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Whatisnuclear Blog

Here you’ll find blog posts, sometimes from guest posters, on various relevant topics.

About the Neutronics Scoping Tool

28 Jun 2025

A description of the capabilities and math behind the neutronics scoping tool.

Rickover's Memo as a Dunning-Kruger Curve

26 Jun 2025

The Rickover memo can be depicted as a Dunning-Kruger effect

Regulatory Reforms the Nuclear Industry wants

23 May 2025

I surveyed lots of people in the nuclear industry and made a list of reforms that most people agreed on

The story of the TOPAZ-II space reactors

13 May 2025

In the early 90s, the US bought 6 exotic TOPAZ-II space reactors from the USSR. Many interesting things happened next.

The Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project films

02 May 2025

We found 27 films about the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant Project and started digitizing them.

The Aircraft Reactor Experiment positive temperature coefficient of reactivity

15 Mar 2025

An interesting reactor physics and history lesson explaining the origin of molten salt fluid fuel nuclear reactors

Armour Research Reactor

06 Mar 2025

The Armour Research Reactor was a small homogeneous-type nuclear reactor with uranyl sulfate fuel dissolved in water. It was installed at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. This film, recorded in February 1958 and digitized in 2025, shows the core construction, reactor controls, shield, and various applications of the reactor.

A nuclear startup will probably not be the next SpaceX

25 Feb 2025

For the last decade in nuclear, it’s been in vogue to make comparisons to SpaceX. It’s understandable why: In 2008, launch services were a stilted industry, funded almost entirely by governments and dominated by massive companies operating under cost-plus contracts. In short order, they were disrupted by an upstart, leading to radical price cuts and performance improvements. Who wouldn’t want to replicate that in the nuclear industry?

The Heavy Water Components Test Reactor and the Heavy Water Power Reactor Program

10 Feb 2025

In 1956, the US Atomic Energy Commission commissioned a study on the development of heavy-water moderated natural uranium fueled power reactors with the objective of producing low-cost commercial electricity. Since these reactors do not require any enrichment, it was thought that they could be cost competitive with fossil fuel power plants. To obtain more credible data, the Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR) was built. This film describes the Heavy Water program and the HWCTR.

Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion: Manned Aircraft Progress Report

03 Feb 2025

This film presents the US effort to build a nuclear-powered long-range bomber. The program history and evolution is discussed, from the 1955 weapons system 125A to the 1956 re-evaluation and CAMAL concept. Work done between 1956 and 1958 is highlighted, including a detailed technical summary of the GE direct cycle nuclear jet engines and the Pratt and Whitney indirect cycle liquid metal cooled system. It discusses the HTRE tests performed in Idaho. GE XMA-1 development is shown at Evandale, OH. The indirect cycle component development at CANEL in Connecticut are depicted. Shielding and the Convair reactor flights are shown.

No Greater Challenge digitized

30 Jan 2025

This film envisions deploying large nuclear power plants coupled with desalination plants to form 300k-acre scientifically-managed food factories in otherwise arid land. Besides making 1 billion gallons of fresh water per day from the sea, the complexes would also generate phosphorus using electric furnaces, ammonia from electrolytic hydrogen, and caustic and chlorine from brine electrolysis. Such a complex could feed 6 million people.

The Organic Moderated Reactor Experiment

13 Dec 2024

A digitized 1958 film showing the Organic-moderated nuclear reactor experiment (OMRE). Organic cooled reactors can run with low pressure, and have low corrosion and activation. They were once expected to be a promising approach toward achieving economical nuclear power.

Film digitization announcement: Operating Experience, Dresden

23 Nov 2024

A recently-digitized film showing information about one of the first boiling water nuclear reactors.

Restoration of the NRX Reactor

13 Nov 2024

This film shows the recovery effort done to clean up, rebuild, and restart the NRX reactor in Canada.

ASTR Tower Experiment Film

08 Nov 2024

In January, 1946, the U.S. Air Force started working to build a long-range nuclear-powered bomber. This page exhibits and discusses a historic film from 1958 discussing a flying reactor and follow-up experiments where they lifted it up into the air on a huge tower in Oak Ridge.

Fermi 1 breeder reactor booklet from 1960: Atomic Power for Peace and Prosperity

04 Jun 2024

A digitized booklet describing the non-profit companies formed to design, build, and operate the Fermi 1 sodium-cooled breeder reactor near Detroit.

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Pamphlet

01 Jun 2024

San Onofre unit 1 was an early 450 MWe PWR that went into operation in 1968. This pamphlet summarizing the plant was issued before it was completed.

The Yankee Rowe Story

22 May 2024

Yankee Rowe was a pioneering privately financed LWR that laid the foundation of the current US nuclear fleet. Learn its story here.

Construction of the Sodium Reactor Experiment

18 May 2024

The Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) was a prototype reactor 27 miles NW of LA that served as a technology demonstration of sodium-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors (aka SGRs). In the 1950s, it was thought that the combination of high-temperature, low-pressure liquid metal sodium coolant with highly fuel-conservative neutron moderation would form a likely candidate for low-cost commercial nuclear power plants.

Aqueous Homogeneous Research Reactors

17 May 2024

Let me tell you about Aqueous Homogeneous Research Reactors. These were reactors with fluid fuel: an aqueous solution of uranium. Aka “water-boiler” type reactors. The first few were made at LANL during the Manhattan Project. Later, Atomics International sold them for research.

Naval Research Laboratory Reactor film from 1958

07 Apr 2024

A film from the 1958 ‘Atoms for Peace’ conference in Geneva has been digitized and can be seen here. It describes the Naval Research Laboratory Reactor, a swimming-pool type research reactor fueled with HEU.

Six early nuclear reactor films digitized thanks to Last Energy

16 Mar 2024

Watch recently-digitized historical films about Indian Point 1 and Yankee Rowe early pressurized water reactors from the 1960s.

Two historical radioisotopes films digitized thanks to ANS

09 Nov 2023

Learn about industrial uses of Radioisotopes and the eradication of the Screwworm fly.

The PM-1 Final Summary Report received via FOIA

22 Sep 2023

It describes issues, successes, and recommendations after operating a 1 MWe military microreactor in Wyoming for 4 years, broken down system by system. It covers staffing and overall costs as well.

BONUS for Puerto Rico: a digitized film from 1967

19 Sep 2023

See the story of the BONUS nuclear reactor in Puerto Rico in full color.

The Nuclear Ship Savannah -- newly digitized 1964 film

12 Jul 2023

A 1964 documentary describing the Nuclear Ship Savannah and the dream of a clean nuclear-powered merchant shipping future.

1961 film, 'Remote Repair and Modification of the HRE-2 Core Vessel' digitized

05 Jul 2023

A 1961 film detailing a major repair of the Homogeneous Reactor Experiment-2 (HRE-2), a fluid-fueled aqueous homogeneous reactor at the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee This reactor was an early predecessor to molten salt reactors.

The New Power — The Story of the National Reactor Testing Station (1965 film)

04 Jul 2023

We’re excited to announce the recent digitization of this 1965 film summarizing the test reactors and other activities of the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS), known today as the Idaho National Lab (INL). This is the second of four historical nuclear films in our latest batch of 4K digitizations from 16mm film at the National Archives.

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