Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor

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The Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor (BGRR) was the Laboratory's first big machine and the first peace-time reactor to be constructed in the United States following World War II. The reactor's primary mission was to produce neutrons for scientific experimentation and refine reactor technology. 

In a research reactor like the BGRR, neutrons are captured by uranium nuclei in the fuel elements, causing some of them to undergo fission. Resulting from the fission process are two large nuclear fragments and two to three neutrons. These neutrons are available to initiate new fission events. If, on the average, one of the neutrons from a fission produces another fission, a chain reaction is said to take place. Neutrons which do not cause additional fission reactions and which are not absorbed by the  reactor itself are available for experiments. The BGRR was constructed like a cube, with three sides and the top of the cube available for the insertion of experiments which would be irradiated by these neutrons.

Originally, the BGRR was fueled with natural uranium, but, in 1958, a new kind of fuel was introduced that used uranium enriched in the normally rare U-235. The reactor then operated at 20 megawatts with a maximum flux of about 2 x10¹³ neutrons per square centimeter per second.

At its inception, the BGRR could accommodate more simultaneous experiments than any other existing reactor. Scientists and engineers from every corner of the U.S. came to use the reactor, which was not only a source of neutrons for experiments, but also an excellent training tool.  

The reactor pile consisted of a 700 ton, 25 foot cube of graphite fueled by uranium. A total of 1,369 fuel channels were available with roughly half in use at any given time. Reactor power was controlled by insertion and removal of boron steel control rods. Cooling was supplied by one or more of five fans which provided air flow through the core.

Researchers used the BGRR's neutrons as tools for studying atomic nuclei and the structure of solids, and to investigate many physical, chemical and biological systems. Scientists also studied the effects of radiation on materials. An estimated 25,000 irradiations were performed over the reactor's lifetime, on specimens ranging from seeds to art treasures. In one such irradiation, engine piston rings were studied in the reactor to determine wear and other characteristics. This work led to the development of multi-grade motor oils, such as 10W-30, now commonly used in automobiles.

Neutrons also served as probes, to study the structure and behavior of other materials. "Loop" experiments were another important area of research, in which measurements were made of the radiation-induced changes in the properties of liquids and gases as they flowed through the reactor. Radioactive isotopes produced at the were especially useful in medical diagnosis and therapy and in industrial technology. The radioisotope technetium-99m, an important medical diagnostic tool, was developed at the BGRR.

"BGRR: Atomic Pile for Peace," a video retrospective of the history of the BGRR as told by scientists who worked there. Real Player required for viewing. View video.

By 1955, however, it was clear that the neutron fluxes available at the BGRR and at research reactors elsewhere were not high enough to support proposed experiments. By 1958, a new reactor concept designed at Brookhaven had been approved by the Atomic Energy Commission for construction. This would become the High Flux Beam Reactor.

The BGRR provided 18 years of service before it was placed on standby in June 1968 and then permanently shutdown. Final decomissioning of the BGRR was begun in the late 1990s. Details on this effort can be found at http://www.bnl.gov/bgrr/ .

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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