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Achievements
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THE REACTOR TREE
The
Argonne apple tree, a graphical depiction that displays the depth and scope of the Argonne
reactor systems program. Check it out!
Reactors Designed by Argonne National Laboratory
The reactors listed here were all designed by Argonne National Laboratory, and nearly all were
built at the laboratory's facilities in Illinois1,3 and Idaho2,3, with those
built elsewhere noted3. The “firsts” among these reactors were many, but
they include the first man-made self-sustaining neutron chain reaction, and the first generation
of electricity from nuclear energy. The development of all commercial nuclear reactor types was
based on both the design concepts of the Argonne reactors and on the information produced by these
experiments.
References:
- ORAU Team Dose Reconstruction Project for NIOSH, Technical Basis Document for the Argonne National Laboratory-East -- Site Description, ORAUT-TKBS-0036-2 (2006) [827KB]
- ORAU Team Dose Reconstruction Project for NIOSH, Technical Basis Document for the Argonne National Laboratory-West -- Site Description, ORAUT-TKBS-0026-2 (2004) [434KB]
- Nuclear Reactors Built, Being Built, or Planned in the United States as of June 30, 1970, TID-8200 (22nd Rev.), USAEC Division of Technical Information, (1970) [2MB].
From the late 1940s until 2004, Argonne-West in Idaho, and Argonne-East in Illinois, worked as a unified team under single management to design, build, and operate the reactors at both sites. Fourteen were built at ANL-E, fourteen were built at ANL-W, and other reactors designed by Argonne were built at Hanford and Savannah River. By 2004, all of the ANL-W reactors had been shut down. After the merger of ANL-W and INEEL in February, 2005, the new Idaho National Laboratory became the custodian of the ANL-W reactor sites.
Claims that other laboratories designed and constructed Argonne reactors in Idaho are common. The reader is invited to consult the references listed right for confirmation that such claims are false.
Follow the links below to learn about specific Argonne reactors.
BOOKSHELF
“Plentiful
Energy: The Story of the Integral Fast Reactor” by Charles E. Till and Yoon
Chang gives the history of the IFR at
Argonne. The book is now available on Amazon.com…
More about the book
Early
Exploration — Early exploration nuclear reactors
designed by the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory, the direct predecessor to Argonne
National Laboratory, began the development of nuclear technology… Read
more about these reactors
Training
Reactors —Reactors
designed and operated by Argonne as a resource for training students and/or technicians… Read
more about these reactors
Basic
and Applied Science Research Reactors — Argonne
designed, built, and operated several reactors that collectively produced a vast amount of
data and analysis… Read
more about these reactors
Light
Water Reactor Technology Development — Light
Water (conventional water, as opposed to heavy water) Reactor Technology was developed initially
for the U.S. nuclear submarine program… Read
more about these reactors
Heavy
Water and Graphite Reactors — Argonne
designed, built, and operated reactors using a wide variety of types of fuel, neutron moderator,
and coolant materials to explore the technological possibilities of nuclear energy… Read
more about these reactors
Fast
Reactor Technology — Argonne has pioneered the
development of fast reactors. The term "fast reactor" is used to describe that
the neutrons emitted when a nucleus fissions are at relatively high energy (fast speeds).
Unlike a thermal reactor… Read
more about these reactors
Related Information
- About Nuclear Energy
- Argonne's Nuclear Energy Exhibit highlights our pioneering role in developing peaceful uses of nuclear technology used by major nuclear power plants throughout the world.
- Argonne’s Major Nuclear Energy Milestones - A timeline at Argonne’s EESA web site
Related Multimedia
- Multimedia Gallery: Argonne’s Nuclear
Science and Technology Legacy
Find all related videos and podcasts here.
Last Modified: Tue, December 4, 2012 5:08 PM
