Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory
The Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL), Building 3525, was designed and constructed in 1963 to permit the safe handling of increasing levels of radiation in the chemical, physical, and metallurgical examination of nuclear reactor fuel elements and reactor parts. A two-story building with a partial basement, the IFEL is classified a Category 2 nuclear facility.
Capabilities
Receipt/Handling
Irradiated materials (fuel or nonfuel in shielded casks)
Capsule Disassembly
Testing
Nondestructive and destructive testing of irradiated materials
Full-length Light Water Reactor
Fuel post-irradiation examination
Repackaging of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Packaging/Shipment
Packaging and shipping of irradiated materials (on-site and off-site)
Examination/Testing
Examination and testing activities such as metrology, metallographic sample preparation, microscopy, spectroscopy and other physical/mechanical properties as needed
Safety Testing
Testing of high temperature gas reactor fuel
Gamma Spectroscopy
Automated sorting and analysis of HTGR fuel particles using spectroscopy
Testing
Testing grid pinching and lateral constraint effects on spent nuclear fuel during transport