Nuclear energy for peace: the birth of nuclear energetics
|
|
| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
History of Science and Technology Nuclear Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: |
Unknown |
| Author(s): |
Organization:Tortenelem, NPP, Hungary |
| Description: | "The birthday of nuclear energetics can be defined with different dates. The first reactor that was used to generate electric energy was the EBR (Experimental Breeder Reactor) in the United States. This reactor, contrary to the types mentioned earlier, was a so called fast reactor. The fuel was 94% enriched uranium, while the coolant was a mixture of liquid sodium and potassium. The EBR was put into operation in 1951 and 200 kW out of its 1400 kW thermal power was utilized: the lighting of one of the buildings of the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho was supplied using the generated electricity. In western literature the Obninsk power plant is rarely mentioned as the first nuclear power plant of peaceful purpose in the world. On the one hand, it is hard to forget that the construction was ordered by Stalin - although urged by Kurcsatov. On the other hand, it is indisputable that the Obninsk plant - being graphite moderated and water cooled - could be switched to plutonium production in case it was needed. Eventually, the main reason is that the plant was not built as part of a general and large-scale program aimed at the development of power plant reactors and the wide-spreading of the peaceful use of nuclear energy." |
| Rating: |
|
| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | nuclear power history of technology nuclear energy |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: |
Interesting perspective from the East block as the U.S. gave very little press to this event. |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Interactivity Level: |
Very low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | June 2008 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.npp.hu/tortenelem/beke-e.htm |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
|
