Reactor Details

The UTR reactor at the Scottish Research Reactor Centre was designed as a water-moderated, graphite-reflected core, optimised for both teaching and advanced research. It utilised 90% enriched U-235 fuel in the form of aluminium-clad U₃O₈, with each plate containing around 22 g of fuel. Fuel elements were assembled in two banks of six, with 12–14 plates per element. The system was supported by a primary water supply from the process pit tank and a secondary heat exchanger, with comprehensive core and reactor hall ventilation to ensure operational safety.

The reactor was equipped with a thermal column, shield tank, stringers, neutron beam ports, and fast pneumatic transfer systems (“rabbits”), along with multiple in-situ irradiation positions capable of achieving neutron fluxes of up to 10¹² neutrons s⁻¹ cm⁻². These facilities enabled a wide range of applications, including university-level teaching, fundamental and applied research, neutron activation analysis, and isotope production, establishing the SRRC as a cornerstone of nuclear science and training in the UK.