Budapest Research Reactor – 20 Years of International User Operation

Abstract

Nearly 20 years passed that we first reported in Neutron News about the Budapest Research Reactor (BRR), its restart after a major refurbishment and about its neutron beam facilities [1]. In fact, also 20 years ago the decision was made, that after the falling of the iron curtain the practically brand-new 10 megawatt reactor, then in commissioning, should be opened for the international user community. The reactor reached its nominal power in May 1993 and neutron beam experiments were available on 4 instruments at that time. Thanks to a continuous development the number of experimental stations now is 15, the research staff has grown from 10 to nearly 50 scientists and research facilities have been improved considerably. A few important milestones should be mentioned: a liquid hydrogen cold source was installed and the neutron guide system was replaced by a supermirror guide configuration, yielding a factor of 50–80 gain in neutron intensity; a second guide hall was constructed to house a new time-of-flight instrument; BRR became a member of the European neutron scattering network (NMI3). In 2010, the core conversion programme was completed, namely the change of the fuel from high enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU) and subsequently a stock of new fuel elements will ensure the safe operation of BRR for at least a decade to come.