The first startup was on January 2, 1975. A budget for the reactor is not provided by the university or the state; funding comes from customer irradiations, grants, and the
United States Department of Energy.
Conversion to LEU The UMass Lowell reactor has been one of the many research reactors to make the conversion from high-enriched
uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) as a part of anti-terrorism security measures. The used HEU fuel was reportedly shipped to the
Savannah River Site. The original shipping date was June 2002 but had been postponed many times. As of present-day the shipments have been made and the reactor is in operation with LEU.
Neutron Irradiation Capabilities Neutron irradiation facilities at the UMLRR include: 1x 8-inch beam port, 2x 6-inch beam ports, in-core radiation baskets & flux trap, thermal column, and fast neutron irradiator (FNI). == References ==