Shippingport Atomic Power Station
| Shippingport Atomic Power Station | |
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 The Shippingport reactor was the first full-scale PWR nuclear power plant in the United States. |
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Shippingport, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°37′16″N 80°26′07″W / 40.62111°N 80.43528°WCoordinates: 40°37′16″N 80°26′07″W / 40.62111°N 80.43528°W |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Construction began | 1954-09-06 |
| Commission date | 1958-05-26 |
| Licence expiration | 1982-10-01 |
| Construction cost | $72.5 million |
| Operator(s) | Duquesne Light Company |
| Reactor information | |
| Reactors decom. | 1 x 60 MW |
The Shippingport Atomic Power Station, "the world’s first full-scale atomic electric power plant devoted exclusively to peacetime uses," (though the British Magnox reactor at Calder Hall was first connected to the grid on 27 August 1956, it also produced plutonium for military uses)[1] was located near the present-day Beaver Valley Nuclear Generating Station on the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, USA, about 25 miles (40 km) from Pittsburgh. The reactor went online December 2, 1957, and was in operation until October, 1982. It was an experimental, light water moderated, thermal breeder reactor and is notable for its ability to transmute (inexpensive) Thorium 232 to Uranium 233 (the latter being the fissile material that fueled the reaction within the reactor core). [2]
Shippingport was created and operated under the auspices of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, whose authority included a substantial role within the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Its design team was headed by Alvin Radkowsky.
The reactor was capable of an output of 60 MWe. The reactor was designed with two uses in mind: for powering aircraft carriers, and serving as a prototype for commercial electrical power generation.[3] In 1977, it was converted to a Pressurized Light-Water Breeder Reactor (PLWBR).
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[edit] Construction
In 1953, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his Atoms for Peace speech to the United Nations. Commercial nuclear power generation was cornerstone of his plan. A proposal by Duquesne Light Company was accepted by Admiral Rickover and the plans for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station started.
Ground was broken on Labor Day, September 9, 1954. President Eisenhower remotely initiated the first scoop of dirt at the ceremony.[4] The reactor first went critical at 4:30 AM on December 2, 1957.[4] Sixteen days later, on December 18, the first electrical power was generated and full power was achieved on December 23, 1957,[4] although the station remained in test mode. Eisenhower opened the Shippingport Atomic Power Station on May 26, 1958. The plant was built in 32 months at a cost of $72.5 million.[1]
[edit] Cores
The Shippingport reactor was designed to accommodate different cores; three were used. The first, installed in 1957, held 4 tons of natural uranium and 165 pounds of high-enriched uranium. Seven years later it was retired, after having produced almost 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The second core had increased generating capacity and instrumentation to measure performance. It began operating in 1965 and over the next nine years generated almost 3.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. In 1974 the turbine-generator suffered mechanical failure, causing the plant to be shut down. The third and final core was a light water breeder, which began operating in August 1977 and after testing was brought to full power by the end of that year.[4] After five years the core was removed and found to contain 1.3% more fissile material than when it was installed, demonstrating that breeding had occurred.[2]
[edit] Decommissioning
On October 1, 1982, the reactor ceased operations after 25 years.[5] Dismantlement of the facility began in September 1985.[6] In December 1988, the 956-ton (870-T) reactor pressure vessel/neutron shield tank assembly was lifted out of the containment building and loaded onto land transportation equipment in preparation for removal from the site and shipment to a burial facility in Washington State.[7] The site has been cleaned up and released for unrestricted use.
The $98 million (1985 estimate) cleanup of Shippingport has been used as an example of a successful reactor decommissioning by proponents of nuclear power. However, critics point out that Shippingport was smaller than most commercial nuclear power plants;[6] most reactors in the United States are about 1,000 MWe, while Shippingport was only 60 MWe.
[edit] See also
Beaver Valley Nuclear Generating Station is a newer nuclear power station located at the same site.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "History". Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). April 17, 2007. http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/history.html. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b Light Water Breeder Reactor: Adapting A Proven System
- ^ Pool, Robert (July 17, 1997). Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology. Sloan Technology Series. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195107722. http://books.google.com/?id=BR1PQ6fPLz4C&pg=PA50&dq=Rickover,+Shippingport,+carrier. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b c d "Historic Achievement Recognized: Shippingport Atomic Power Station, A National Engineering Historical Landmark" (PDF). pp. 4. http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5643.pdf. Retrieved 2006-06-24.
- ^ "Shippingport". http://www.nukeworker.com/nuke_facilities/North_America/usa/NRC_Facilities/Region_1/shippingport/index.shtml. Retrieved 2006-06-24.
- ^ a b "Nuclear Energy Decommissioning". http://www.nuclearpowerprocon.org/pop/decommission.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-24.
- ^ Duerr, David (March 1990). "Lift of Shippingport Reactor Pressure Vessel". Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 116 (1): 188–197. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1990)116:1(188). http://www.pubs.asce.org/WWWdisplay.cgi?9000757.[dead link]
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shippingport Atomic Power Station |
- Brief history of site Note: The picture above is the original site. This link shows the site after 1974 when Beaver Valley Units 1 and 2 were built adjacent the Shippingport Atomic Plant
- Shippingport and Eisenhower
- Shippingport Atomic Power Station-related items in the Naval Reactors History Database
- Light-Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR)-related items in the Naval Reactors History Database
- Shippingport Operations with the Light Water Breeder Reactor Core
- "Atoms for Peace" in Pennsylvania
- Jimmy Carter: Shippingport Light Water Breeder Reactor Remarks at a Ceremony Marking the Pennsylvania Facility's Increase to Full Power Production (December 2, 1977)
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