GOVPH

The Department of Science and Technology, also known as DOST, is known for pioneering and leading Filipinos towards the scientific world. As of today, DOST’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) is the institute with the most accomplishments and awards garnered throughout the years.

Visiting PNRI’s compound, however, will pique everyone’s curiosity. Just as you enter the facility, it is easy to notice the white dome, shaped like an egg, in the distance. What is that big egg over there? A big egg in an institute that studies radiation? Many people might find this funny at first, but what they do not know is that this egg houses the one and only operating nuclear reactor in the Philippines, called the Philippine Research Reactor-1 Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education, and Research (PRR-1 SATER).

​​Looking at this hard-boiled egg, not much is known about its architectural history, aside from the shape serving as a sturdy structure against earthquakes. But what we do know is the history of the heating yolk inside it. Following its conversion in 1988, the reactor pool suffered a leak, leading to its shutdown. It reopened to the public as a subcritical reactor, now having an external source of neutrons to control the rate of fission. As intimidating and life-threatening as it sounds, it is inherently safe as it produces no energy and heat and can only be used for training and educational purposes, not for power generation.

So how can this be beneficial for us? As a training and experimental ground for researchers and students, it is used for manipulating isotopes, a type of atom with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons, the analysis of radioactive materials, and the calculation of expected radiation amounts.

How is this all possible? Firstly, tap water is deionized to remove any unnecessary minerals and impurities, achieving the ideal conductivity, temperature, and pH level. Then, they can load in the fuel cell and start operating the reactor. Monitoring the water quality ensures the safety of the fuel, avoiding corrosion of the fuel’s encasing, especially in the middle, where all of the Uranium-235 is concentrated, preventing leaks and potential dangers.

All of these processes are possible with the help of nuclear fission! As one knows, fusion is the process of merging two objects; this time, fission would mean the opposite. Nuclear fission refers to the splitting of a heavy nuclide, a type of atom characterized by the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus, to produce energy. These processes happen inside the fission reactors, where they harness neutrons.

Harnessing neutrons takes a lot of time, in addition to analyzing them. Initially, DOST-PNRI’s consoles were bulky and full of buttons that you had to press and interpret simultaneously. But as technology progressed, these data are now stored in one computer and displayed on a few monitors. But on a larger scale, even if technology has advanced, these neutrons are still way too fast for us to detect. In order to analyze these particles, a graphite layer, acting as a moderator, is wrapped in the interior, slowing down the neutrons and helping us to have a closer look at these subatomic particles. Then, a plotter records the power level and reactivity of the neutrons and the pH level and temperature of the water. From there, experts in related fields can interpret the data and do something useful and beneficial with it.

However, harnessing nuclear energy is expensive, and this somehow limits our potential to explore its capabilities. When used correctly, these processes are useful in the medical fields to test the capabilities of these radiation as a form of therapy or in agriculture to improve food production and seedling growth. Since nuclear energy in the Philippines is still vast and unexplored, its potentials could be slowly uncovered by the future researchers of today’s generation.(By Ramil Ramones and Leanna Montecino, Quezon City National High School)