MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University is upgrading its nuclear reactor control console with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The upgrade involves replacing the entire reactor console, including cabling and neutron detectors used to monitor reactor power. While the core and control rods will remain the same, plans call for replacing some of the auxiliary monitoring equipment to improve compatibility with the new console. The Manhattan Mercury reports that many of the current console components are obsolete and difficult to repair, causing frequent reactor downtime. Nuclear reactor facilities manager Jeff Geuther says the new console will be safer and more reliable. A one-month reactor outage for console replacement is planned for summer 2018.
Kansas State University to Use $1.5 Million Grant to Upgrade Reactor
