INL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Science

The Advanced Test Reactor at the RTC is widely considered to be the

nation’s premier test reactor. This photo looks down into the reactor

core.

Materials Capability Summary Coatings

Corrosion

Fracture and Mechanical Testing

High Temperature Mechanical

Properties

Hydrogen Production and Storage

Materials

Hydrogen Separation Materials

Irradiation

Materials Validation

Microstructure and Physical

Properties

Modeling

Neutron Radiography

Nondestructive Evaluation

Post-irradiation Examination

Synthesis and Processing of Novel

Materials

Welding and Joining

X-Ray Radiography

The Idaho National

Laboratory has broad

materials science and

engineering capability related

to the nuclear energy mission–

from fabrication and testing of

nuclear fuel, specification,

validation and fabrication of

structural materials, to nuclear

waste forms and packaging.

About 75 scientists and

engineers carry out materials

development and engineering at

the laboratory. Approximately

50 have advanced degrees.

The materials science and

engineering facilities are

primarily located at the

Materials and Fuels Complex

(MFC), the INL Research

Center (IRC) and the Reactor

Technology Complex (RTC).

Major facilities include the Hot

Fuel Examination Facility

(HFEF) at MFC and its

associated analytical laboratories. The IRC has about 24

laboratories dedicated to

materials characterization,

property characterization and

welding. The RTC includes the

Advanced Test Reactor (ATR),

a unique national resource for

irradiation testing of fuel and

materials, as well as facilities

for isotope production. Cross

cutting support exists several

places at the Laboratory in

numerical simulation, engineering testing of prototype

structures, and validation of

material performance and

ASTM code qualification.

The HFEF is a critical part of a

large capability to design,

fabricate and conduct postirradiation examination on

nuclear fuel. Capabilities at

MFC are unique in the world

and represent an enormous

capital investment. Characterization methods for irradiated

materials include neutron and

X-ray radiography, analytical

chemistry for composition and

phase structure, transmission

electron microscopy, and

determination of physical

properties. Advanced ceramic

and metallic fuels have been

developed and tested using

these facilities.

The IRC houses sophisticated

elevated temperature mechanical testing and fracture mechanics laboratories, as well as

facilities for advanced methods

of testing materials behavior in

a variety of aggressive environments of interest to the nuclear

cycle. World-class capabilities

in weld design, modeling and

automation have been developed here for large-scale

fabrication including seal welds

for storage casks for Yucca

Mountain. Parallel world-class

capability has been developed

for thermal spray deposition of

advanced coatings. Unique

methods of non-contacting

laser ultrasonic inspection have

been developed and implemented for in situ measurement

of test specimens in the

Advanced Test Reactor.

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INL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

05-GA50193-48

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The Advanced Test Reactor is

the third generation test reactor

built at the RTC to study the

effects of intense neutron and

gamma irradiation on nuclear

fuel and structural materials.

ATR has maximum power of

250 MW and maximum

thermal neutron flux of 1 x 1015

neutrons/cm2s. ATR has a wide

range of experimental facilities

and the ability to vary the

neutron flux in different areas

of the core, allowing numerous

experimental conditions during

the same reactor operating

cycle. New experiment stations

accommodate up to fifteen

different tests each with its own

temperature control and

spectral tailoring.

For more information

INL is a U.S. Department of Energy

national laboratory operated by

Battelle Energy Alliance

Richard N. Wright, Ph.D.

(208) 526-6127

Richard.Wright@inl.gov

Douglas C. Crawford, Ph.D.

(208) 533-7456

Douglas.Crawford@inl.gov

www.inl.gov/envenergyscience/materials

The IRC has 24 materials

laboratories. The highresolution phase-shifted

moiré interferometry system,

shown here with an Instron

load frame, provides

localized displacement data

for fracture research.

Materials and

Fuels Complex

Reactor

Technology

Complex

Map of the INL showing the locations of the Reactor

Technology Complex and Materials and Fuels Complex.