This publication is a comprehensive study that reviews the current situation in a great number of applications of research reactors. It revises the contents of IAEA TECDOC-1234, The Applications of Research Reactors, giving detailed updates on each field of research reactor uses worldwide. Reactors of all sizes and capabilities can benefit from the sharing of current practices and research enabled via this updated version, which describes the requirements for practicing methods as diverse as neutron activation analysis, education and training, neutron scattering and neutron imaging, silicon doping and radioisotope production, material/fuel irradiation and testing, and some others. Many underutilised research reactors can learn how to diversify their technical capabilities, staff and potential commercial partners and users seeking research reactor services and products. The content of the publication has also been strengthened in terms of current issues facing the vast majority of research reactors by including sections describing user and customer relations as well as strategic planning considerations.

This report describes research performed in ten laboratories within the framework of the IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project on Corrosion of Research Reactor Aluminium Clad Spent Fuel in Water. The project consisted of exposure of standard racks of corrosion coupons in the spent fuel pools of the participating research reactor laboratories and evaluation of the coupons after predetermined exposure times, along with periodic monitoring of the storage water. A group of experts in the field contributed a state of the art review and provided technical supervision of the project. Localized corrosion mechanisms are notoriously difficult to understand, and it was clear from the outset that obtaining consistency in the results and their interpretation from laboratory to laboratory would depend on the development of an excellent set of experimental protocols. These experimental protocols are described in the report, together with guidelines for the maintenance of optimum water chemistry to minimize the corrosion of aluminium clad research reactor fuel in wet storage.