Research and Development Aspects of the Dragon Reactor Experiment. Dragon Project Report

This report gives a brief survey of some aspects of the Dragon research and development programme. special emphasis has been put on materials development and materials problems. A large amount of R & D effort has also been spent on component development (bearings, gears, seals, pressure vessel penetrations, gas bearing circulators etc.) but this has not been reported here as it is described in detail in a companion paper ''Engineering Aspects of the Dragon Reactor Experiment''. (D.P. Report 63 ye The international character of the programme is reflected in the placing of numerous research contracts, distributed amongst all the Signatory countries, as well as in the presence of about forty non-U.K. staff in the R & D Division at Winfrith, in a total of approximately a hundred scientific staff. The total number of scientists working on Dragon R & D problems is considerably greater if one takes the research contracts into consideration.