Chicago Pile 3
Encyclopedia
Chicago Pile 3 was the first heavy water reactor
, It was in operation from 1943-1954 and was built near Lemont, Illinois
on the former (i.e., original) site of Argonne National Laboratory
. The site is now known as the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site and is situated within Red Gate Woods
, part of the Cook County Forest Preserve system.
CP-3 was initially fueled with natural uranium
and used heavy water
as a neutron moderator. In January 1950, the reactor was dismantled due to suspicion of corrosion of the aluminum cladding that surrounded the control rod
s. The reactor was rebuilt and redesignated CP-3' (Cp-3 prime). It was restarted in May 1950 and operated until 1954. The reactor was authorized to operate up to 300 kilowatts.
The two versions of the reactor were used in physics studies, fission product separations, tritium recovery from irradiated lithium, and studies of radionuclide metabolism in laboratory animals. After the reactor was decommissioned, the fuel and heavy water were shipped to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
. The containment shell for the reactor had pipes, valves, and building debris placed inside and was then filled with concrete. The 800-ton shell was buried on the site in a 40 ft (12.2 m) deep pit. Today, a historical marker commemorates the site of CP-3 and its sister reactor CP-1/CP-2.
Heavy water reactor
A pressurised heavy water reactor is a nuclear power reactor, commonly using unenriched natural uranium as its fuel, that uses heavy water as its coolant and moderator. The heavy water coolant is kept under pressure in order to raise its boiling point, allowing it to be heated to higher...
, It was in operation from 1943-1954 and was built near Lemont, Illinois
Lemont, Illinois
Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is roughly southwest of Chicago. The population was 16,625 at the 2007 Special Census.-History:...
on the former (i.e., original) site of Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
. The site is now known as the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site and is situated within Red Gate Woods
Red Gate Woods
Red Gate Woods is a forest preserve within the Palos Division of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois. Located within the preserve is the original site of Argonne National Laboratory and the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site, which contains the buried remains of Chicago Pile-1, the...
, part of the Cook County Forest Preserve system.
CP-3 was initially fueled with natural uranium
Natural uranium
Natural uranium refers to refined uranium with the same isotopic ratio as found in nature. It contains 0.7 % uranium-235, 99.3 % uranium-238, and a trace of uranium-234 by weight. In terms of the amount of radioactivity, approximately 2.2 % comes from uranium-235, 48.6 % uranium-238, and 49.2 %...
and used heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
as a neutron moderator. In January 1950, the reactor was dismantled due to suspicion of corrosion of the aluminum cladding that surrounded the control rod
Control rod
A control rod is a rod made of chemical elements capable of absorbing many neutrons without fissioning themselves. They are used in nuclear reactors to control the rate of fission of uranium and plutonium...
s. The reactor was rebuilt and redesignated CP-3' (Cp-3 prime). It was restarted in May 1950 and operated until 1954. The reactor was authorized to operate up to 300 kilowatts.
The two versions of the reactor were used in physics studies, fission product separations, tritium recovery from irradiated lithium, and studies of radionuclide metabolism in laboratory animals. After the reactor was decommissioned, the fuel and heavy water were shipped to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
. The containment shell for the reactor had pipes, valves, and building debris placed inside and was then filled with concrete. The 800-ton shell was buried on the site in a 40 ft (12.2 m) deep pit. Today, a historical marker commemorates the site of CP-3 and its sister reactor CP-1/CP-2.