Conversion of the Nigerian MNSR to Low Enriched Uranium Fuel

One of the major non-proliferation programs managed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is the Material Management and Minimization (M3) research reactor conversion program. The goal of this program is the conversion of research reactors using highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to the use low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. Worldwide, 71 reactors have been converted and an additional 28 have been confirmed to be shut down. Miniature Neutron Source Reactors (MNSRs) are low power (nominal 30 kW) research reactors designed and manufactured by the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). The first Prototype MNSR (Beijing) was successfully converted in 2016. Two of those outside of China have been converted to LEU (Ghana and Nigeria) but HEU-fueled (90%) MNSRs still operate in China, Pakistan, Iran and Syria. The Nigerian Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1) is located at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The 13% enriched UO2 LEU fuel was produced in China and transported by air to Nigeria. The HEU core was removed and the LEU core successfully loaded in early November 2018, with full power operation in early December. Conversion of civilian research reactors from HEU to LEU, and the return of the HEU to the country of origin is an important component of the NNSA non-proliferation program. The Nigerian conversion represents an important milestone, completing the conversion of all reactors on the continent of Africa to LEU fuel. This makes Africa the third continent to have completed all HEU to LEU reactor conversions, following Australia and South America. Four additional MNSRs remain in operation with HEU fuel: one each in China, Pakistan, Iran and Syria. The U.S. intends to work closely with the IAEA, which has taken the lead in converting those reactors. This work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Material Management and Minimization in the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.