INVAP Experience in the Design and Construction of Research Reactors. (Research Reactors in and from Argentina)

Full Text: Argentina has a long tradition in the design and construction of Research Reactors. The first research reactor in Argentina, RA-1, was built by CNEA (Argentina Atomic Energy Commission) in 1958, using drawings lent by USA. RA-2, RA-3, RA-4 and RA-0 followed through. In 1976, a career degree in Nuclear Engineering was started by CNEA and the University of Cuyo in Bariloche. It was decided that there would be a university type reactor to assist with the training of the students. INVAP, a recently created company, was assigned the task of building the reactor in accordance with the engineering developed by CNEA. The RA-6 was a very successful project, which allowed INVAP to build the knowledge for participating in RR projects abroad. Since 1982, INVAP has built research reactors in Algeria, Egypt, Argentina and Australia and had a large participation in the RRs CNEA built in Peru. INVAP has also designed several other RR for different clients, which were not subsequently built. This paper explores this history, giving details of the RR projects in which INVAP has been involved through the years. (author)