R&D work

SSL pays the large attention to the scientific and research-design works and developments (R&D) because the high technologies essentially improve competitive advantage at the market.

Novadays SSL develops R&D projects and is ready to provide the services to the interested parties in the following directions:

• Creation of multi-purpose portable spectrometer-dosimeter of gamma-radiation “SPEDOG”. The instrument is mainly intended to identify the radionuclide by the spectrum of its gamma-radiation. Method of the measurement realized in this instrument has been registered by ROSPATENT as invention. The instrument is entered in the State Register of measurement means and is permitted for use in RF. Now “SPEDOG” is under small branch production.
• Development of calculation programs for radiation safety analysis. The models applied in these programs may be used in designing or analyzing the nuclear objects and chemical production safety as well as in evaluating the consequences of emergencies with radioactive or chemical relieves into atmosphere. The complex of the calculation programs lets to define the irradiation doses for population and amount of contaminations penetrating into human’s body in the considered zones. The complex also comprises the expert system including the “knowledge database”. Using this “knowledge database” the roots of the man-caused catastrophe or strange meteorology phenomena may be detected by analyzing of the visible signs.
• Development of new types of the nuclear power facilities:
  
  Self-controlled reactor of small heat power (up to 10 MW) “MASTER”. The reactor life-time is designed for 60 years of uninterrupted work without of re-fuelling. The reactor is provided with three-circuit system of heat removal: the first closed circuit with natural circulation, the second and third circuits – with forced circulation. Heat is transferred from the nuclear fuel to the first circuit coolant via the heat conductivity of the core material (so called “one fuel rod” reactor).

  Uni-purpose medicine reactor facility “MARS” serves as a source of neutrons for neutron-capture and neutron-collision therapy. The facility single function is to produce a neutron beam of the set parameters. This reactor facility is intended for location and operation directly in the hospitals. The ordinary UO₂ is used as the nuclear fuel. This reactor facility fuel loading is designed for 20 years of reactor operation in start-stop mode with power of 10 kW.

  
  Development of the special-oriented computer codes for precise thermo-hydraulic calculations including two-phase medium and incondensable gases. SSL specialists are ready to realize the thermo-hydraulic calculations for engineering systems of any complexity basing upon the modern calculating codes for hydrodynamics and heat exchange.
• Experimental works and test facilities. SSL has designed and mounted the test facility with unique characteristics. The test facility is placed in Obninsk State Technical University of Nuclear Power Engineering (OGTU AE) and is intended to carry out the thermo-hydraulic experiments at the hydrodynamic model of the tank reactor.
  The unique characteristic of the test facility is the possibility of precise measurements of flow rate in any assembly imitating the fuel rod assemblies of full-scale reactor. Map of flow rate obtained during experiments is used to ground the construction and operation modes of reactor.
• Software tools. The leading experts of SSL designed the program complex DynCo intended to implement the complex transient calculation of reactor core in 3D hex-Z geometry. Provision of maximum completeness of simulation of the processes in the core and calculation of these processes with maximum accuracy during computer real-time simulation are the general criteria of this design. Besides the mathematical model the attention also is paid to development of convenient means of the incoming data specifying and the analysis of calculation results.
  SSL developed the graphic post-processor upon the base of programming code TRAC that is used for 3D precise thermo-hydraulic calculations of nuclear reactor.