Health Physics Research Reactor

Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory operated by Union Carbide Corporation. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Brochure. Very good. Format is approximately 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Eight pages plus covers. Illustrated covers (color). Illustrations (some in color). References. Cover has slight wear and soiling. The Health Physics Research Reactor became operational at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on May 31, 1963. A small, unshielded and uncooled fast reactor, the HPRR was designed as a versatile tool for research in health physics and related fields. The core is a right, circular cylinder (8 in. in diameter and 9 in. high) of enriched uranium (93.14 per cent 235U) alloyed with 10 per cent by weight of molybdenum. Steady-state power levels range from 0.1 W or less to 10 kW, and the pulse mode yields pulses in the range of 1016-1017 fissions per pulse. For a pulse of 1017 fissions, the pulse width at half maximum pulse height is about 60 sec. The fast neutron to gamma ray dose ratio at distances up to several m is approximately 10. Dose rates for a fixed geometry may be varied by 12 orders of magnitude; the fast neutron dose rate at 1 m from the center of the core is approximately 3.3 tissue rad per hr/W. The facility has, in a number of cases, been made available for worthwhile research projects originating in other laboratories. This document discusses the history of the reactor, the DOSAR Facility, the Reactor building, the Fast Burst Reactor, its operation, Radiation Safety, and Research Experiments.