Jordan Research and Training Reactor set for inauguration in December

AMMAN — The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) has just completed the hot commissioning tests of the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) which was constructed on the Jordan University for Science and Technology campus in 2010, a JAEC statement said on Tuesday. 

The commission announced that it will hold the inauguration ceremony for the JRTR in early December under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah.

The project contains, in addition to the reactor and service buildings, a training centre and a facility to treat radioactive waste. 

The scientific facilities include radioisotope production hot cells to be used in medical applications, neutron activation analysis for material and forensic medicine analysis, beam ports and a thermal column. They will be utilised for material science and other scientific research as well as performing three-dimensional neutron radiography using the neutron imaging technique, according to the statement. 

The JRTR has been designed to operate at a maximum capacity of 5 megawatts, but it is upgradeable to 10MW. 

Its capabilities “will enhance nuclear infrastructure in Jordan to be a focal point in the region as a nuclear research hub and a centre for” the development of human resources, the agency said.

Cold commissioning (without loading the nuclear fuel) started on April 25, 2015, after which the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) issued the permit to load the nuclear fuel in order to enter into the hot commissioning phase on April 21, 2016, based on comprehensive reviews for all the JAEC reports. 

The full power was attained at 5MW and all the reactor performance tests were done successfully. The JRTR was operated at the full power of 5MW for two continuous weeks “without experiencing any trip (automatic shutdown) or encountering any abnormality”, the statement said.

EMRC experts will review all the reports submitted by JAEC and approve their conformity with the valid regulations in order to conclude the issuance of the Operating Licence to JAEC within this month, subject to specific operating conditions, the statement added. 

Two foreign consultant groups have been working with EMRC — the Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety and the US group AdSTM that helped in the verification of the integrity of the test results and conformity with the preset acceptance criteria 

Meanwhile, JAEC has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Royal Medical Services in the area of radioisotope production and utilisation, “benefiting from the accumulated experience and capacity built over a long period of time at the RMS”.