Successful completion of the project to modify the research reactor for the first European entry,
Diagram of the research reactor in the Netherlands modified for nuclear reactor refurbishment. Photo provided by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute,
, ‘[Seoul Economy]’,
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, ‘The ‘Netherlands Research Reactor Refurbishment Project (OYSTER Project – Optimized Yield for Science, Technology, Education of Radiation)’ which was the first case of nuclear technology export from Korea to Europe, was successfully completed after more than 10 years of effort.’,
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, ‘Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on the 23rd that the OYSTER project was finally completed last June. It was confirmed that the modified nuclear reactor and the newly installed cold neutron production facility were operating normally.’,
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, ‘The OYSTER project is a project to modify the beam tubes of the research reactor (2.3 MW) operated by the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands and to build a new cold neutron production facility. In 2015, a consortium led by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute won the project bid. After completing the first stage project of performing the basic design in October 2015, the consortium proceeded to the second stage project of detailed design, equipment manufacturing, installation, and commissioning in 2017.’,
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, ‘During the detailed design and equipment manufacturing stages, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute collaborated with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. Together with Mu-jin Engineering, a company specializing in nuclear power plant equipment manufacturing, they produced the ‘liquid hydrogen retention device’ to produce cold neutrons and the ‘beam tube’ to transport cold neutrons to the research facility. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production period was extended beyond the initial plan, but they persevered and successfully completed the production in July last year.’,
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, ‘The liquid hydrogen retention device created this time has enhanced safety and performance by adding an additional layer to the existing research reactor’s dual-layer structure composed of hydrogen and vacuum layers, forming a triple layer of hydrogen-vacuum-helium.’,
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, ‘Afterwards, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute cooperated with Bilfinger Noel GmbH, a German specialist in nuclear plant services, to develop an installation method using a model of the liquid hydrogen retention device and conducted simulations. In November last year, they successfully installed the actual liquid hydrogen retention device and beam tube in the nuclear reactor.’,
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, ‘Starting from the beginning of this year, they conducted performance tests on the cold neutron production facility’s refrigeration system, hydrogen system, and vacuum system to verify its performance. From May onwards, they conducted cold neutron production tests and confirmed that the produced cold neutrons met the contract requirements.’,
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, ‘As a result, the Technical University of Delft’s Higher Education Reactor (HOR) in the Netherlands has become one of the six research reactors in Europe capable of conducting cold neutron research. The newly established cold neutron research facility is expected to be widely used in scientific and technological research and education fields such as bio, nano, and new materials.’,
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, ‘The successful completion of the OYSTER project holds significant meaning as an achievement made through collaboration between the government, participating research institutes, and private companies. With government support, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute developed the cold neutron production facility, installed it at HANARO in 2009, and accumulated technological capabilities. Exporting research reactor technology to Europe for the first time and successfully completing equipment manufacturing by collaborating with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, based on the research reactor technology and operational experience developed through national research and development projects, is expected to be a exemplary case of public-private-academic cooperation.’,
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, ‘Jeong Young-wook, Director of the Hanaro Quantum Science Research Institute at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, stated, “The successful completion of the OYSTER project is a combination of the excellent research and technology of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, accumulated through continuous government support, and the excellent manufacturing technology of nuclear power companies.”‘,
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