Current status and perspectives of Nuclear reactor based research in Bangladesh

NuclearSafety &RadiationControl

Department

RTML,Chittagong

BSMEC,Cox’s Bazar

14 NuclearMedicine

& ultrasoundCentres

AECDhaka

AERESavar

OrganogramBangladesh Atomic Energy Commission

1. Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology 6. Institute of Electronics2. Institute of Food & Radiation Biology 7. Institute of Computer Science3. Reactor Operation & Maintenance Unit 8. Central Engineering Facilities4. Tissue Banking & Biomaterial Research 9. Central Library5. Nuclear Minerals Unit

BAECHeadQuarterDhaka

Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology

ReactorPhysics &Engineering

Radio-Isotope

Production

ReactorEngineering& Control

LibraryAdministration

Reactor andNeutron Physics

Nuclear &RadiationChemistry

IsotopeHydrology

RadiationMonitoring& Waste

Management

INST

NAA NS NR

Division

Division

Division

Division

Division

Division

Division

OrganogramInstitute of Nuclear Science & Technology

Radio-Isotope

Production

NAA NS NR Utilization of Research Reactor

Nuclear Reactor available in Bangladesh:

Only a 3MW TRIGA Mark-II Research Reactor

TRIGA Mark II Reactor

Criticality Date : 14 Sept. 1986

Fuel ElementGraphite Dummy ElementControl RodDry Central ThimbleRabbit TerminusNeutron Source

Reactor core configuration

Rotary Specimen RackTRIGA Mark II Reactor

Rabbit Room

Nuclear Reactor available in Bangladesh:

Reactor Tank

Beam ports:

Radial piercing(TAS-NS)

Tangential(NR)

Radial-2

PGNAA(under processing)

Radial-1HRPD (under processing)

Thermal column(unutilized)

Nuclear Reactor available in Bangladesh:

GraphiteReflector6 rods of B4CControl rod

Fuel elements = 93;IFE = 02; FFCR = 05

Core loadingDemineralized waterCoolant100No. of fuel elementNatural/ForcedCooling19.7 wt%235U enrichmentU-ZrH1.6Fuel moderator material3 MW (thermal)Power output

Technical Data of BAEC TRIGA Reactor

87.01 Ci(131I, 99mTc, 46Sc)

Radioisotope produced

1274No. of irradiation request catered

15017 MWhTotal burn—up 2444Hours at full power operated 7412Total hours operated 6Hours operated per day

Operation and Utilization Data

1.2×1051.32×1072.64×10131.39×10137.53×1013Thermal

-Radial piercing beam port2.18×105Tangential beam port1.23×1012Pneumatic Transfer System6.59×1011RSR (Lazy Suzan)3.81×1012DCTEpithermal Position

Neutron Flux (n.cm-2.sec-1)

Low PowerOperation(NAA, NR)

250-500 kWOperator training

SUN MON TUE WED THU

Present Reactor Operation Schedule

High Power Operation for RI Production, NS and NAA

(3 MW)

RadioisotopeProduction

Utilization of3MW TRIGA RR

ActivationAnalysis

NeutronRadiography

ManpowerTraining

NeutronScattering

AcademicResearch

Areas of Utilization

Radioisotope Production

The objective of Radioisotope Productionis to fulfill the local demand of

short-lived medical radioisotopesand radiopharmaceuticals

– Tc-99m generator production plant– I-131 production plant– I-131 Capsule production facility– QA/QC facility

Major Facilities of Radioisotopes Production

Radioisotope Production

Thyroid ablation Therapy

~ 1.5 Ci/weekIodine-131 Capsule

For diagnosis of thyroid disorder and therapy of

thyrotoxicosis

~ 1Ci/weekIodine-131 solution

Some centres require weekly and others require

fortnightly

18 generators/ week

Tc-99m Generators (450 mCi)

RemarksDemandRadioisotopes

Supply in 14 Nuclear Medicine Centres and four private hospitals

Radioisotope Production

Tc-99m Production Facility On-Line Control Software

Radioisotope Production

Tc-99m Generator Shipment package ofTc-99m generator

Isotope Production

I-131 production facility I-131 CapsuleProduction Facility

Isotope Production

Triple Axis Spectrometer

Neutron Scattering

� Neutron Powder Diffraction StudiesFor structural characterization of materials like metals, metallic oxides, alloys, ceramics, superconductors and various types of magnetic materials

� Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS)For determining shape, size and molecular weights of particles in various kinds of biological aggregates and polymers

� Texture StudiesFor identification of texture in industrial and structural materials

Present Scope of ResearchNeutron Scattering

Neutron Diffraction Pattern of Ni-Zn Ferrite

Neutron Scattering

Neutron Diffraction Pattern of Ni-Zn Ferrite

Neutron Radiography

Neutron Radiography setup Dark Room Facility

Nondestructive testing of various materials and quality control of industrial products

Objectives:Objectives:•• Detection of voids, cracks, internal continuity Detection of voids, cracks, internal continuity in materials and industrial products;in materials and industrial products;

•• Detection of defects and corrosion in aircraft Detection of defects and corrosion in aircraft spare parts;spare parts;

•• Determination of defects and water absorption Determination of defects and water absorption behavior of building materials, wood and jute behavior of building materials, wood and jute plastic composites;plastic composites;

•• Study the boron deficiency in different types of Study the boron deficiency in different types of plants, etc.plants, etc.

Neutron Radiography

1. Elemental analysis of various sample matrices

2. Nuclear Data measurements

Activities

Using NAA technique we work on:

1. R & D works

2. Services

3. Projects

4. Academic collaboration

ActivitiesThe activities of NAA laboratory are classified into four categories:

Example of R & D work

Case study-1

Launching of NAA lab: 1986

TRIGA Mark II Reactor

Elemental analysis

3 MW TRIGA Reactor

Nuclear data measurements

14 MeV Neutron Generator

NAA Group

Example of R & D work

TRIGA Mark II Reactor

Radial piercingbeam port

BAECTRIGA Reactor Triple Axis Spectrometer

Example of R & D work

Recently, we have opened a new arena by utilizing the same beam port for determination of neutron capture cross sections at a “rare” thermal energy

(0.0536 eV) region using NAA technique“rare”

The term ‘rare’ means that there are no experimental neutron capture cross-section data available at our

investigated energy

Example of R & D work

So far, we have successfully carried out two experiments in determining the neutron capture cross section for 186W(n,γ)187W and 71Ga(n,γ)72Ga

reactions at thermal energy of 0.0536 eV

Worldwide several authors reported experimental neutron capture cross sections for various targets at

average thermal energy of 0.0253 eV

Using Cd-cut-off energy

Complex Large uncertainty

Example of R & D work

ExperimentalIn determining neutron capture cross section using NAA technique, several steps are involved:

�calculation of neutron flux and cross section

�choice of neutron source�sample preparation and irradiation�gamma ray counting and peak analysis�construction of full energy photo peak detection efficiency curve at reference position where true coincidence effects are negligible

Example of R & D work

Ga2O3-TargetR ea ct or

Au-monitor

Inpile collimator

Shield

MonochromatorCu200

Monochromatic beam(Thermal, 0.0536 eV)

λ = 1.236 A0

Choice of neutron source

Cross sectional view of the arrangement for monochromatizationof reactor neutrons and experimental setup

TRIGA Reactor

Example of R & D work

TungstenPhysical form: foilPurity: 99.99%Weight: 796 mgSize: 10 mm dia

200µm thickIsotopic compositions: 180W(0.12%), 182W(26.49%)183W(14.31%), 184W(30.64%)

186W(28.42%)

Sample preparationGallium

Physical form: Ga2O3(made in pellet)

Purity: 99.99%Weight: 1.27 gSize: 1.2 cm dia

0.13 cm thickIsotopic compositions:

69Ga(60.108 %)71Ga (39.892 %)

Example of R & D work

Reactor power: 3 MW (during isotope production)Irradiation time: 5 h

Neutron energy: 0.0536 eV

Irradiation

The cadmium covered gold foil and bare aluminum foil were also irradiated to check the effect of epithermal and fast neutrons.

Simultaneous irradiation of target and gold foil under the following conditions:

Example of R & D work

Gamma ray counting and peak analysis

ORTEC DSPEC JrTM Digital gamma spectrometry coupled with Canberra HPGe detector of 15%

relative efficiency and 1.9 keV resolution

Counting

Tungsten:10 hours3 times

Gallium:5 hours3 times

AcquisitionSoftware:Maestro-32ORTEC

Peak analysisSoftware:

Hypermet PCV5.12

Example of R & D work

Gamma ray spectrum of tungsten target

Tungsten

Example of R & D work

834.

0 k

eV

Gamma ray spectrum of gallium target

Gallium

629.

9 ke

V

Example of R & D work

y = -0.8639x2 + 3.4219x - 4.3498R2 = 0.9972

y = -3.9854x2 + 17.054x - 19.226R2 = 0.9999 y = -0.85x + 0.9283

R2 = 0.9995

-2

-1.8

-1.6

-1.4

-1.2

-1

-0.8

1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.2 3.4

Log (Gamma Energy, keV)

Log (

Effic

iency

, %)

Efficiency curve at 30 cm distance from the detector surface

Point sources used: 22Na, 57Co, 60C0, 54Mn, 133Ba, 137Cs and 152Eu Energy covered: 80.9 – 1408 keV

Example of R & D work

Construction of efficiency curve

Nuclear Data

95.6324.8

834.03629.96

14.1 h71Ga(n,γ)72Ga

21.827.3

479.55685.73

23.72 h186W(n,γ)187W

95.5411.82.695 d197Au(n,γ)198Au

Branching Ratio (%)

Gamma Energy (keV)

Half-life

Nuclear Reaction

Example of R & D work

Determination of neutron flux

φ(E) = Asat/σ(Epeak)Asat = saturated activity of gold foilσ(Epeak) = cross section at the peak neutron energy (68.5 barn at 0.0536 eV)

In case of monoenergetic thermal neutrons, the flux φ(E) can simply be obtained as:

Assuming the self attenuation factor for gold foil at 0.0536 eV is negligible

Example of R & D work

)1).(1.(....

231002.6 ctitwtA

w

dtpee

eNsatA λλθ

γ

λ

ε

λ−−×××

+

−−Ι=

Neutron flux for tungsten ~ 1.41×105 n.cm-2.s-1

Neutron flux for gallium ~ 1.73×105 n.cm-2.s-1

Determination of neutron flux

Example of R & D work

g

satpeak FE

AE ).()( φσ =

Fg = correction factor for gamma attenuationwithin the sample

µ = linear attenuation coefficient (cm-1)

Determination of neutron cross section

Fg

xg exF µµ−

−=1

Fg

Example of R & D work

Results

We report new cross sections for186W(n,γ)187W reaction = 26.6±2.5 b

71Ga(n,γ)72Ga reaction = 2.75±0.14 b

These are the first experimental values at 0.0536 eVneutron energy for the tungsten and gallium targets

Example of R & D work

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0.01 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.09Neutron energy (keV)

Cross

secti

on (b

)

ENDF-VI.8 JENDL-3.3This work Mughabghab'84Karadag'04 Gillitte'66Pomerance'52 Seren et al.'47Friesenhahn et al.'66 Anufriev et al.'81Damle et al.'67 Erdtman'76Gleason'77 Heft'78Hogg'70 Kafala et al.'97Knof'87 Lyon'60Simonits et al.'84 Friesenhahn et al.'66

Neutron capture cross section for the 186W(n,γ)187W reaction

186W(n,γ)187W

Example of R & D work

Neutron capture cross section for the 71Ga(n,γ)72Ga reaction

0

2

4

6

8

10

0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.10Neutron energy (eV)

Cross

secti

on (b

)ENDF/B-VII JENDL-3.3This work KaradagHolden KoesterSimonits MughabghabGleason RyvesPomerance HarrisSeren

71Ga(n,γ)72Ga

Example of R & D work

The results accepted for publications in the reputed report and journals is a testimony of our claim

Our technique is very simple to obtain data with good precision and accuracy

We can apply the technique for other targets

Example of R & D work

“Utilization of Radial Piercing Beam port of TRIGA Reactor for Nuclear Data Measurements”

S.M. Hossain, M.S. Uddin,, Sk.A. Latif, M.A. Hafiz, M.A. Islam, M.M.H. Chowdhury, M.A. Ali, A.K.M. Zakaria, S.M. Yunus and F,U, Ahmed

Internal Report INST-115/RNPD-27, April 2008

“Measurement of thermal neutron cross section for the 186W(n,γ)187W reaction by the activation technique”

M.S. Uddin, M.M.H. Chowdhury, S.M. Hossain, Sk.A. Latif, M.A. Hafiz, M.A. Islam, A.K.M. Zakaria and S.M. Azharul Islam

Appl. Radiat. Isot. 66 (2008)1235-1239

Example of R & D work

Measurement of neutron capture cross section of the 71Ga(n,γ)72Ga reaction at 0.0536 eV energy

M.S. Uddin, M.M.H. Chowdhury, S.M. Hossain, Sk.A. Latif, M.A. Hafiz, M.A. Islam, A.K.M. Zakaria, S.M. Yunus and S.M. Azharul Islam

Nucl. Inst. Meth., Phys. Res. B 266 (2008)3341-3345

Example of R & D work

Thermal neutron capture cross sections for the 152Sm(n,γ)153Sm and 154Sm(n,γ)155Sm reactions at 0.0536 eV energy

M. S. Uddin, M. H. Chowdhury, S.M. Hossain, Sk. A. Latif, M. A. Islam, M.A. Hafiz, S.H. Mubin, A. K. M. Zakaria, S. M.

Yunus and S. M. Azharul Islam

Nucl. Inst. Meth., Phys. Res. B, 266 (2008) 4855-4861

Example of R & D work

Case study-2

Case Study-2Comparison of analytical results of Bay of Bengal

Sediments with agricultural soils of Bangladesh

Sediment sampling points in Bay of BengalExample of R & D work

F.V. Seabird used for collectingSediment samples from the Bay

of Bengal.

KC KC KajakKajak Corer for Corer for collecting muddy sedimentcollecting muddy sedimentGPS receiver

Example of R & D work

12.8Open92°20'28" E20°37'48" NStation 0650Open92°11'48" E20°30'56" NStation 0540.7Open91°52'39" E20°52'10" NStation 0426.7Open91°46'10" E21°22'38" NStation 0320.7Open91°39'48" E21°37'10" NStation 0212.3Open91°39'54" E22°06'54" NStation 01

longitudelatitudeGround

Depth (m) *Type of Sea

Geographical positionStation

Table. Geographical position (latitude, longitude),depth of the sampling stations

* Depth (m) of ground from where sediment was collected

Example of R & D work

Soil sampling from sugar-cane and paddy field

Geological cross section of soil sampling area

Example of R & D workAgricultural soil sampling

QC of Analysis of Agricultural soils using NAA

0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800 2100 2400 2700 3000100

101

102

103

104

105

IAEA-Soil-7Irradiation Channel: HR-T-B pipe of JRR4Irradiation time: 40 minGamma spectrometry: R4S1 (GX-2018)Decay time: 4 daysCounting time: 4000 secSource to detector distance: 10 cm

140 La

, 815.0 keV

140 La

, 328.8 keV

46Sc, 889.3 keV

46Sc, 1120.5

keV

Single

escap

e of 2

754.0

keV

Double e

scape

of 2754.0 keV

24Na

, 2754.0

keV

140 La

, 1596.2

keV

42K, 15

24.7 keV

76As

, 559.2 keV

140 La

, 487.0 keV

153 Sm

, 103.2 keV

24Na

, 1368.6

keV

Coun

ts

Gamma-ray Energy (keV)

IAEA Soil-7Irradiation Channel: RSR of reactorIrradiation time: 4 hoursγ-spectrometry: HPGe with DSpecCounting time: 4000 secDecay time: 4 days

Example of R & D work

0500

10001500

20002500

300010

0

101

102

103

104

105

60Co, 1332.5 keV

60Co, 1173.2 keV

233Pa, 312.2 keV

153Sm, 103.2 keV141Ce, 145.4 keV

140La, 815.8 keV

140La, 328.8 keV140La, 487.0 keV

76As, 559.1 keV

58Fe, 1291.6 keV

58Fe, 1099.2 keV46Sc, 1120.5 keV

46Sc, 889.3 keV

24Na, 2754.0 keV

24Na, 1368.6 keV

140La, 1596.2 keV42K, 1524.2 keV

Counts

Gamma-ray Energy (keV)

NIST Coal Fly AshQC of Analysis of Agricultural soils using NAA

Example of R & D work

QC of Analysis using NAA

Na Al K Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co As Rb Sr Sb Ba Hf La CeSmEu Dy Yb Th0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

10%

NIST CRM Coal Fly Ash 1633bIrradiation: 10 sec & 10 minChannel: PN-3 of JRR-3Detector: PN3B

5%

Ratio

of M

easu

red

to C

ertif

ied

conc

.

Element

NIST Coal Fly AshRelative to IAEA-Soil-7

QC of AnalysisExample of R & D work

Comparison of arsenic concentrationdetermined by NAA and AAS in sediment

+ 304.456.35Station-55.95

5.116.457.786.16

AAS

+ 5212.29Station-6

+ 398.38Station-4+ 197.92Station-3+ 88.46Station-2+ 4010.20Station-1

Deviation %

NAA (mean of two folds)

Sample code

Concentration of As (mg/kg)

Example of R & D work

Comparison of chromium concentration determined by NAA and AAS in sediments

+ 5367.88144.2Station-592.90

98.1793.54117.8107.9

AAS

+ 29130.6Station-6

+ 32145.1Station-4+ 18114.5Station-3- 3488.11Station-2- 1296.18Station-1

Deviation %

NAA (mean of two folds)

Sample code

Concentration of Cr (mg/kg)

Example of R & D work

+ 1713.7716.58Station-59.38

14.1918.4325.0118.61

AAS

+ 5018.88Station-6

+ 2017.82Station-4- 817.09Station-3- 4717.06Station-2- 318.11Station-1

Deviation %

NAA (mean of two folds)

Sample code

Concentration of Co (mg/kg)

Comparison of cobalt concentration determined by NAA and AAS in sediments

Example of R & D work

Comparison Sediments with soils using NAA

0.459 %7270.68219.964.97818.771036.32

Agricultural soils mg/kg

Sed<soil (0.4%)Sed<soil (26%)Sed>soil (22%)Sed<soil (24%)Sed<soil (40%)Sed<soil (6.3%)Sed>soil (17%)Sed>soil (41%)

Comparison

0.457 %Ti 538Mn0.829Sb15.12Th2.970U17.59Co120Cr8.933As

Sediments Bay of

Bengal mg/kg

Element

Example of R & D work

Conclusion

High concentrations of

- U and Th in agricultural soil may be due to use of chemical fertilizers like Triple Super Phosphate (TSP), Gypsum, Diammoniumphosphate (DAP), etc.

- As, Sb and Cr in Bay of Bengal sedimentsdue to marine pollution

Example of R & D workComparison Sediments with soils using NAA

Case Study-3Monitoring of Environmental

Contaminants due to Shipbreaking

Just Started!!!

What is Ship breaking?

�After 25-30 years ships are at the end of their sailing life

� These ‘End of Life Vessels’ are sold and dismantled to recover the valuable steel

When started this idea?�In the 1970s shipbreaking was concentrated in Europe

�Performed at docks, it was a highly mechanisedindustrial operation

�But the costs of upholding environmental, health and safety standards increased, the shipping industries moved to developing Countries

What’s the situation in Bangladesh?

�Bangladesh is dependent on ship breaking for its domestic steel requirements

�The ship breaking industry is not subject to any environmental laws or health and safety regulations for workers

�Chittagong ship breaking yards are highly polluted coastal belt of 20 km

What’s the situation in Bangladesh?Map

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

�About 95% of the ship consists of steel coated with paint containing lead, cadmium, organotins, arsenic, zinc and chromium.

�Ships also contain a wide range of other hazardous wastes, PCBs, asbestos, residual oil, etc.

In Bangladesh, ships containing these materials are being cut up by hand, on open beaches, with

no consideration given to safe and environmentally friendly waste management practices

A worker working barefoot without any protective

footware

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

Workers carrying a piece of broken steel without any hand

gloves

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

Heavy metals

�The workers can have toxic effect from heavy metals like cadmium, organotins, arsenic, zinc and chromium which may find in many parts of ships such as in paints, coatings, anodes and electrical equipment�Marine environment can also be contaminate

�Exposure can result in lung cancer, cancer of the skin, intestine, kidney, liver or bladder. It can also cause damage to blood vessels

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's)

� Shipbreaking activities are a source of lethal POPs.

�POPs are chemicals that are highly toxic, remain intact in the environment for long periods

�POPs become widely distributed geographically, bioaccumulate through the food web, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to the human population, wildlife and the environment.

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

Asbestos

�Asbestos was used in old ships as a heat insulator

�As there are no asbestos disposal procedures, during scrapping, workers and the surrounding environment are exposed to the asbestos fibers

� Exposure to asbestos fibers (even in very low concentrations) especially through inhalation may cause cancer and asbestosis.

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

Oil pollution�As a result of breaking the ships, oil residues and the other refuses are being spilled, mixed with the sea water and left floating along the entire seashore

�Oil films on water reduce the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide across the air-sea interface which is harmful to aquatic life

How does shipbreaking pollute environment ?

Indiscriminate expansion of ship breaking activities poses a real threat to the coastal

inter-tidal zone and its habitat.

What’s our progress ?We have collected samples from the workers

working in 5 different shipyards:

- 20 hair samples

- 20 nail samples

From the same 5 shipyards we have also collected:

- 15 soil samples (3 samples from each yard)

What’s our progress ?We are doing this research work in collaboration

with Chittagong University

ChittagongUniversity

Shipyards

ServicesInternal

(without fee) External(with fee)

Different researchGroup of BAEC

For thermal, epithermal and fast neutron flux mapping in different

irradiation locations;Irradiation capsules development;Improvement of irradiation

conditions for RI production, etc.

Arsenocosis patients

DoE, Govt. & NGOs, Universities, etc.

Arsenocoisis patientsServices

As concentration in hair of some arsenocoisis patients

4.3±0.33Prof. Dr. A.Z.M. Maidul Islam, Head of Skin & V. D. Department, BSMM University

Mis Amena, age: 16Y, P.S. and Dist.: Chandpur.

3

5.31±0.32Dr. Mansurul Alam, Department of Dermatology & STDs, Chittagong Medical College & Hospital

Mr. Nasir Uddin, age: 35Y, P.S.: Brahman Para, Dist.: Comilla

2

36.4±1.5Dr. Mir Nazrul Islam, Consultant Dermatologist, BIRDEM Hospital

Mrs. Parveen Begum, age: 26Y, P.S.: Bhanga, Dist.: Faridpur

1

Arsenic Conc. µg/g

Referred by DoctorPatient IdentityCase No.

Normal value of As in human hair is less than 1 µg/g

Services

As concentration in hair of some arsenocoisis patients

1.73±0.14Dr. Mir Nazrul Islam, Consultant Dermatologist, BIRDEM Hospital

Mr. Jahangir Hossain age: 26Y, P.S. and Dist.: Chandpur.

6

3.64±0.41Dr. Kamrul Hasan Zaigirder, Skin & STD’s. Department, BSMM University, Dhaka

Mr. Zahirul, age: 32Y, P.S.: Faridganj, Dist.: Chandpur

5

25.5±5.1Prof. Dr. A.Z.M. Maidul Islam, Head of Skin & V. D. Department, BSMM University

Mrs. Sabina Zaman, age: 34Y, P.S. and Dist.: Gopalganj

4

Arsenic Conc. µg/g

Referred by DoctorPatient IdentityCase No.

Services

Projects1. IAEA TC project: BGD/8/018 “Isotope techniques formitigating arsenic in ground water (NAA component)”

- Recently completed

2. ADP of Bangladesh Govt. Project: Strengthening theUtilization of TRIGA Reactor

- On going3. ADP (BGD Govt.) Project: Strengthening the Utili-zation of 3MW TRIGA Mark-II Research Reactor

- On going

Academic Collaboration

1. M. A. Hafiz – Dept. of Physics, BUET2. Md. Matiur Rahman - Dept. of Physics, Jahangirnagar University3. Rezaur Rahman – Dept. of Physics, Jahangirnagar University4. M.M.H. Chowdhury - Dept. of Physics, Jahangirnagar University

Current students in NAA labPh.D.

M.Phil.1. M. A. Salam - Dept. of Physics, Jahangirnagar University2. M. A. Rouf – Dept. of Physics, BUET

M.Sc.1. Md. Kamal Hossain– Dept. of Physics, Chittagong University2. Ratneshar - Dept. of Physics, SUST3. Saifur – Dept. of Env. Sciences, Jahangirnagar University4. A. Kadir - Dept. of Env. Sciences, Jahangirnagar University5. Amina Khatun - Dept. of Physics, Jahangirnagar University

# Although the BAEC TRIGA reactor has been operating since 1986, but because of several limitations its optimum utilization could not be achieved yet.

# The radial beam ports 1 & 2 and thermal column are still lying unutilized.

Future Trend

However, in order to optimize its utilization, several initiatives have taken.

A high resolution powder diffractometer (HRPD) is being installed at the radial beam port-1 under an ADP (Annual Development Program) Project financed by the Government of Bangladesh.

Future Trend

Schematic Diagram of Proposed HRPD

Expected Resolution:∆d/d ~ 1.5x10-3at 2θ ≈ 80°

Scanning Range (2θ): ≈ 120°

A pattern recording Time:6-8 h

Future TrendA digital neutron radiography setup is being installed at the

tangential beam port under the same ADP project

Proposed electronic imaging System

Future Trend

# A project has also been submitted under the ADP program for installation of PGNAA.

# The present analog console of the reactor will be replaced by a digital one under an ongoing ADP project.

# The establishment of 99mTc kit production laboratory is also under process in the frame work of a separate ADP project.

Conclusion# Since its establishment, the BAEC TRIGA

reactor has been utilized without any major incident.

# However, a few minor incidents sometimes hampered the operation of the reactor.

# For instance, the N-16 decay tank (DT) leakage problem that arised due to pitting corrosion at several areas of the DT caused by rainwater suspended the operation of the reactor at high power level for about 4 years (from 1997 to 2001).

Conclusion

# With limited facilities, different utilization groups have been trying for proper utilization of BAEC TRIGA reactor in both fundamental research and service purposes.

# But, in reality, the neutrons generated in the reactor core cannot be exploited efficiently using the present experimental facilities and, as a result, the optimum utilization of the BAEC TRIGA reactor is not being possible.

Conclusion

Under these circumstances, it is strongly felt that measures have to be taken up so as to update and extend the laboratory facilities with the help of national and international strategic partners.