Facilities for Radiation Testing and Research at the UMLRL

摘要

Exposure to the harsh radiation environment of space has long posed a challenge to spacecraft systems. These systems are further challenged by the increasing use of commercial-off- the-shelf (COTS) components. In addition to being state-of-the-art, COTS components offer the advantages of higher availability and lower cost. For use in future spacecraft, both COTS components and new emerging technologies will require evaluation for survivability in space radiation environments. As NASA moves forward developing nuclear power systems for future deep-space missions, the radiation from fission reactors will pose an additional burden for component and system reliability. With the development of these systems and missions, there will be both a need for human resources with the requisite education and experience, and a need for multiple and diverse facilities to provide radiation hardness assurance (RHA) testing and research. The University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory (UMLRL) has established a wide-range of facilities for education and research related to nuclear radiation physics and nuclear technology. In particular, two newly commissioned UMLRL test facilities applicable to RHA work are the Enhanced Low Dose Rate Susceptibility (ELDRS) facility and the fast neutron irradiator (FNI). Recent experimental characterizations have been performed for both these facilities, yielding technical information useful for their application in RHA testing and research.