Your Partner for Radioactive Material Examinations
The nuclear facility Hotlab (HL) of PSI is operated by the Department Hot Laboratory (AHL), which is assigned to the Nuclear Energy and Safety Division (NES) as an independent organizational unit.
The PSI Hotlab is the only Swiss laboratory authorised by the Swiss safety authorities to handle large quantities of radioactive materials including commercial as well as experimental nuclear fuel.
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Latest News from the Hotlab
Highlight - Transfer of the KC-T12/4
During the type testing for the AGT11, PB250 compacted waste containers were conditioned. In addition, dose rate measurements of the waste packages, gamma scanning, documentation, sealing in contamination-free ZB264 overpacks, loading of the containers into a KC-T12, and transfer of the KC-T12 to the BZL were carried out.
Advancing nuclear technologies
NUKEM and Paul Scherrer Institute Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Nuclear Research and Collaboration.
Transmutex at PSI Hotlab
Transmutex produces design and software for an accelerator-driven reactor able to transmute long-lived transuranic nuclides and fission products from the classic Uranium cycle for power production.
Benefits such as Nuclear waste volume reductions above a factor of 6 and HAW lifetime reductions to << 1000 years will be attained.
Breeding U-233 in Th fuel in the reactor integrates Transmutex’s design with existing commercial PHWR and LWR in providing fuel and fissionable material for their continued operation.
At PSI hotlab, Transmutex develops the manufacturing of porous metal pellets aiming to produce experimental Th pellets for further investigation utilizing PSI’s and hotlabs’ research capabilities. The new design will unify the advantages of metallic fuel such as high fissile density, ease of fabrication, and more while mitigating classic issues of compact metallic fuel related to the buildup of fission gas.
Successfully produced inactive analogues are illustrating the prove of concept of the design.