RESEARCH
The MIT Reactor continues to serve the research, teaching, and radioisotope
needs of MIT and the surrounding community as it has since criticality
was first achieved on July 21, 1958. As the MITR-I, it operated routinely
on a 24 hours per day schedule from July 1959 until May of 1974, when
it was shut down for modification and overhaul. These were completed
in 1976, and the MITR-II is now in routine, 24 hours per day operation.
The MITR-II operates at powel level of up to 5 MW to produce neutrons for a variety of
experimental programs.
The Fission Converter Facility is now operational
and used for clinical trials of
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. This facility is able to deliver
an estimated therapeutic dose in just a few minutes.
Below are some of the current Research areas...
- Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, which is a research
program aimed at developing a treatment for cancer.
- In-Core
Experiments, a group which operates a variety of in-core simulations
loops to study corrosion and water chemistry in commercial power
reactor conditions.
- Trace Element Analysis by the
Environmental Research and Radiochemistry group.
- Neutron Transmutation
Doping of Silicon.
Future Plans
Studies have been performed to support increasing the reactor power
to 6 MW. A safety analysis report has been prepared and submitted
to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Funding has
been obtained by the U.S. Department of Energy for outside collaborators
to use the BNCT facilities for performing research studies in support
of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.
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