Development of a Neutron Imaging Facility at the Very Low Power Reactor VR-1

Abstract

The paper describes the design and construction of a new neutron imaging facility at the very low-power research reactor VR-1. Neutron imaging has been under development at the VR-1 reactor as a new possible field of utilisation since 2020. The paper describes the main parts of the NIFFLER – “Neutron Imaging Facility for Learning and Research”. The detector system was designed in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich. The radial beam line modifications include different collimation ratios L/D, additional moderator configurations and the basic concept and design of the instrumentation. The paper also includes calculations of thermal neutron flux at the detector position for different radial beamline configurations. The results achieved at the training reactor VR-1 showed the potential of using neutron imaging at other low and very-low-power research reactors worldwide.