NCNR Status Update

02.09.2022 Photo credit: Brian Renegar
Recent Progress

Submitted documents and request to 

restart to NRC (10.01)

→ NRC regulatory audit (restart 

decision) kickoff (12.01) 

→ Currently responding to audit 

questions

Significant progress on implementing 

corrective actions

License amendment submitted 

(12.27.21)

Two town halls to scientific 

community since last VCAT meeting

Bulk debris cleanup completed Feb 6 Feb 02
What’s Next?

Filter primary coolant system (Mar)

Inspect/clean fuel elements (Mar)

Implement corrective actions (some depend on funding availability)

External review (reports due to Jim 03.02.2022)

NRC will close out the special inspection and issue report

Restore reactor to operational readiness

NRC authorizes restart

Schedule user experiments

cleanup

Filter elements received
External Review (kickoff Dec 2nd)

Alexander Adams, Jr.

Chief, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch 

(retired)

Dr. Julia Phillips

Vice President & CTO, Sandia National 

Laboratory (retired), Executive Emeritus 

National Science Board

Dr. Thom Mason

Director, Los Alamos National 

Laboratory, President and CEO of Triad 

National Security, LLC (Triad)

Dr. Eric Kaler

President, Case Western Reserve University
Uncertainties potentially affecting 2022 restart

Risk item Probability Potential impact

Cleanup of reactor vessel and primary does not go as planned Medium High

Fuel elements cannot be reused Low High

Procedure revisions required for startup delayed Medium Low

Additional corrective actions from external review impacts restart Medium Medium

Thermal column survey impacts restart Medium Low

Insufficient funds to implement corrective actions Low High

Protracted license amendment disposition Medium Medium

NRC does not authorize restart

• Not satisfied with corrective actions

• Not satisfied with progress towards corrective actions

Medium High

Note: COVID continues to be a risk that could lead to delays in several of the items above
REACTOR RESTART IN 2022

Funding is required for all the items in FY22 to best position NIST to restart the reactor in 2022

Without additional funds, NIST cannot start the reactor in 2022

Why NIST should restart the reactor in 2022

• U.S. is severely underserved in neutron measurements;

• Neutron measurement time oversubscribed by factor of 2 to 3;

• The U.S. must fully utilize its limited resources;

• For every month we don’t operate→ 250 scientists, 25 publications, 2 patents;

• Huge backlog of experiments at NIST;

• If restart delayed, operations would be reduced by at least 15% in the first year 

of operations due to operator training requirements;

• Many partnerships with U.S. companies and other agencies are endangered;

• China has commissioned 3 major neutron sources in the last decade;

• NIST must demonstrate operational readiness and completion of certain 

corrective actions to NRC to obtain permission for restart.

Users from Stony Brook University
NCNR – A National User Facility

30 beam instruments/experiments | ~40% of U.S. scientific productivity in neutrons

demand >> supply (2-3X)

>3000 research participants/year

~50 companies/year
NCNR – A National User Facility

US technologies supported by NCNR

Critical emerging technologies

Advanced Computing

Advanced Engineering Materials

Advanced Manufacturing

Advanced Sensing

Aero-Engine Technologies

Agricultural Technologies

Biotechnologies

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Mitigation Technologies

Communication and Networking Technologies

Data Science and Storage

Energy Technologies

Medical and Public Health Technologies

Quantum Information Science

Semiconductors and Microelectronics

Space Technologies

Industry sectors supported by research at the NCNR

🛰🛰 Aerospace

🚘🚘 Automotive

🧪🧪Chemical

💊💊Pharmaceutical

⚡Electronics

🖥🖥 Computer

🔌🔌 Energy

🍴🍴 Food

⛏ Mining

⛽ Petroleum

🛢🛢 Oil shale

⧟ Telecommunications

💧💧 Water