The system also allows samples to be inserted directly into the core, where they are exposed to high-energy neutrons, which is useful for isotope preparation.
[7] The reactor is intended to produce radioisotopes in coordination with existing production facilities at Petten in the Netherlands.
[8] During the early exploration of atomic energy, a number of reactors were designed for the materials testing role.
These designs generally used enriched uranium to allow them to reach criticality while deliberately leaking neutrons or having them absorbed within the core.
These designs were larger and operated at higher energy, often in the megawatt region, which required additional cooling.
As the nuclear field changed during the 1970s and 80s, there was less interest in materials research and more emphasis on roles like medical isotope production and other commercial uses.
While newer designs emerged with better performance, the cost of building the reactor could not be justified on the commercial uses alone.
[10] By the 2000s, this left the majority of these roles being filled by machines that were now many decades old, and the International agreements on the production of enriched uranium meant they were often operating below their design goals.
[9] The reactor is being built under the framework of an international consortium of research institutes, including France's CEA, the Czech Republic's NRI, Spain's CIEMAT, Finland's VTT, Belgium's SCK•CEN, the United Kingdom's NNL and the European Commission, along with private companies such as Electricité de France (EDF), Vattenfall and Areva.
At the time it called for the reactor to complete construction in mid-2013 and reach initial criticality in early 2014.
[9][5] The first concrete for the reactor's foundations was poured in August 2009, and the central containment structure was completed with the addition of a 105-tonne (103-long-ton; 116-short-ton) dome in December 2013.