Russia can meet global neutron research demand by mid-2020s - Likhachev
MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Russia will be able to satisfy global demand for neutron research by the mid-2020s, head of state nuclear corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev said during the power start-up of the PIK research nuclear reactor at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute on Monday, in which President Vladimir Putin took part via videolink.
"We have launched a unique project here. On the one hand, we seemed to have used our usual technology linked with the launching of an energy facility - the Leningrad Atomic Power Station is next door. On the other hand, it was still a different project. Considering the absolute priority of security and the absolute priority of Russian technology, we still mastered new knowledge and skills during its implementation," the Kremlin website quoted Likhachev as saying. He said that this would make it possible "to reach an international level in the development not only of energy facilities but also research units as well."
"We are carrying out the PIK project. We are also working in the Dubna Joint Institute of Nuclear Research. In Dimitrovgrad, we are implementing the multipurpose fast-neutron research reactor project (MBIR). With the account of these facilities, we will actually meet the global demand for neutron research by the middle of the 2020s. This is important for both fundamental science and the development of atomic power engineering," Likhachev said.
According to the website of the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, "increased neutron fluxes in the reflector, the presence of a neutron trap with a very high flow, and the potential for exposure of materials in the active zone is what makes the PIK reactor different from most similar foreign projects." The reactor's physical start-up took place on February 28, 2011 as part of start-up complex No. 1.
