The Army’s designation , SL-1, tells us that the plant was a stationary, low power reactor, and that it was the first of its kind. The design work was done by Argonne National Laboratory in 1955-1956 under the name Argonne Low Power Reactor (ALPR). SL-1’s mission was to provide power to radar stations along the […]
Atomic Insights 1996
Letter from the Editor: Solving the SL-1 Mystery
One common link in the training of most nukes is the viewing of a grainy, black and white documentary on the aftermath of an accident at a reactor known as SL-1. The accident occured on January 3, 1961 at the Atomic Energy Commission’s National Reactor Testing Station near Idaho Falls Idaho. Three people died in […]
What Caused the Accident?: Plenty of Blame to Share
(Note from the editor: The following story is conjecture supported by interviews of first hand sources and a careful review of the written history. It is tempered with an understanding of reactor operations and human nature gained during more than six years in supervisory positions in military nuclear power plants. The mystery, however, is more […]
January 1961: SL-1 Explosion Aftermath
At 9:01 pm on January 3, 1961, the first indication of trouble at SL-1 was received at Atomic Energy Commission Fire Stations. The alarm, which was triggered by one of several measured parameters at the plant, was immediately broadcast over all National Reactor Testing Station radio networks. By 9:10 pm, fire trucks and security personnel […]
In the News June 1996
Power Cutoffs Ordered in Northeast (May 22, 1996) – Unusually hot weather forced several electric utilities in the Northeast United States to cut power to customers who had agreed to power interruptions in return for lower rates and to reduce voltage by 5 to 8 percent in order to protect reserve margins. Affected utilities included […]
PHWR Historical Problem Areas: Sources of Incidents
The pressure tubes of a CANDU® are in a hostile environment that includes a high neutron flux, hot, high temperature water, and a certain amount of hydrogen and oxygen released by the decomposition of water by radiation.Though the CANDU® has proven itself to be a reliable, cost effective and safe power generation system, there are […]
Isotope Production: Dual Use Power Plants
Nuclear reactors are not just a source of heat for power production. They are also an abundant source of neutrons, which allows the plants to be in a process of transmutation which makes the old dream of alchemy a reality. Since neutrons are neutrally charged, they have the ability to insert themselves in a wide […]
Pressurized Heavy Water: Using Available Resources
In many ways a CANDU® nuclear plant is conceptually related to a standard pressurized water reactor plant system. It has two separate heat transfer loops whose fluids never directly interact. The two loops physically meet in large heat exchangers called steam generators, which are very similar in design to those used in PWRs. One fluid, […]
Letter from the Editor: Reactors With a Can-Do Attitude
One of the highest compliments that you can pay to a submariner is to describe him as someone with a “can-do” attitude. This implies that he will cheerfully find a way to overcome any obstacle. Perhaps that is one reason that I have always admired the name, CANDU®, that was chosen for the Canadian heavy […]
Some Reactors CANDU®: What Others Cannot
An understanding of some of the features of the CANDU® reactor design makes it obvious that many of the negative perceptions about nuclear power are, in fact, based on characteristics of a single type of reactor. Simple Fuel Manufacture One common misconception about nuclear energy is that fuel manufacture is a complex endeavor that requires […]
Keep it Simple: Complex Systems Cost More
A first generation Adams Engine might achieve a thermal efficiency of approximately 30-35 percent, instead of the 55-60 percent that is currently being advertised for advanced gas turbine power plants. Many people seem offended by the very idea of producing a system that is less efficient than existing systems, but the important characteristics of a […]
In the news: May 1996
Netherlands Begins NEREUS Study (March 1996) – At the instigation of ROMAWA, a small company led a former Royal Netherlands Navy engineering specialist, the Netherlands government and several large industrial companies have begun a study of a nine megawatt nuclear gas turbine designed for heat and/or power production, district heating and ship propulsion. Capt. Gulian […]
