Mound Laboratories
Encyclopedia
Mound Laboratories in Miamisburg, Ohio
was an Atomic Energy Commission
(later Department of Energy
) facility for Nuclear weapon research during the Cold War
.
The laboratory grew out of the World War II
era Dayton Project
(a site within the Manhattan Project
) where the neutron generating triggers
for the first plutonium bombs
were developed.
Post-war construction of a permanent site for Dayton Project activities began in 1947. The lab was originally known as the Dayton Engineer Works. The lab began operations in 1948 and was managed by Monsanto
. Mound produced detonators, cable assemblies, timers, firing sets, and other equipment. In 1954 Mound began working with Tritium
. The lab disassembled bomb components, recovering the Tritium within and sending it for repurification at Savannah River Site
. Mound supplied enriched non-radioactive isotopes. The lab also produced plutonium-238-powered thermoelectric heat sources
called SNAP or Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power for the U.S. space program.
For security, several of the large buildings on site were built seven stories underground and were visible only as small elevator rooms on the surface. This design was so that they could sustain any conventional bombing attack.
Mound was declared a Superfund
site and was put on the National Priorities list in 1989. In a decision was made to close the plant by 2006. Clean-up of the site began in 1995. Work with Tritium ended in 1997. The final closure date has been pushed back to at least 2010.
Miamisburg, Ohio
Miamisburg is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,181 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
was an Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
(later Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
) facility for Nuclear weapon research during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
The laboratory grew out of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era Dayton Project
Dayton Project
The Dayton Project was one of several sites involved in the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bombs. Charles Allen Thomas, an executive of the Monsanto Company corporation, was assigned to develop the neutron generating devices that triggered the nuclear detonation of the atomic bombs...
(a site within the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
) where the neutron generating triggers
Urchin (detonator)
A modulated neutron initiator is a neutron source capable of producing a burst of neutrons on activation. It is a crucial part of some nuclear weapons, as its role is to "kick-start" the chain reaction at the optimal moment when the configuration is prompt critical. It is also known as an internal...
for the first plutonium bombs
Fat Man
"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...
were developed.
Post-war construction of a permanent site for Dayton Project activities began in 1947. The lab was originally known as the Dayton Engineer Works. The lab began operations in 1948 and was managed by Monsanto
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the "Roundup" brand of herbicides, and in other brands...
. Mound produced detonators, cable assemblies, timers, firing sets, and other equipment. In 1954 Mound began working with Tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
. The lab disassembled bomb components, recovering the Tritium within and sending it for repurification at Savannah River Site
Savannah River Site
The Savannah River Site is a nuclear reservation in the United States in the state of South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell Counties adjacent to the Savannah River, southeast of Augusta, Georgia. The site was built during the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for...
. Mound supplied enriched non-radioactive isotopes. The lab also produced plutonium-238-powered thermoelectric heat sources
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
A radioisotope thermoelectric generator is an electrical generator that obtains its power from radioactive decay. In such a device, the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material is converted into electricity by the Seebeck effect using an array of thermocouples.RTGs can be...
called SNAP or Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power for the U.S. space program.
For security, several of the large buildings on site were built seven stories underground and were visible only as small elevator rooms on the surface. This design was so that they could sustain any conventional bombing attack.
Mound was declared a Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site and was put on the National Priorities list in 1989. In a decision was made to close the plant by 2006. Clean-up of the site began in 1995. Work with Tritium ended in 1997. The final closure date has been pushed back to at least 2010.