International Conference on Research Reactors:
Safe Management and Effective Utilization

14-18 November 2011, Rabat, Morocco

Brazil has four research reactors (RR) in operation: the IEA-R1, a 5 MW pool type RR; the IPR-R1, a 100 kW TRIGA Mark I type RR; the ARGONAUTA, a 500 W Argonaut type RR, all constructed during the 50´s and 60´s and utilized for training, teaching and nuclear research, and a 100 W Brazilian developed critical facility constructed in the 80´s, mainly for the development and qualification of reactor physics. All these RRs are operated by the Brazilian Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) and have been fulfilling their mission along the last 54 years. IEA-R1 is the only one that has been used for radioisotope production, although with limited capacity. The recent international molybdenum-99 supply crisis has affected significantly the Brazilian nuclear medicine services, since 100% of this radioisotope used to be imported from Canada. New molybdenum-99 suppliers were developed, but there is still some concern on the future supply. The recently revisited Brazilian Nuclear Program has decided to establish a national capacity for radioisotope production, the conclusion of the third nuclear power plant (NPP), the construction of at least four more NPPs until 2030, as well as the establishment of a national capacity to supply all the nuclear fuel needed to operate the Brazilian NPPs. This scenario of the nuclear activities in Brazil gave rise to the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor Project (RMB), which is being developed by CNEN. A sustainability study costs and benefits related to the development and construction of a new research reactor in Brazil has been accomplished by CNEN, with a favorable conclusion. The RMB will be an open pool multipurpose research reactor, using low enriched uranium fuel, with a power of 30 MW, giving neutron fluxes higher than 2×10¹⁴ cm^-2s^-1. The RMB is designed to perform three main functions: radioisotope production (mainly molybdenum); fuel and material irradiation testing to support the Brazilian nuclear energy program; and provide neutron beams for scientific and applied research (in complement to the existing synchrotron light laboratory). The project encompasses not only the reactor but also all the laboratories and facilities infrastructure required for the multipurpose applications. The RMB site has already been selected, in the State of Sao Paulo, and is under analysis for environmental licensing. The conceptual design is under development and basic engineering work will start soon. This paper presents the RMB project status, giving some technical and management details on its development and its future perspectives.

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