- UF Training Reactor
Infobox_University
name = UF Training Reactor
established =1959
type =
dean = Director Dr. Alireza Haghighat
city =Florida
country = USA
students =
campus =
website= [http://www.nre.ufl.edu/ UF Reactor website] The University of Florida Training Reactor (UFTR) is an experimentalnuclear reactor at theUniversity of Florida inGainesville, Florida . It is aresearch reactor licensed by theNuclear Regulatory Commission and the only research reactor inFlorida . It is used by UF's departments of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering (NRE),Physics ,Chemistry ,Geology , and EnvironmentalEngineering Science s. The reactor is pool-type. It has a power capacity of 100 kW and uses low-enriched uranium (LEU) as fuel.The reactor was built and began operation in 1959. [http://www.nre.ufl.edu/facilities/uftraHistory.php] The core contains about 20 pounds of low-enriched uranium. The power level is regulated by
cadmium blades that act as a mechanical shim (analogous tocontrol rod s at apressurized water reactor ). The UFTR provides neutrons for the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory (NAAL), where samples undergoneutron activation . A flux of about 1012 thermal reaches the NAAL. This performs commercial neutron activation services for $40 to $60 per sample, and is competitive compared to a number of alternative chemical processes. The UFTR underwent a conversion to low-enriched uranium as apart of anti-terrorism initiatives in 2006.Teachers, students, or other groups are welcome to visit the reactor with a prior appointment.
External links
* [http://www.nre.ufl.edu Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Website]
* [http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/LooseNukes/story?id=988837 ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review]
* [http://www.nre.ufl.edu/geninfo/history.php History of the Reactor]
* [http://news.ufl.edu/2005/10/30/reactor-safe-oped/ Op-ed about the Reactor]
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