Triga Mark II Nuclear Reactor Facility

The Kansas State University TRIGA Mark II nuclear reactor facility supports academic and education programs, research, industrial service and outreach. Students in the MNE nuclear option utilize the reactor in two reactor operation laboratory classes, and as a neutron and gamma source for a radiation-detection course. The facility provides sample irradiations and tours for many other courses within the university, and provides tours for area students from grade school to college age.



The reactor is licensed to operate at up to 1.25 MW. Its research capabilities include a variety of neutron beams for detector testing, internal imaging using neutron radiography and tomography, tracer isotope production, and trace element analysis via neutron activation analysis. The facility is staffed almost entirely by licensed undergraduate student operators, providing both an excellent opportunity for the students and supporting the manpower needs of the local nuclear power industry.

AVAILABLE EXPERIMENTS

Neutron activation analysis using HPGe spectrometers

Neutron irradiation: nvt = ~1E8 – 1E18 neutrons/cm2

Gamma irradiation: up to ~500 krad/hr for samples below 50 mL in size, and up to ~1 krad/hr for samples up to 20 L in size

Neutron radiography

Neutron detector testing: four beam ports with distinct neutron spectra, and Cf-252 neutron/gamma source

FEES

Operations: $150/hour (on-campus experimenters) to $225/hour (off-campus experimenters). This fee is typically waived for outreach activities.

Tours: Groups up to 40, $100 (internal)/$150 (external). To schedule a one hour tour, please contact Robert Seymour or Dr. Alan Cebula.

