It’s hooked to a bridge on a track so it can be moved to one side of the pool while work is done on the other, keeping it constantly under several feet of protective, highly deionized water.
Master-Lee Energy Services, a contractor that regularly works with commercial and research reactors, is replacing the current epoxy lining in the pool with a flexible, self-repairing epoxy.
Heavy equipment will be stationed at the facility on northeast edge of campus, including two 22,000-gallon tanks, and a gigantic hydro-laser, which is a type of pressure washer.
WSU has the only research reactor in Washington state.
The center recently added an epithermal neutron beam which can create a columnated beam of neutrons as small as two inches in diameter to study samples, and because the reactor can travel on tracks, researchers can bring it right up against that beam.