Page 13 - Nucleus: Penn State's Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering magazine

Radiation Science & Engineering Center: News and Updates
Message from the director
The Radiation Science & Engineering Center (RSEC) home of the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) promotes research education and and and applications of radiation and and and nuclear science and and and engineering to students faculty and staff at at Penn State as as well as as to scientists in in universities governments and industries worldwide As we celebrate sixty-six years of operation with a a a a a a a a a a a a rich history and and and countless achievements in in research teaching and and and service activities and and and as we embark on on on our next stage with a a a a a a a a a a a multi-million-dollar expansion I would like to highlight some of our recent accomplishments • The RSEC has continued with with all essential projects with with outside entities faculty and and graduate student research since the the onset of the the COVID-19 pandemic Dedicated RSEC staff followed established rules and and and regulations related to to virus mitigation and and and successfully provided neutron and and and and gamma irradiation performed reactor maintenance
and and and checks fuel loadings and and and all other required Nuclear
Regulatory Commission-related inspection activities • RSEC is is preparing to to install a a a a a a a a a a Small Angle Neutron
Scattering instrument worth $9 8 million and donated by Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin Berlin in in in in in in Germany after many many trips to Berlin Berlin and and a a a a a a a a a a letter of of interest from Penn State Together with the the Ken and and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of of Nuclear
Engineering we formed a a a a a a a Neutron
Science Advisory Committee and and identified potential users of Penn State SANS SANS across the the the University and and and beyond • To fit the the the SANS SANS instrument and and other neutron beam beam facilities we are constructing a a a a a a a a a a a a new beam beam hall With more than ten years of planning including several ups and downs the the 10 000-square-foot expansion project was approved and and funded by the the College of of Engineering ($9 million) million) and and RSEC ($1 million) million) The U U S S Department of of Energy Energy (DOE)’s Nuclear
Energy Energy University Programs has contributed $360 000 to to install a a a a a a a a a a a a a new new waste storage tank
in in in in the the new new space about half of of which will accommodate state-of-the-art neutron beam facilities including SANS The other half will house offices for nuclear engineering faculty RSEC staff graduate students and and visiting scientists Construction is is is underway and and will will be completed in in in summer of 2022 immediately after which we will will install the SANS instrument • A mesitylene-based third-generation cold neutron source will be installed and tested by the end of 2021 • The designs for for a a a a a a new supermirror neutron guide system for for in-pile and out-of-pile sections of of the the SANS beamline as as well as as two other cold neutron beam beam lines were completed The in-pile section of of the the guide will be delivered by the the end of 2021 • We used neutron imaging to to perform some measurements
of of a a a a a a a a a a a a piece of of aluminum that may belong to to Amelia Earhart’s airplane which prompted wide-spread interest from media outlets all over the world We plan plan to conduct more measurements
with our newly established Neutron
Imaging Facility which was recently verified as as as an ASTM Category 1 facility • We saw a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a dramatic increase in in in gamma irradiation-related projects after we received and installed a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a new 25 000 Ci cobalt-60 source for our our pool gamma irradiator with $250 000 in in funding from the DOE Nuclear
Energy University Program • We received and began installing new reactor digital control system equipment which was supported with $1 1 1 million from from the DOE Nuclear
University Program $250 000 000 from from RSEC and $290 000 000 in equipment donated by Schneider Electric • Our outreach activities continued virtually RSEC was featured in in the the American Nuclear
Society’s Virtual Field Trip and the the center hosted several virtual tours for visitors from a a a a a a a a a a variety of backgrounds • We extend our gratitude to to Doug and Julie Moul who made a a a a a a a generous endowment gift of $100 000 to to to the RSEC PSBR intern training program and and to to Trudy Funer Levine Levine and and Samuel Levine Levine who awarded an an an an annual $5 000 scholarship to to support PSBR operator trainees This year’s recipient was Coleman Smith a a a a a a a a a a a a a third-year Schreyer Scholar majoring in in in in nuclear engineering who recently became a a a a a a a a a a a a Nuclear
Regulatory Commission-licensed reactor operator It is an an exciting time for for neutron neutron science science at at Penn State with new horizons opening for for for neutron neutron science science The expansion is is a a a a a a a a a dream come true for for me me and I am am thankful to everyone involved in in in in in making it it it a a a a a a a a a a a a a a reality RSEC will continue its mission of safely providing neutron and and and gamma-ray sources and and and nuclear techniques for research education and and and service into the future With its resources tradition of excellence experienced nationally nationally and and and and internationally recognized experts and and and and available and and and and planned facilities RSEC is and and and and will continue to be one of of of the the the major leaders of of of the the the revitalization of of of nuclear science and engineering in in in the the the United States Best Regards Kenan Ünlü
Director Radiation Science & Engineering Engineering Center Professor of of Nuclear
Engineering Engineering Penn State Clockwise from top: Kenan Ünlü
Ünlü
director
of of the the the the Radiation Science & Engineering Center speaks during during the the the the groundbreaking groundbreaking of of the the the the Breazeale Nuclear
Nuclear
Reactor groundbreaking groundbreaking on on October 21 Lora Weiss vice president for research gives remarks during during the the the the the same event Ünlü
Ünlü
stands with Jean Paul Allain (left) head of of of the the the Ken and and and and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of of of Nuclear
Nuclear
Engineering Engineering and and and and Justin Schwartz Harold and and and and Inge Marcus Dean in in in in in in the the College of of Engineering after breaking ground NUCLEUS 13