The reactor, which went into operation for the first time in 1957, operates on a fixed cycle at its licensed power level of two megawatts. Control elements, which have control rod guide channels, have nine plates and contain 70 grams of U-235. Sample irradiations can be conducted for periods as short as a few seconds or for as long as a year or more. Laboratories include eight chemistry and two physics laboratories which, in addition to standard equipment such as air, gas, vacuum, and water lines, are equipped with radioactive drains to retention tanks, hoods that exhaust through absolute particulate filters, and utility supplies in portable glove boxes. Two of the labs have walk-in hoods and four have pneumatic tube stations from which samples can be sent to the face of the reactor core for irradiation.
Services are available from the facility's own machine and electronic shop.
One hot cave is directly connected to the reactor pool by a system that permits direct transfer of irradiated material. Wall ports are available in the reactor building and in the laboratories for storage of highly radioactive materials. The aggregate value of the project in the peaceful use of nuclear energy is enormous, and its stature as a research resource is internationally acknowledged. Direct grants are awarded to research faculty throughout the University community for nuclear-related projects in such diverse fields as genetics, anatomy, pharmacology, biology, metallurgy, archeology, medicine, geology, chemistry, and several fields of engineering. The Phoenix Research Facilities provide important opportunities of several kinds to the research community.