Commissioning of the "atomic egg"
After just two months of planning and eleven months of construction, the Munich Research Reactor (FRM) becomes the first nuclear facility in the young Federal Republic of Germany to go into operation.
Initial considerations on the FRM II
The "atomic egg" was used almost exclusively for research in the field of nuclear and particle physics and the irradiation of tumour patients. The FRM II is intended to enable much more comprehensive research, development and treatment.
Ground-breaking ceremony for the FRM II
Together with the then-Bavarian Minister President Edmund Stoiber and other public representatives, the then-TUM President Wolfgang Herrmann performs the ground-breaking ceremony in Garching.
Shutdown of the FRM
With growing demands on the intensity and quality of the neutron beam, the FRM no longer met scientific requirements after 43 years of operation and ceased operation.
First neutrons at the FRM II
After the operating licence was granted, the FRM II was able to deliver the first neutrons.
Start of operation of the FRM II
The routine operation of the FRM II began with the second reactor cycle. In the first year of operation, neutrons were made available for science and industry on 150 full load days. © Bernhard Ludewig, FRM II / MLZ
Foundation of the MLZ
The Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) emerged from the close cooperation between the Technical University of Munich, Forschungszentrum Jülich and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht for the purpose of using neutrons and positrons from the FRM II by German and international researchers.
| Technical details | |
| Thermal output | 20 megawatts |
| Reactor cycle length | 60 days |
| Number of cycles | usually 4 per year |
| Operating days | up to 240 days per year |
| Maximum neutron flux | 8 · 1014 neutrons/cm2 s |
| People |
|
| Number of employees on the FRM II site | around 400, including over 130 scientists |
| Number of guest researchers | about 1200 per year |
| Number of scientific experiments | about 1200 per year |
| Number of non-scientific visitors | about 3000 per year |
| Overview of costs |
|
| Budget including personnel costs (FRM II and MLZ) | 72 million € in 2023 |
| Costs for a fuel element (without disposal) | 1 million € |
| Construction costs of the FRM II | 435 million € |
| Revenue from orders from industry | about 1,3 million € per year |