The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is an 890-square-mile (2,300-km²) complex located in the Idaho desert between the towns of Arco and Idaho Falls, at 43.52° N 113.0°
W. It was established in 1949 as the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS). In 1975 the Atomic Energy
Commission (AEC) was divided into the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC). The Idaho site was for a short time named ERDA and then subsequently renamed to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
(INEL) in 1977 with the creation of the Department of Energy (DOE) under President Carter. In 1997, the name was changed again to
the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). On February 1,
2005, Battelle Energy Alliance took over operation of the lab from
Bechtel, merged with Argonne West, and is now known as Idaho National Laboratory (INL). At this
time the laboratory's clean-up activities were moved to a separate contract, the Idaho Cleanup
Project, which is managed by contractor CH2M-WG Idaho. Research activities were consolidated in the newly named Idaho
National Laboratory. The lab currently employs about 8,000 people.
History
The original mission of NRTS was the development of nuclear energy during the
immediate post-war years. In 1951, one of the most significant events in the 20th century
occurred at the NRTS — the first harnessing of atomic energy for generating electric power. This happened at the Experimental Breeder Reactor Number 1 (EBR-1). The site of this event is memorialized as
a Registered National Historic Landmark open to the public. On July 17, 1955, reactors at the NRTS made Arco, Idaho, the first town in the world to be
powered by atomic energy.
On January 3, 1961, the first and only fatal nuclear reactor
accident in the United States occurred at the NRTS. An experimental reactor called SL-1 (Stationary
Low-Power Plant Number 1) was destroyed when a control rod was removed incorrectly leading to core meltdown and explosion. All
three men working in the reactor were killed. Due to the extensive radioactive isotope
contamination, all three had to be buried in lead coffins. The events are the subject of a book published in 2003, Idaho
Falls: The untold story of America's first nuclear accident.[1]
INL operates the Advanced Test Reactor, a facility used to radiate materials or
test new components and fuels. Work at INL has included initial development of nuclear reactor designs, testing experimental reactor designs, developing prototype reactors for ships in the US Navy, and developing technologies to manage nuclear
waste.
Experimental Breeder Reactor Number 1 in Idaho, the first reactor to provide electricity for public use.
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SL-1 reactor being removed from the National Reactor Testing Station
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ATR building grounds in Idaho
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Future
On June 27, 2005 the New
York Times reported a reactor at INL would be used to manufacture plutonium-238. This
isotope is known for its intense alpha decay, which is useful in making extremely long-lived
power sources such as Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG)s
for space probes and heart pacemaker batteries. INL has 52 reactors, three of which
are reportedly still operating (see list of nuclear reactors). The
Idaho State Journal reported that the batteries would be used for a voyage to
Jupiter's moons and the New Horizons trip to Pluto.[1]
In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, $1.25 billion was authorized to design
and construct a “Next Generation Power Plant Project” for electricity-hydrogen cogeneration at the Idaho National Laboratory, and
possibly at existing reactors, to explore production of hydrogen fuel from nuclear power.
See also
References
- ^ Friederich, Steven. Argonne Lab is
developing battery for NASA missions. Idaho State Journal. Retrieved on
2007-04-13.
External links
Aerial Photo
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