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Hardware

Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

By Conner Forrest October 1, 2015, 10:24 AM PDT

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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

The HFIR control room

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The HFIR control room

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a nuclear research reactor from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, produces neutrons used in a variety of scientific research. Here’s a quick tour.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

Bio-SANS

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Bio-SANS

This equipment is used as part of the Biological Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (Bio-SANS) Instrument. Bio-SANS is one of the foundational technologies for work done as part of ORNL’s Center for Structural Molecular Biology.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

HFIR reactor pool

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

HFIR reactor pool

Scientists work on removing an HFIR fuel element from the reactor pool.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

HFIR refueling

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

HFIR refueling

In July 2015, the HFIR was refueled. On average, a fuel cycle for the HFIR will last for about 26 days.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

Another shot of the reactor pool

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Another shot of the reactor pool

The tubes are storage canals for fuel elements. Spent fuel glow blue because of Cherenkov radiation, which causes electrons to move through the pool’s water faster than the speed of light.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

Equipment maintenance

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Equipment maintenance

ORNL’s Matt Collins works on neutron scattering equipment for SANS research.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

The HFIR's flux trap

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The HFIR's flux trap

At the center of the reactor’s fuel element, you’ll find the flux trap. Target materials are irradiated in this area of the reactor.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

Research preparation

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Research preparation

Christophe Higy and Philipp Gutfreund from the Institut Laue-Langevin prepare a research sample for the HFIR.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

IMAGINE diffractometer

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

IMAGINE diffractometer

IMAGINE is a neutron image-plate single crystal diffractometer. A diffractometer measures structure and scattering on a material when it is irradiated.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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Photos: An inside look at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor

Preparing IMAGINE

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Preparing IMAGINE

Flora Meilleur places an organic molecule crystal on the sample holder in the IMAGINE diffractometer.

Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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By Conner Forrest
Conner is a former Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He is now a Senior Research Analyst at 451 Research.
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