HFBR

[Lester Slaback <Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV>]

Don't fool yourself - its always politics.  DoE is debating spending a few
million to restart the HFBR versus a good fraction of a billion dollars to
restart the FFTF.  They are vastly different facilities with different
reasons for existence, and different political support (or lack thereof).
But the HFBR represents a kind of facility needed by the materials research
community.  With the Congressional cancellation of the Advanced Neutron
Source several years ago (a 200 MW reactor designed specifically for the
future needs of the materials people) only the existing facilities
represent the resource for the future.  And other than the HIFR at Oak
Ridge the HFBR is the highest powered research reactor in the U.S.
available for this work, and is designed specifically for this purpose.
The twenty-some experiments at the 20 MW NBSR (at NIST) are oversubscribed,
with a long waiting list.  The HIFR is adding a cold neutron facility but
it will have only 2 or 3 beam lines (as compared to the 7 at NIST).  When
this country should be adding capability and resources we in fact are
reducing it.
Most HPs these days have had little contact with research reactors, and
hence may not appreciate the role they play in the various and many
industrial applications.  Every university research reactor has programs
with outside industrial vendors, in addition to their internal programs.
And we are continuing to lose those facilities also (UVa, U of Ill, GaTech
in recent years).
So the HP community should be more than casually interested in the fate the
HFBR.  It is a significant chunk of our current resources.
Disclaimer:  the above are the personal musings of the author, and do not
represent any past, present, or future position of NIST, the U.S. government,
or anyone else who might think that they are in a position of authority. 
Lester Slaback, Jr.  [Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV] 
NBSR Health Physics 
Center for Neutron Research 
NIST
100 Bureau Dr.  STOP 3543 
Gaithersburg, MD  20899-3543 
301 975-5810 voice
301 921-9847 fax
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