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Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Technical History Stories

CO2: First Choice for Power Reactors

January 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

During the period from 1946 until 1954, the single most important constraint governing the development of peaceful uses of atomic power was the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. This American law – passed after a failed attempt to establish an international control regime for nuclear materials – made it illegal to trade in nuclear knowledge […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights Jan 1996, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Technical History Stories

Light Water Breeder Reactor: Adapting A Proven System

October 1, 1995 By Rod Adams

At 12:30 am, on August 26, 1977, the operators at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station began lifting the central modules of the experimental breeder reactor core into the blanket section. At 04:38 am, the reactor reached criticality. During the next five years, the core produced more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours of thermal power – equivalent […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights Oct 1995, Breeder Reactors, Technical History Stories

U.S. Nuclear Rocket Programs

September 1, 1995 By Rod Adams

The Nuclear Engines for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA) program officially began in 1961, when NASA issued a request for proposals and established the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office (SNPO). Various government laboratories had been studying the concept for several years, several contractors were already working on conceptual design, and space was a big topic of interest. […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights September 1995, Nuclear Aircraft, Technical History Stories

In the beginning: A 1942 Experiment Shows the World It Can Be Done

April 1, 1995 By Rod Adams

On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and a small band of scientists and engineers demonstrated that a simple construction of graphite bricks and uranium lumps could produce controlled heat. Let’s look back to see how simple that first reactor was. Behind the Scenes The space chosen for the reactor was a squash court under the […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights April 1995, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Technical History Stories

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