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| HANARO | |
|---|---|
| Name | HANARO |
| Country | Republic of Korea |
| Location | Daejeon |
| Operator | Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute |
| Commissioning | 1995 |
| Reactor type | [Mesa-type] research reactor |
| Thermal power | 30 MW |
HANARO HANARO is a multi-purpose research reactor located in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, operated by the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). It provides neutrons for a range of scientific, industrial, and medical applications and serves as a national facility linking academic institutions such as Seoul National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Yonsei University to international projects involving entities like the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Health Organization. The reactor supports collaborations with facilities including Institut Laue–Langevin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, CERN, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
HANARO is a 30-megawatt thermal research reactor designed to supply high-flux neutrons for neutron scattering, isotope production, materials irradiation, and neutron activation analysis. As a national user facility it serves universities, research institutes, and industries across sectors represented by organizations such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Heavy Industries, LG Chem, and POSCO. The facility integrates experimental instruments comparable to those at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, and Berkeley Lab and hosts training programs linked to KAIST and Chungnam National University.
Initial planning for the reactor began under programs coordinated by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute in the 1980s, with design input from international partners including firms like AECL and cooperation with agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. Construction was completed in the early 1990s; commissioning activities involved test campaigns with instruments similar to those at Paul Scherrer Institute and National Institute of Standards and Technology. The operational launch in 1995 followed regulatory reviews by bodies akin to Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and collaboration with suppliers from France and Canada for fuel and instrumentation. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s HANARO underwent modernization projects influenced by developments at HANARO-equivalent reactors and international best practices from European Organization for Nuclear Research and Japanese Atomic Energy Commission-affiliated facilities.
The reactor core employs plate-type fuel assemblies and uses light water as coolant and moderator, in a pool-type configuration reminiscent of designs seen at Hahn-Meitner-Institut and Argonne National Laboratory. Thermal power rating is 30 MW, optimized for neutron flux profiles used in instruments comparable to those at Institut Laue–Langevin and NIST Center for Neutron Research. The facility includes hot cells, irradiation rigs, pneumatic transfer systems, and beamlines supporting techniques like small-angle neutron scattering and neutron imaging analogous to setups at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Kurchatov Institute. Control systems and instrumentation have been upgraded to standards compatible with systems installed at European Spallation Source-class facilities, while fuel supply and management adhere to procurement practices used by Areva-supplied research reactors.
HANARO enables neutron scattering experiments, radioisotope production for medical tracers used in institutions such as Sejong Hospital and Asan Medical Center, and materials testing for aerospace companies like KAI and Korea Aerospace Industries. Work performed at the reactor supports studies undertaken by research groups at Korea Institute of Materials Science, Institute for Basic Science, and industry R&D centers including Samsung SDI and Hyundai Motor Company. Collaborative projects extend to international consortia involving European Research Council-funded teams, National Institutes of Health-linked medical research, and ITER-relevant materials testing. The facility also contributes to production chains for isotopes used by suppliers to hospitals and research institutes affiliated with Korea University Hospital and Severance Hospital.
Operational oversight follows mandates from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and technical guidance from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Safety systems include engineered barriers, emergency core cooling analogs, and radiation monitoring networks similar to those deployed by Fukushima Daiichi-affected response programs and lessons learned from Three Mile Island. Environmental monitoring coordinates with regional authorities in Daejeon Metropolitan City and national agencies comparable to Ministry of Environment-level organizations. Quality assurance and non-proliferation compliance align with reporting regimes used by IAEA safeguards and export-control frameworks maintained by Wassenaar Arrangement participants.
Staffing includes reactor operators, health physicists, and engineers trained through programs at KAERI and partner universities like Korea University and Hanyang University. Management employs procedural controls, shift rotations, and emergency response teams modeled on practices from United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission-regulated facilities and training exchanges with OECD Nuclear Energy Agency member institutions. User access is coordinated through proposal review panels similar to peer-review systems at ISIS Neutron Source and SNS and supports visiting scientists from research centers including RIKEN, Max Planck Society, and CNRS.
Over its operational lifetime, the facility has reported maintenance-related outages and implemented safety upgrades paralleling retrofits at reactors such as High Flux Reactor, Petten and NRU. Upgrade programs addressed control-system modernization, beamline expansion, and isotope production capacity enhancements undertaken with contractors experienced on projects for European Commission research infrastructure initiatives. Incident responses and corrective actions incorporated recommendations from international reviews comparable to missions by the IAEA and technical exchanges with World Association of Nuclear Operators.
Category:Research reactors