The
NRC Canadian Neutron Beam Centre (CNBC) was Canada's national user facility that enabled researchers to use
neutron
The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The Discovery of the neutron, neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nucle ...
beams as tools for world-class materials research. The CNBC was located at
Chalk River Laboratories
Chalk River Laboratories (; also known as CRL, Chalk River Labs and formerly Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, CRNL) is a Canadian nuclear research facility in Deep River, about north-west of Ottawa.
CRL is a site of significant research and ...
, where
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL, Énergie atomique du Canada limitée, EACL) is a Canadian Crown corporation and the largest nuclear science and technology laboratory in Canada. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in th ...
(AECL) owned and operated the
National Research Universal (NRU) reactor that provided the neutrons for CNBC. CNBC was a global leader in the development of materials and products for businesses. Like most other
neutron beam laboratories, the CNBC operated beamlines as a service to external researchers. In a typical year, about 250 individuals participated in research that relied on access to the suite of 6 beamlines at the CNBC.
The CNBC ceased to provide neutrons on March 31, 2018, when the NRU reactor permanently closed.
History
The neutron beam laboratory known as Canadian Neutron Beam Centre was transferred from AECL to the National Research Council in 1997.
Services & Products
The
NRU reactor, closed in March 2018, was a multi-purpose research reactor that supported science and industry in three areas simultaneously:
# It was Canada's only major
neutron source
A neutron source is any device that emits neutrons, irrespective of the mechanism used to produce the neutrons. Neutron sources are used in physics, engineering, medicine, nuclear weapons, petroleum exploration, biology, chemistry, and nuclear p ...
, supplying neutrons for the CNBC.
# It was Canada's only major materials testing reactor, supporting nuclear energy
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...
.
# It was one of the two largest global producers of medical radioisotopes.
See also
*
Canadian Light Source
The Canadian Light Source (CLS) () is Canada's national synchrotron light source facility, located on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The CLS has a third-generation 2.9 GeV storage ring, and th ...
References
External links
NRC Canadian Neutron Beam Centre web site
National Research Council (Canada)
Neutron facilities
Research institutes in Canada
{{physics-org-stub
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Buildings and structures in Renfrew County
Federal government buildings in Ontario