Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) [Nonproliferation]

RERTR FUEL TESTS – As part of the advanced fuel development program for RERTR, fuel samples are being tested in Department of Energy's Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory.

The Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) Program develops technology necessary to enable the conversion of civilian facilities using high enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuels and targets. The RERTR Program was initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1978. During the Program's existence, more than 70 research reactors have been converted from HEU (= or >20% U-235) to LEU (< 20% U-235) fuels, nearly 30 additional reactors that used HEU have been verified as shutdown, and processes have been developed for producing radioisotopes with LEU targets. The RERTR Program is managed by the Office of Material Management and Minimization in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The main technology components of the program are:

the development of advanced LEU fuels,
design and safety analysis for research reactor conversion, and
development of targets and processes for the production of the medical isotope Molybdenum-99 with LEU.

Fuels for Research and Test Reactors

Currently-Qualified Fuels
Advanced Fuel Development
Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel
IAEA/USA Interregional Training Course
on Technical and Administrative Preparations Required for Shipment of Research Reactor Spent Fuel to Its Country of Origin - January 1997

Design and Safety Analyses for Research and Test Reactors

Radioisotope Production

Mo-99 Production using LEU Targets

Reference Documents concerning the RERTR Program

Reference Documents

RERTR International Meetings

2024 RERTR Meeting

The United States Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Material Management and Minimization (M3) will host the RERTR-2024 International Meeting on Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors in Lyon, France on October 27-31, 2024.

Past RERTR International Meetings

2023 RERTR Meeting, Denver, Colorado, USA, November 5-8, 2023
2022 RERTR Meeting, Vienna, Austria, October 2-5, 2022
2021 RERTR Meeting, held virtually, April 20-22, 2021
2019 RERTR Meeting, Zagreb, Croatia, October 6-9, 2019
2018 RERTR Meeting, Edinburgh, Scotland, November 4-8, 2018
2017 RERTR Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 12-16, 2017
2016 RERTR Meeting, Antwerp, Belgium, October 23-27, 2016
2015 RERTR Meeting, Seoul, Korea, October 11-14, 2015
2014 RERTR Meeting, Vienna, Austria, October 12-15, 2014
The 2013 RERTR Meeting was cancelled due to the U.S. government shutdown
2012 RERTR Meeting, Warsaw, Poland, October 14-17, 2012
2011 RERTR Meeting, Santiago, Chile, October 23-27, 2011
2010 RERTR Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal, October 10-14, 2010
2009 RERTR Meeting, Beijing, China, November 1-5, 2009
2008 RERTR Meeting, Washington, DC, USA, October 5-9, 2008
2007 RERTR Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic, September 23-27, 2007
2006 RERTR Meeting, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa, Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 2006
2005 RERTR Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, November 6-10, 2005

RERTR Meeting Archive (1995-2004)

Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 2004 RERTR Meeting, Vienna, Austria, November 7-12, 2004
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 2003 RERTR Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, USA, October 5-10, 2003
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 2002 RERTR Meeting, Bariloche, Argentina, November 3-8, 2002
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 2000 RERTR Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, October 1-6, 2000
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 1999 RERTR Meeting, Budapest, Hungary, October 3-8, 1999
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 1998 RERTR Meeting, Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 18-23, 1998
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 1997 RERTR Meeting, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, October 5-11, 1997
Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 1996 RERTR Meeting, Seoul, Korea, October 6-11, 1996
Papers Presented by ANL at the 1995 RERTR Meeting, Paris, France, September 18-22, 1995

For the complete list of RERTR International Meetings, see RERTR International Meetings

Contact:

See list of RERTR Program contacts