SCK CEN

Key takeaways

SCK CEN belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SCK CEN to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SCK CEN from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SCK CEN (the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre), until 2020 shortened as SCK•CEN, is the Belgian nuclear research centre located in Mol, Belgium. SCK CEN is a global leader in the field of nuclear research, services, and education.

History SCK CEN was founded in 1952 and originally named Studiecentrum voor de Toepassingen van de Kernenergie (Research Centre for the Applications of Nuclear Energy), abbreviated to STK. Land was bought in the municipality of Mol, and over the next years many technical, administrative, medical, and residential buildings were constructed on the site. From 1956 to 1964 four nuclear research reactors became operational: the BR 1, BR 2, BR 3, the first pressurized water reactor in Europe, and VENUS. In 1963 SCK CEN already employed 1600 people, a number that would remain about the same over the next decades. In 1970 SCK CEN widened its field of activities outside the nuclear sector, but the emphasis remained on nuclear research. In 1991 SCK CEN was split and a new institute, VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek; Flemish institute for technological research), took over the non-nuclear activities. SCK CEN currently has about 850 employees. In the 1980s, SCK CEN employees were bribed to receive and store high-level nuclear waste from the West German firm Transnuklear. In 2017, the International Atomic Energy Agency designated SCK CEN as one of the four International Centres based on Research Reactor (ICERR).

Organisation profile SCK CEN is a foundation of public utility with a legal status according to private law, under the guidance of the Belgian Federal Ministry in charge of energy. SCK CEN has more than 800 employees and an annual budget of €180 million. The organization receives 25% of its funding directly from government grants, 5% indirectly via activities for the dismantling of declassified installations and 70% from contract work and services. Since 1991, the organization's statutory mission gives priority to research on problems of societal concern:

Safety of nuclear installations Radiation protection Medical and industrial applications of radiation The back end of the nuclear fuel cycle (nuclear reprocessing and management of radioactive waste) Nuclear decommissioning and decontamination of nuclear sites The fight against nuclear proliferation To these domains, SCK CEN contributes with research and development, training, communication, and services. This is done with a view to sustainable development, and hence taking into account environmental, economical and social factors.

Chairmen of the Board of Governors (since 1952) Count Pierre Ryckmans (1952-1959) Count Marc de Hemptinne (1959-1963) Professor Julien Hoste (1963-1963) General Letor (1963-1971) Mr. André Baeyens (1971-1975) Baron Frans Van den Bergh (1975-1986) Mr. Ivo Van Vaerenbergh (1986-1989) Professor Roger Van Geen (1991-1995) Professor Frank Deconinck (1996-2013) Baron Derrick-Philippe Gosselin (since 2013)

Reactors

BR1 The Belgian Reactor 1 (BR1) is the first research reactor to have been built and commissioned in Belgium. This natural uranium air-cooled graphite-moderated reactor was commissioned in 1956. Its maximal thermal power is 4 MW, but it is presently only operated at 700 kW. Its natural uranium inventory could allow the reactor to run without refueling during several centuries (~ 300 years). At first, this research reactor was used primarily for research into reactor and neutron physics, for neutron activation analysis, and for a minor production of radionuclides. Now, it is being used for the irradiation of components, the calibration of measuring instruments, and for performing analyses and training nuclear students. BR1 operates by order of other research centres, universities and the industry.

BR2 Commissioned in 1962, The Belgian Reactor 2 (BR2) is a materials testing reactor. It is a high-flux reactor (~ 1015 neutron・cm-2・s-1) in which neutrons are moderated by a beryllium matrix and cooled by light water pumped at low pressure (12-15 bar). Its core is very compact due to the particular shape of its beryllium matrix (paraboloid of revolution) allowing to install the fuel rods, the control rods, and the experiments in a very small volume (~ 1m3). One reports that its very compact core architecture was quickly drawn on a beer mat during a discussion between nuclear physicists in a bar in New York during a very creative night at the end of the 1950s, or beginning 1960. In cooperation with the US government, its nuclear fuel is being converted to low-enriched uranium (LEU) from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to minimize the risk of nuclear proliferation. Its thermal power (100 MW) is dissipated in the environment by water heated at modest temperature (40-48 °C). This research reactor is also used for the production of medical radio-isotopes. The BR2 research reactor produces on an annual basis more than 25% of the worldwide demand for molybdenum-99 and in peak periods even up to 65%.

BR3 The Belgian Reactor 3 was the first pressurised water reactor (PWR) in Europe. The reactor served as a prototype for the reactors in Doel and Tihange. It was taken into service in 1962 and permanently shut down in 1987.

Decommissioning Decommissioning started in 2002. The European Commission selected BR3 as a pilot project to show the technical and economic feasibility of the dismantling of a reactor under real conditions.

VENUS The research reactor VENUS, which stands for Vulcan Experimental Nuclear Study was commissioned in 1964. VENUS is used as an experimental installation for nuclear reactor physics studies of new reactor systems and for testing reactor calculations. The installation was re-built and modernised several times. As part of the GUINEVERE project, SCK CEN decided to re-build the VENUS reactor into a scale model of Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS). The particle accelerator was first connected in 2011. VENUS is a "zero power reactor": it has a power consumption of only 500 Watt.

MYRRHA

MYRRHA is a design of a Multi-purpose HYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications. MYRRHA is the world's first research reactor driven by a particle accelerator.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SCK CEN

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SCK CEN claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SCK CEN before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SCK CEN ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SCK CEN

In research: SCK CEN appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SCK CEN in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SCK CEN is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Antwerp Province, Mol, Belgium, Nuclear research institutes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SCK CEN outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study SCK CEN in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SCK CEN means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SCK CEN out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SCK CEN in simple terms?

SCK CEN (the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre), until 2020 shortened as SCK•CEN, is the Belgian nuclear research centre located in Mol, Belgium. SCK CEN is a global leader in the field of nuclear research, services, and education.

Why does SCK CEN matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SCK CEN?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SCK CEN.