Using reactor operating experience to improve the design of a new broad application test reactor

Increasing regulatory demands and effects of plant aging are limiting the operation of existing test reactors. Additionally, these reactors have limited capacities and capabilities for supporting future testing missions. A multidisciplinary team of experts developed sets of preliminary safety requirements, facility user needs, and reactor design concepts for a new Broad Application Test Reactor (BATR). Anticipated missions for the new reactor include fuels and materials irradiation testing, isotope production, space testing, medical research, fusion testing, intense positron research, and transmutation doping. The early BATR design decisions have benefited from operating experiences with existing reactors. This paper discusses these experiences and highlights their significance for the design of a new BATR