At INL, Holschuh will utilize this method for reactor safety rather than standard reactor safeguards. “As part of the deBoisblanc postdoctoral appointment, I will attempt to use that methodology and measure reactor pulses at the TREAT Facility,” he said. Shut down since 1994, TREAT is in the process of being restarted—an effort involving Oregon State. It will be used to test nuclear fuel assemblies for power-generating reactors.

“The last time its reactor parameters were measured, experimentally, was in 1960,” said Holschuh. “By obtaining more accurate experimental results for reactor kinetics parameters, it provides more representative values for the INL staff members who perform modeling and simulation for the TREAT facility. The pulse shape, and subsequent energy deposition into the fuel types being tested, are greatly influenced by the reactor kinetics parameters, so by knowing them more accurately you can more accurately determine the effects on the fuel being tested.”

Holschuh completed two internships at INL during his graduate studies and will be working under the supervision of Dan Wachs, who earned his master’s in both nuclear and mechanical engineering at Oregon State before earning his doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Idaho.

“We’ve been working with Tommy for several years and are looking forward to his return to INL,” said Dr. David Chichester, according to the press release. Chichester is an INL directorate fellow and was Holschuh’s graduate intern mentor at INL. “With key skills in reactor physics and radiation science, he’s going to be making important contributions to our nuclear energy and nuclear nonproliferation research programs.”

— Jens Odegaard.