VENUS: zero power reactor
Vulcan Experimental Nuclear Study
The VENUS (Vulcan Experimental Nuclear Study) research reactor was created in 1964. This flexible reactor serves as an experimental facility for nuclear reactor physics studies into new reactor systems, and the testing of reactor calculations.
💡 Did you know that VENUS is a 'zero power reactor'?
It has a power of barely 500 watts.
That is about half the power of a humble household vacuum cleaner.
Scale model of Accelerator Driven Systems
Over the years, the facility has seen several renovations and modernisations, but the year 2007 in particular marked a new phase in its history. Then, SCK CEN decided to convert the VENUS reactor into a scale model of a nuclear reactor powered by a particle accelerator, better known as an ADS or Accelerator Driven System.
This successful conversion is an important link and a big step forward in the development of MYRRHA and future reactor systems, such as lead-cooled Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).