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Coordinates: 46°37′49″N 119°38′51″W / 46.63028°N 119.64750°W / 46.63028; -119.64750
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The B Reactor was one of three reactors—along with the D and F reactors—built about six miles apart on the south bank of the [[Columbia River]]. The B Reactor started production in September, 1944, the D-Reactor in December, 1944 and the F-Reactor in February, 1945. Each reactor had its own auxiliary facilities that included a river pump house, large storage and settling basins, a filtration plant, huge motor-driven pumps for delivering water to the face of the pile, and facilities for emergency cooling in case of a power failure.
The B Reactor was one of three reactors—along with the D and F reactors—built about six miles apart on the south bank of the [[Columbia River]]. The B Reactor started production in September, 1944, the D-Reactor in December, 1944 and the F-Reactor in February, 1945. Each reactor had its own auxiliary facilities that included a river pump house, large storage and settling basins, a filtration plant, huge motor-driven pumps for delivering water to the face of the pile, and facilities for emergency cooling in case of a power failure.


The plutonium for the [[Trinity test|Trinity device]], tested at [[Los Alamos National Laboratory|Los Alamos]] in New Mexico, and the [[Fat Man]] bomb, later [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|dropped on Nagasaki, Japan]], was created in the B, D and F reactors. Additional reactors were constructed later, but the first three reactors ran for two decades. The B Reactor was shut down in February 1968. It is now in "interim safe storage" mode. The D and F reactors were shut down in June, 1967 and June 1965, respectively. In a process called cocooning or entombment, the reactor buildings are demolished up to the four foot-thick [[concrete]] shield around the [[reactor core]]. Any openings are sealed and a new roof is built. The D and F reactors have already been entombed, as have the C and DR reactors. Most auxiliary buildings at the first three reactors have been demolished, as well. The H, K-East and K-West reactors and the [[N-Reactor]] are scheduled to be entombed in that order. There is interest in turning the B Reactor into a [[museum]]. On [[August 25]] [[2008]], the B reactor was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]].
The plutonium for the [[Trinity test|Trinity device]], tested at [[Los Alamos National Laboratory|Los Alamos]] in New Mexico, and the [[Fat Man]] bomb, later [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|dropped on Nagasaki, Japan]], was created in the B, D and F reactors. Additional reactors were constructed later, but the first three reactors ran for two decades. The B Reactor was shut down in February 1968. It is now in "interim safe storage" mode. The D and F reactors were shut down in June, 1967 and June 1965, respectively. In a process called cocooning or entombment, the reactor buildings are demolished up to the four foot-thick [[concrete]] shield around the [[reactor core]]. Any openings are sealed and a new roof is built. The D and F reactors have already been entombed, as have the C and DR reactors. Most auxiliary buildings at the first three reactors have been demolished, as well. The H, K-East and K-West reactors and the [[N-Reactor]] are scheduled to be entombed in that order. There is interest in turning the B Reactor into a [[museum]].

==Sources==
==Sources==
*{{PDFlink|[http://www.washingtonclosure.com/News/WCH_Newsletter1/Vol_01_Issue_04/Vol_01_Issue_04.pdf Washington Closure Hanford - Newsletter]|666 KB}}
*{{PDFlink|[http://www.washingtonclosure.com/News/WCH_Newsletter1/Vol_01_Issue_04/Vol_01_Issue_04.pdf Washington Closure Hanford - Newsletter]|666 KB}}

Revision as of 00:29, 5 January 2009

Hanford B Reactor
The face of B Reactor during construction.
LocationNear jct. of WA 24 and WA 240, Hanford Site
Nearest cityRichland, Washington
BuiltJune 7, 1943[1] to September 1944[2]
ArchitectE.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co.
NRHP reference No.92000245
Added to NRHPApril 3, 1992

The B Reactor at Hanford Site, Washington, was the first large scale plutonium production reactor ever built. The project was commissioned under the Manhattan Project, during World War II, to develop the first nuclear weapons. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on August 19, 2008.[3][4]

The reactor was designed and built by the DuPont company based on experimental designs tested by Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago, and tests from the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It was designed to operate at 250 megawatts. The reactor was graphite moderated and water cooled. It consisted of a 28 by 36-foot, 1,200-ton graphite cylinder lying on its side, penetrated through its entire length horizontally by 2,004 aluminum tubes. Two hundred tons of uranium slugs the size of rolls of quarters and sealed in aluminum cans went into the tubes. Cooling water was pumped through the aluminum tubes around the uranium slugs at the rate of 75,000 gallons per minute. The reactor produced plutonium-239 by irradiating uranium-238 with neutrons.

The B Reactor was one of three reactors—along with the D and F reactors—built about six miles apart on the south bank of the Columbia River. The B Reactor started production in September, 1944, the D-Reactor in December, 1944 and the F-Reactor in February, 1945. Each reactor had its own auxiliary facilities that included a river pump house, large storage and settling basins, a filtration plant, huge motor-driven pumps for delivering water to the face of the pile, and facilities for emergency cooling in case of a power failure.

The plutonium for the Trinity device, tested at Los Alamos in New Mexico, and the Fat Man bomb, later dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, was created in the B, D and F reactors. Additional reactors were constructed later, but the first three reactors ran for two decades. The B Reactor was shut down in February 1968. It is now in "interim safe storage" mode. The D and F reactors were shut down in June, 1967 and June 1965, respectively. In a process called cocooning or entombment, the reactor buildings are demolished up to the four foot-thick concrete shield around the reactor core. Any openings are sealed and a new roof is built. The D and F reactors have already been entombed, as have the C and DR reactors. Most auxiliary buildings at the first three reactors have been demolished, as well. The H, K-East and K-West reactors and the N-Reactor are scheduled to be entombed in that order. There is interest in turning the B Reactor into a museum.

Sources

References

  1. ^ Shannon Dininny (2008-08-26). "World's first nuclear reactor now a landmark". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-26. Construction began on June 7, 1943...
  2. ^ "Department of Energy - B Reactor". United States Department of Energy. 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2008-08-26. Completed in September 1944...
  3. ^ a b "Weekly List Actions". National Park Service. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  4. ^ Michele S. Gerber, Brian Casserly, Frederick L. Brown (February, 2007), Template:PDFlink, National Park Service {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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