AHL operates the facility Hotlab safely and efficiently and is the Swiss center of competence for the handling and analysis of highly radioactive materials.
AHL provides an important contribution to the safety and the economy of the Swiss nuclear power plants. The infrastructure is kept up to date to ensure an effective and fast analysis of full length fuel rods as well as detailed micrometric studies of the structure and composition of irradiated materials including nuclear fuel. Finally, the department supports and participates to the development of new key technologies or analytical methods for the investigation of radioactive materials.
Another key activity of the department is the technical support for all users of the Hotlab. In particular, the preparation and the delivery of specimens extracted from irradiation rigs or fuel rods for the Laboratory for Nuclear Materials (LNM) is of high relevance for NES. AHL is also participating in scientific studies using its analytical competences to generate data critical for the research activities of NES and to validate models of material behavior.