United States of America: Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). Profile 27

The advanced test reactor (ATR), located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is one of the most versatile operating research reactors in the world. The ATR has a long history of supporting reactor fuel and material research for the US government and other test sponsors. The INL is owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and currently operated by Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA). The ATR is the third generation of test reactors built at the INL with a mission to study the effects of intense neutron and gamma radiation on reactor materials and fuels. The current experiments in the ATR are sponsored by a variety of customers — the US government, foreign governments and companies, and private researcher institutions, and commercial companies that need neutrons. The ATR has several unique features that enable the reactor to perform diverse simultaneous test for multiple test sponsors. The ATR has been operating since 1967, and is expected to continue operating for several more decades.