University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory

The Radiation Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Lowell serves the Department of Applied Physics among others. The laboratory contains the University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor, a 1 MW pool-type research reactor that has been operating since 1974, along with Co-60 gamma ray sources and a 5.5 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator.

Reactor

The first startup was on January 2, 1975. A budget for the reactor is not provided by the university or the state; funding comes from customer irradiations, grants, and the United States Department of Energy.

Conversion to LEU

The UMass Lowell reactor has been one of the many research reactors to make the conversion from high-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium as a part of anti-terrorism security measures. The used HEU fuel was reportedly shipped to the Savannah River Site. The original shipping date was June 2002 but had been postponed many times. As of present-day the shipments have been made and the reactor is in operation with LEU.

Neutron Irradiation Capabilities

Neutron irradiation facilities at the UMLRR include: 1x 8-inch beam port, 2x 6-inch beam ports, in-core radiation baskets & flux trap, thermal column, and fast neutron irradiator.