Power is controlled by six shim blades and an automatic regulating rod.
An exterior shield of dense concrete makes it possible for research workers and students to conduct experiments and training without radiation hazards. Also shown in the above figure are a number of the experimental facilities. Shown below the reactor is a sheilded medical room for the use of a neutron beam in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy . The pull rod used in the Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking experiment is shown extending from the reactor core to the top shield lid where a tensile testing machine is used to provide a controlled load on specimens installed in the reactor core. A number of experimental facilities are installed in the graphite reflector , including pneumatic facilities for neutron activation analysis , and through ports for Neutron Transmutation Doping of Silicon .