Early Argonne reactor lit the future
of the nuclear power
industry
On Dec. 20, 1951, a nuclear reactor produced useful electricity for the first time.
 On Dec. 20, 1951, Experimental Breeder Reactor-I lit these four lightbulbs to demonstrate the first usuable amount of electricity from nuclear energy. EBR-I was designed, built and operated by Argonne in Idaho. |
It was barely enough to power a simple string of four, 100-watt light bulbs, but the 16 scientists and engineers - all staff members of Argonne National Laboratory, which designed and built the reactor - recorded their historic achievement by chalking their names on the wall beside the generator.
The reactor was Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I), housed in a small building that today still sits alone on a wind-swept plain in southeastern Idaho. EBR-I spawned a huge international industry that now plays a major role in meeting the world's energy needs.
Today, more than 100 nuclear power plants provide 20 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States. More than 435 reactors provide some 17 percent of the world's electricity, and about 65 more plants are under construction around the world.
During its 15-year career, EBR-1 was the site of many historical firsts, and retired Argonne scientist Kirby Whitham was an integral part of several of them.
On that raw December day in 1951, scientists and technicians readied for the first test of the power-generating system. "We got the reactor critical, which was a rather slow process," Whitham said. "Generating steam for the first time was a problem, because we hadn't done it before. Technicians were running everywhere, measuring temperatures and so on.
"It took quite a while to get the turbine up to speed, then we had to load the generator. The generator put out 440 volts, so we used four light bulbs wired in series."
When the bulbs lit up, "we didn't clap our hands or anything," Whitham said. "We were just glad it worked. Zinn brought out a bottle of champagne and everyone had a cup, but there was lots of work to do - checking oil pressures and other things we weren't used to doing."
After that, except for normal shutdown to perform maintenance or to attend to experiments, EBR-I provided all its own electricity throughout its operating career.
EBR-I's primary experimental mission was to develop and test the concept of the breeder reactor — a vision pursued by Enrico Fermi and his colleague, Walter Zinn, who was Argonne's first director and who led the team that built EBR-I. The idea behind the breeder is to maximize the useful energy that can be extracted from natural uranium.
Inside a nuclear reactor, uranium-238 — the common form of the metal which cannot be used for fuel — can capture neutrons released during fission and transform into plutonium-239. This man-made element can fuel reactors, so breeding makes it possible to use virtually 100 percent of the energy in natural uranium.
EBR-I provided the first proof that breeding is possible: On June 4, 1953, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission announced that EBR-I had become the world's first reactor to demonstrate the breeding of plutonium from uranium.
In 1962, EBR-I became the world's first reactor to produce electricity with a plutonium core. For the next year, the reactor provided valuable data on breeding in a plutonium-fueled reactor and helped to improve scientists' understanding of the behavior of plutonium in an operating reactor.
On Dec. 30, 1963, its scientific mission complete, EBR-I was officially shut down. On Aug. 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson presided over ceremonies that designated the retired reactor a Registered Historical National Monument. Before 15,000 witnesses, he said, "We have come to a place today where hope was born that man would do more with his discovery (of atomic fission) than unleash destruction in its wake."
Preserving EBR-I
Save America's Treasures of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking contributions to match a $320,000 challenge matching grant. The goals are to preserve the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I National Historic Landmark and to educate the American people about the birth of the Atomic Age and the harnessing of nuclear energy for electricity.
The primary goal is to restore and maintain EBR-I as a museum and to develop exhibits on the history of nuclear power.
Donors will be recognized. Contributions are tax-deductible. Checks should be made to "National Trust/SAT" with the designation "Atomic Age" in the lower left-hand corner, and sent to Cindy Kelly, Save America's Treasures, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., 20036. For more information, contact her at 202/686-4069 or cindykelly@erols.com.
For more information, please contact Catherine Foster (630/252-5580 or cfoster@anl.gov) at Argonne.
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