View source for Texas A&M Nuclear Science Center

{{Infobox reactor
| name               = Triga Mark I Reactor<ref name=database>IAEA Database of Reactors {{cite web |url=http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/rrdb/ |title=Nuclear Research Reactors in the World |accessdate=2008-05-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516025307/http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/rrdb/ |archivedate=2008-05-16 }}, data from 2001-02-15</ref>
| image              =
| image_size         =
| alt                =
| caption            =
| location_map       =
| location_map_width =
| location_map_text  =
| institution        = Texas A&M University 
| location           =
| coordinates        =
| coordinates_ref    =
| type               = Pool {{infobox
                             | child  = yes
                             | label1 = Utilization
                             | data1  = 90 MW·d/yr
                            }}
| power              = 1 MW
| power_therm_elec   = thermal

<!--CONSTRUCTION & UPKEEP-->
| construct_cost     = US$1.5 million
| construct_start    = January 1, 1959
| construct_length   = <!--length of construction (in months or years) --> 
| first_crit         = January 1, 1962
| shutdown           = <!--date of shutdown-->
| decommission       = <!--date of decommission--> 
| upkeep_cost        = US$0.9 million
| #_of_staff         = 20 
| #_of_operators     = 11
| refuel_time        = <!--how often the plant needs to be refueled-->

<!--TECHNICAL INFO-->
| max_thermal_flux   = 2.0×10<sup>13</sup> [[neutron|n]]/(cm²·s)
| max_fast_flux      = 2.0×10<sup>11</sup> n/(cm²·s)
| fuel_type          = uranium zirconium hydride
| cooling            = 100% natural convection
| moderator          = light water<br>zirconium hydride
| reflector          =
| control_rods       = 6 rods, [[Boron|B]]<sub>4</sub>[[Carbon|C]]
| cladding_material  =[[stainless steel]]
| #_fuel_assemblies  =
| fuel_per_assembly  = <!--number of fuel elements per assembly-->
| rods_per_element   =
| source             =
}}
There are two [[Research reactor|nuclear research reactors]] that serve the [[Texas A&M University]] [https://nesc.tamu.edu/ Nuclear Science Center]. The older of the two is the '''AGN-201M''' model, a low-power teaching reactor. The newer reactor, the '''[[TRIGA]] Mark I''', is focused strongly towards research.

==AGN-201M==

This was the first reactor of the [[Nuclear Engineering]] program at [[Texas A&M University|Texas A&M]], built in the 1950s and licensed on August 26, 1957.<ref name=NUREG>{{cite web
 | title = Information Digest, 2016–2017 (NUREG-1350, Volume 28), APPENDIX I: Operating Nuclear Research and Test Reactors Regulated by the NRC 
 | publisher = U.S. [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]]
 | date = September 2016
 | url = https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1350/
 | doi =
 | accessdate = 2016-11-10}}</ref> It is going through system upgrades and is not operational for 2017. The reactor is of a negligible thermal power of 5 watts but achieves criticality, making it a [[Critical mass|critical assembly]].

The AGN-201M type reactor is also employed at [[University of New Mexico]] and another AGN-201 type is used at [[Idaho State University]].

==TRIGA Mark I==
This is the main reactor of the NSC, operation began in 1961. Tours are available to the public and it is reported that around 2,000 students participate in a tour each year. In 1999 there were 2,982 visitors.

The reactor is located in a stand-alone facility {{convert|2+1/2|mi|km|spell=in}} away from the [[Texas A&M University|Texas A&M]] campus and close to an airfield.

===Technical specifications===

This reactor was part of the first line of [[TRIGA]] reactors but has a number of features that distinguishes it from the other dozens of TRIGA reactors in use today. It is a 1 megawatt pool-type reactor. It is designed for optimal irradiation of samples and is used to produce a number of radioisotopes for medical and industry applications.<ref name=TRTR>{{cite web
 |last        = Binney
 |first       = S.E.
 |author2     = S.R. Reese
 |author3     = D.S. Pratt
 |title       = University Research Reactors: Contributing to the National Scientific and Engineering Infrastructure from 1953 to 2000 and Beyond
 |publisher   = National Organization of Test, Research and Training Reactors
 |date        = February 22, 2000
 |url         = http://www.trtr.org/Links/TRTR_February.html
 |accessdate  = 2007-04-07
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070701191521/http://www.trtr.org/Links/TRTR_February.html
 |archivedate = July 1, 2007
}}</ref>

The reactor ran on 70% [[Enriched uranium#Highly enriched uranium .28HEU.29|highly enriched uranium (HEU)]] until early 2006 when the core was refueled with [[Enriched uranium#Low-enriched uranium .28LEU.29|low enriched uranium]] as a part of the [[National Nuclear Security Administration]]'s (NNSA) [[Global Threat Reduction Initiative]]. This was a part of the [[George W. Bush administration|Bush administration]]'s efforts to minimize the terrorist threat posed by nuclear fuel in civilian applications around the world and constituted the first and only refueling of the reactor ever. In the decades that it had been in operation, the fuel had depleted its [[Uranium-235|U-235]] content from 70% to around 60%. The new fuel is somewhere under 20% enriched since it is classified as LEU.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://nsc.tamu.edu/ Texas A&M NSC Official Site]
*[https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/LooseNukes/story?id=988673 ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review]
*[https://archive.today/20130203173228/http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/2005/10/14/News/Reacting.To.Danger-1021251.shtml Some of the Universities responses to the ABC's report from the Student Paper]
*[https://archive.today/20070619075242/http://engineer.tamu.edu/news/story/?p_news_id=1385 Conversion from High to Low Enriched Uranium Press Release]
*

{{Texas A&M University}}

{{U.S. Research Reactors}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas AandM Nuclear Science Center}}
[[Category:Nuclear research reactors]]