The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR) is home to a tank-type
nuclear research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or mariti ...
that serves the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
in
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
, United States. , the MURR is the highest power university research reactor in the U.S. at 10 megawatt thermal output. The fuel is highly
enriched uranium
Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (238U ...
.
History and overview
In 1959, University President
Elmer Ellis proposed a research reactor, understanding that the many fields of research to benefit from nuclear science "are a part of the University of Missouri's educational responsibilities to our youth and to all our citizens". The MURR began operation October 13, 1966, about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of the university's main campus and the city's main business district. The reactor building was designed by Cornelius L.T. Gabler and Associates of Detroit, Michigan.The architectural style is mid-century modern. The supplier of construction services was
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...
. In 1970, MURR scientist Dr. George Leddicotte gave the first courtroom testimony on murder trial evidence using
neutron activation analysis
Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is the nuclear process used for determining the concentrations of elements in many materials. NAA allows discrete sampling of elements as it disregards the chemical form of a sample, and focuses solely on atomic ...
. Four years later MURR began operating at 10 MW, making it the highest powered U.S. university reactor.
Ir-192 was first produced at MURR for fighting breast cancer in 1976. The first
small angle neutron scattering (SANS) spectrometer in the U.S. was installed in 1980. In 1986 the first experiments were performed that led to developing
Quadramet and
TheraSphere
TheraSphere is a radiotherapy treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that consists of millions of microscopic, radioactive glass microspheres (20–30 micrometres in diameter) being infused into the arteries that feed liver tumors. These ...
, which were later approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for helping fight against bone and liver cancer respectively.
Since 2000, systematic upgrades, renovation, and renewal to MURR facilities and instrumentation in preparation for the next 20 years of licensed operation have taken place. In 2002, a building addition opened the way for expansion into
current good manufacturing practice, cGMP scaleup of isotopes. Work began in 2006 on a addition to house laboratories, classrooms and offices to advance interdisciplinary research, education and treatment of patients. It is estimated that as of March 2012, MURR supports approximately 400 faculty members and 150 graduate students representing more than 180 departments from more than 100 international universities, as well as around 40 federal and industrial laboratories each year. A
cyclotron
A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator invented by Ernest O. Lawrence in 1929–1930 at the University of California, Berkeley, and patented in 1932. Lawrence, Ernest O. ''Method and apparatus for the acceleration of ions'', filed: Jan ...
that will supply mid-Missouri with isotopes for
PET imaging and support additional research, development, and clinical trials has been installed.
In 2016, MURR was awarded the Nuclear Historic Landmark Award from the
American Nuclear Society
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is an international, not-for-profit organization of scientists, engineers, and industry professionals that promote the field of nuclear engineering and related disciplines.
ANS is composed of three communities: ...
.
Licensing
Some important reactor events are summarized here.
MURR began the process to renew its operating license in 2006, and responded to requests for additional information in 2009 and 2010. On January 4, 2017, MURR was granted a renewal of the facility operating license, which allows for operation until 2037.
Research
The MURR contributes to research in
boron neutron capture therapy
Neutron capture therapy (NCT) is a type of radiotherapy for treating locally invasive malignant tumors such as primary brain tumors, recurrent cancers of the head and neck region, and cutaneous and extracutaneous melanomas. It is a two-step pro ...
,
neutron scattering
Neutron scattering, the irregular dispersal of free neutrons by matter, can refer to either the naturally occurring physical process itself or to the man-made experimental techniques that use the natural process for investigating materials. Th ...
and
neutron interferometry
In physics, a neutron interferometer is an interferometer capable of diffracting neutrons, allowing the wave-like nature of neutrons, and other related phenomena, to be explored.
Interferometry
Interferometry inherently depends on the wave natu ...
, neutron transmutation doping of semiconductor materials, use of radioisotopes for imaging and treatment of cancer, epidemiology, and archaeology, along with many others.
Archaeometry Laboratory
The Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR has been funded by
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
(NSF) since 1988. The
neutron activation
Neutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when atomic nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. The excited nucleus decays immediately by emit ...
capabilities are used to characterize over 30 major, minor, and trace elements in archaeological and geological materials. In addition to neutron activation, the laboratory maintains and operates several
X-ray fluorescence
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by being bombarded with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. The phenomenon is widely used for elemental analysis ...
spectrometers, multiple
ICP-mass spectrometers, and a multi-collector ICP-MS for
isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. The laboratory is one of only a handful of facilities in the world to have access to all of these analytical methods.
Data generated by the laboratory are typically used by archaeologists to study issues relating to provenance (geological source) that facilitate understanding of trade and exchange in prehistory. The laboratory also handles analyses of geological materials in support of geology, soil science, and other environmental sciences.
Neutron scattering
The
neutron scattering
Neutron scattering, the irregular dispersal of free neutrons by matter, can refer to either the naturally occurring physical process itself or to the man-made experimental techniques that use the natural process for investigating materials. Th ...
program at MURR has a long and productive history. On the one hand, many prominent scientists have graduated from this program and benefited from the in depth, hands on experience afforded by MURR's unique combination of high neutron flux and proximity to a flagship campus (the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
). On the other hand, cutting edge research continues on the four active neutron scattering instruments of MURR's beamport floor: Triax (a
triple-axis spectrometer
Triple-axis spectrometry (TAS, T also resolved as "three", S also resolved as " spectroscopy") is a technique used in inelastic neutron scattering. The instrument is referred to as triple-axis spectrometer (also called TAS). It allows measuremen ...
), NR/GANS (a
neutron reflectometer
Neutron reflectometry is a neutron diffraction technique for measuring the structure of thin films, similar to the often complementary techniques of X-ray reflectivity and ellipsometry. The technique provides valuable information over a wide vari ...
with spin-polarized capability), 2X-C (a multi-detector
diffractometer), and PSD (a high-resolution
diffractometer with position sensitive detectors). Furthermore, the landmark
neutron interferometry
In physics, a neutron interferometer is an interferometer capable of diffracting neutrons, allowing the wave-like nature of neutrons, and other related phenomena, to be explored.
Interferometry
Interferometry inherently depends on the wave natu ...
experiments performed here have played an important role in opening the field of experimental
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...
.
References
*
External links
*
ABC's Radioactive Roadtrip Security Review of the Research Reactor Center MURR's Neutron Scattering program MURR Archaeometry Laboratory
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Nuclear reactors
Nuclear research reactors
University of Missouri campus
Science and technology in Missouri