group is also applying atomistic modeling techniques and developing experiments to study the behavior of accident-tolerant fuel in nuclear reactor radiation and temperature environments, as well as validating and benchmarking modern nuclear reactor simulation tools in support of transient testing of nuclear fuel. These research areas directly support the development of small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear reactor concepts.
Any student enrolled at NCSU can take part in training with the PULSTAR reactor to become a nuclear reactor operator licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
