The Radiation Center is an approximately 47,000 sq. ft facility that is home to a collection of highly specialized experimental and laboratory facilities as well as the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering. The experimental facilities include the 1.1 MW Oregon State TRIGA Reactor (OSTR), a 60Co irradiator, NIST-traceable radiological instrument calibration facilities, radiological analytical instrumentation including gamma spectroscopy, alpha spectroscopy, liquid scintillation counting capabilities, allowing for a wide array of equipment that permit researchers to use radiation in their research. Additionally, the Radiation Center houses state-of-the-art thermal hydraulic test facilities including:
- Advanced Nuclear Systems Engineering Laboratory
- High Temperature Test Facility
- Hydro-Mechanical Fuel Test Facility
Together, these facilities provide the Radiation Center the unique opportunity to serve the entire Oregon State University campus, all other academic institutions within Oregon, the United States and the world. Each year the Radiation Center supports work from ~75 different institutions with ~150 different projects. About half these institutions are outside the United States, a quarter from within the United States outside of Oregon, and the remaining quarter from within Oregon.
The research efforts of the Radiation Center are extremely diverse, drawing faculty from the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Anthropology, and Nuclear Science and Engineering among others. The efforts of these researchers are far reaching and impact areas ranging from our basic understanding of the nucleus to the development of new materials and processes to help solve important technological problems, including understanding the complexity of concrete curing in different conditions/environments, development of radiation detectors to detect clandestine weapons testing in support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and environmentally-friendly separation processes for nuclear material, and development of new nuclear fuels and advanced reactor designs, to name a few. Beyond the impact that the Radiation Center has on research, it also provides a teaching and laboratory setting that is unique within the Western half of the United States. Details on our activities on a yearly basis can be found in our annual report.