[en] In response to the INFCE conclusions, the U.S. undertook development of a new dry fuel cycle. Dry recycle processes have been demonstrated to be feasible. Safeguarding such fuel cycles will be dramatically simpler than the PUREX fuel cycle. At every step of the processes, the materials meet the open-quotes spent-fuel standard.close quotes The scale is compatible with collocation of power reactors and their recycle facility, eliminating off-site transportation and storage of plutonium-bearing materials. Material diverted either covertly or overtly would be difficult (relative to material available by other means) to process into weapons feedstock

[en] The use of high energy (> 6 MeV) capture gamma rays as a means of detecting steel movement in a transient test has been investigated. Experimental results for steady state reactor operation indicate that this method is capable of providing a reasonably unique signature of steel. In addition, the signal-to-background ratio of an R-series 7-pin test capsule was measured to be approximately 0.6 for 1 cm³ of steel. It is estimated that this value will permit a time-resolved steel detection capability of approximately 0.2 cm³. Implementation of this method to the 122-cm hodoscope required a minimum of modifications, and preliminary results using this array support a steel detection capability at least to the level of blockage formation

[en] There has been a steadily growing worldwide interest in generating accelerated beams of unstable nuclei for use in a variety of applications such as nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, atomic and condensed matter physics, and medicine. A number of facilities, either planned or under construction, will couple an intense production source of unstable elements to an efficient accelerator in order to produce accelerated ion beams of a wide range of nuclei far from stability. We describe here the production targets and their shielding as designed and constructed for ISAC, the high-intensity accelerated radioactive ion beam facility at TRIUMF. The shielding for the targets is integrated into each target module so that all services and radiation-sensitive connections are made outside the shielding and the vacuum enclosure. This allows the use of, for example, elastomer seals for the vacuum connections. Including the weight of the steel shielding, each target module weighs approximately 15 tonnes. For servicing, the target modules are removed vertically by a remotely operated crane. The modules may then be transported either to one of two hot cells for maintenance or to a storage silo. The remotely controlled transport takes place in the Target Maintenance Hall. This is a shielded, ventilated building that allows the target modules to be transported without shielding for the induced radioactivity. We also present some observations of experience during the initial commissioning at low and medium proton beam intensities. (author)

[en] The fast-neutron hodoscopes at TREAT and proposed for STF can be adapted to perform high-resolution radiography, in addition to their role of time-resolved test fuel imaging. Time resolution may be traded for increased spatial resolution by remote motorized scanning of the collimator, simulataneous collection of data from the detector array over extended time intervals, and deconvolution of the data from the collimator response function. Calculations and analysis of initial scanning experiments at TREAT indicate that an acceptable level of fuel density resolution can be achieved for TREAT and STF in-situ radiography

[en] The construction phase of the ISAC radioactive ion beam (RIB) facility is now completed. The ISAC RIB facility utilizes the Isotopic Separation On Line (ISOL) production method. The ISAC facility includes: a new building with 5000 m² of floor space, a beam line with adequate shielding to transport up to 100 μA of proton at 500 MeV from the H^- TRIUMF cyclotron to two target stations, remote handling facilities for the targets, a high resolution mass separator, a linear accelerator and experimental facilities. A novel approach for the target/ion source station is described. The target/ion source assembly and heavy ion optic components are located in a shield canyon under 2 m of steel shielding plug. A separator is to be coupled with either a low energy experimental area or to a linear accelerator for post-acceleration up to 1.5 A MeV. (author)

[en] In response to the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation (INFCE) conclusions, the U.S. undertook development of a new dry fuel cycle. Dry recycle processes have been demonstrated to be feasible. Safeguarding such fuel cycles will be dramatically simpler that the PUREX fuel cycle. At every step of the processes, the materials meet the 'spent-fuel standard'. The scale is compatible with collocation of power reactors and their recycle facility, eliminating off-site transportation and storage of plutonium-bearing materials. Material diverted either covertly or overtly would be difficult (relative to material available by other means) to process into weapons feedstock. (authors)

[en] New requirements for time resolution, test duration, field of view, and recording redundancy in dynamic digital radiographic imaging of fuel motion in TREAT and TREAT-Upgrade (TU) in-pile experiments have been formulated. This has necessitated the design and fabrication of a new hodoscope high-speed data acquisition system. Recently an array of proportional counters was installed to operate in tandem with the Hornyak-button array. The full implementation of this new array, together with the increased field-of-view needed for future TU 37-pin experiments, required a separate recording system operting in parallel with that for the Hornyak buttons. The new recording system was required to have substantially higher capacity than the earlier recording system in use, in order to record sufficient data channels and samples with adequately small collection intervals, for some new types of experiments

[en] Programs at TRIUMF directed toward higher currents, separated turns and extraction of H^- beam require a resonator structure of greater mechanical stability. Studies have led to the design and installation of a new resonator structure with increased stiffness and reduced vibration amplitude. Measurements with a newly designed segment installed in the TRIUMF cyclotron have led to more accurate determination of the RF leakage power (excitation of RF modes in the beam space)

[en] A radioactive ion beam (RIB) facility is being built at TRIUMF. A novel design for the target/ion source station will allow us to bombard a thick target with TRIUMF's 100 μA, 500 MeV proton beam, producing a variety of very intense beams of nuclei far from stability. After mass separation the beams can be sent to two different experimental areas. One uses the 60 keV energy beam and the second one will use the 0.15 to 1.50 MeV/u post-accelerated beam. Singly charged ion beams, with A≤30 delivered from the on line mass separator, with an energy of 2 keV/u, will be accelerated in a two stage linac consisting of an RFQ and a post-stripper drift-tube linac up to 1.5 MeV/u. CW operation mode is required to preserve beam intensity. As a consequence of the low q/A ions a low operating frequency for the RFQ is required to achieve adequate transverse focusing. The main features of this accelerator are: 35 MHz RFQ, stripping at 150 keV/u, beam energy continuously variable from 0.15 to 1.50 MeV/u and CW operation. (orig.)

[en] The principle of utilizing the ν_r - 3/2 resonance for efficient direct extraction of 100 μA of H^- ions at 450 MeV from the TRIUMF cyclotron has been previously demonstrated. The initiation of the KAON Factory Project Definition Study at TRIUMF moves the emphasis of the H^- extraction effort from the design of components compatible with short beam tests to equipment suitable for the final extraction configuration and from beam dynamics studies to engineering studies. To this end a reference extraction design has been chosen and will be described. Designs for the magnetic channels, both air core and iron compensated, ranging in strength from 0.1 T to 0.45 T, are progressing. Engineering constraints complicating the implementation of the reference design will be discussed