Experimental research reactor LVR-15 - Operation and use - abs114

Experimental research reactor LVR-15 is situated in Nuclear Research Institute Rez. The reactor nominal power is 10 MW. Standard reactor cycle is 21 days and the reactor operates 8 - 10 cycles per year. The basic research is carried out using horizontal neutron beams. One horizontal neutron beam is used for development and application of brain cancer tumours treatment by the boron neutron captures therapy. Standard irradiation service comprises irradiation of samples, irradiation of samarium for radio-diagnosis purposes and iridium wires for medical treatment as well as iridium discs for technical radiation sources production and silicon neutron doped crystals production. A neutron activation analysis laboratory is equipped with the pneumatic rabbit facility. BLANKA type rig enables the irradiation. of samples (molten salts with additives) with temperature up to 800 deg. C in the ADTT research project. Reactor rigs are also used for the irradiation of batches of samples produced from reactor pressure vessel, a reactor internals in inert gas for the consequently material properties degradation research. Smaller batches of samples are irradiated in the CHOUCA rig. For irradiation of bigger batches of samples a slab type rigs were developed and are used. Two reactor loops enable the irradiation and research of material behaviour in the PWR environment. They are mainly used for the study of fuel cladding material corrosion and interaction with the surrounding environment under the different chemical regimes. Zinc loops are used for the study of corrosion reduction with zinc injection. Two reactor loops enable the irradiation and research of material behaviour in the BWR environment. They are used for the study of different structure materials and junctions of materials as well as of coolant parameters sensors behaviour under the irradiation and with different hydrogen/oxygen coolant regimes, the IASCC/SCC tests of reactor pressure vessel and core internals steels. (authors)