Other Definitions
triga (dict)
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TrigaTRIGA is a class of small nuclear reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics of the USA. TRIGA is an acronym of "Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics". This type of reactor can be installed without a containment building, and is designed for use by scientific institutions and universities for purposes such as graduate education, private commercial research, non-destructive testing and isotope production. The TRIGA reactor uses uranium-zirconium-hydride (UZrH) fuel and has a design which is conceived to be "inherently safe", in which the fuel rods act as an automatic power regulator, shutting the reactor down automatically. The prototype for the TRIGA nuclear reactor (TRIGA Mark I) was commissioned on 3 May 1958 in San Diego and operated until shut down in 1997. It has been designated as a nuclear historic landmark by the American Nuclear Society. Mark II, Mark III and other variants of the TRIGA design have subsequently been produced. A total of 35 TRIGA reactors have been installed at locations across the USA. A further 35 reactors have been installed in other countries. Many of these installations were prompted by US President Eisenhower's 1953 policy of "Atoms for Peace" which sought to extend access to nuclear physics to countries in the American sphere of influence. Consequently, TRIGA reactors can be found in such diverse locations as Austria, Italy, Japan, Congo, Brazil, Vietnam, Iran, and Mexico. New TRIGA installations by General Atomics are underway in Morocco, Thailand and Romania. Some of the main competitors to General Atomics in the supply of research reactors are Framatome of France and Siemens of Germany. See also External links
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