College of Engineering Unit:
The Oregon State TRIGA Reactor (OSTR) is a standard Mark II-type reactor with four operational beam ports accessible for a multitude of experimental tests and research projects. Neutron radiography is a popular function for gathering information regarding internal conditions and geometries of objects, and the development of an epithermal filter bolsters this capability. Thermal energies are utilized currently for this approach and the neutrons travelling in this range are inefficient at penetrating denser materials for visualization. Introducing the epithermal approach opens new facets of research to Oregon State, in medical radiography and nondestructive, post-irradiation examination (PIE). Such capabilities are predominantly housed at national laboratories; therefore, the burgeoning of this approach at a university demands intensive investigation of materials capable of reducing neutron energies, the structure/design of such a filter, and extensive validation of flux quantities.