As part of our professional training, the operators of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor at the Jožef Stefan Institute took part in a technical visit to CERN, the ITER fusion research project and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL).
The aim of our visit was to gain new professional knowledge, learn about different research facilities and exchange experience in the operation, maintenance and upgrading of nuclear facilities. Learning how other research facilities operate is an important part of our professional development as reactor operators. It gives us insight into different technical solutions, operating practices and approaches to ensuring nuclear safety.
We paid particular attention to our visit to the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, where the High-Flux Reactor (HFR) is in operation. With a thermal power of 58 MW, the reactor is designed to produce cold neutron beams, which are used to study the properties of materials and support research in fields such as physics, chemistry and biology. One of its special features is its compact reactor core, which consists of a single fuel element. Heavy water is used both to cool the reactor and to moderate the neutrons. The reactor enables a wide range of experiments that require very high neutron fluxes.
Our visits to CERN and the ITER project gave us insight into international research in particle physics and the development of fusion energy, areas in which we also contribute through our own research activities.