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Chicago Pile-3 (CP-3) was the world's first
Chicago Pile-3 (CP-3) was the world's first heavy water reactor
A pressurized heavy-water reactor (PHWR) is a nuclear reactor that uses heavy water ( deuterium oxide D2O) as its coolant and neutron moderator. PHWRs frequently use natural uranium as fuel, but sometimes also use very low enriched uranium. The ...
. One of the first research reactors
Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or mariti ...
, it was built in 1943 near Palos Hills, Illinois
Palos Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. The city was established in 1958 and had reached a population of 18,530 in the 2020 census. It is the home of Moraine Valley Community College as ...
, original site of Argonne National Laboratory. Joining CP-1/CP-2, it first went critical on 15 May 1944, and was at first used in the experimental physics work of the Metallurgical Laboratory for the Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
. After its useful research-life ended, it was deactivated in 1954.
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 rods. 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 to study physics, separate fission products, recover tritium from irradiated lithium, and study 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 (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...
. Pipes, valves, and building debris were placed in the reactor's containment shell, which was then filled with concrete. The shell was buried on the site in a deep pit.
The site, now known as the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site, sits within Red Gate Woods, part of the Cook County Forest Preserve system. A historical marker commemorates the site of CP-3 and its sister reactor CP-1/CP-2.
See also
* Chicago Pile-1 *Experimental Breeder Reactor I
Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) is a decommissioned research reactor and U.S. National Historic Landmark located in the desert about southeast of Arco, Idaho. It was the world's first breeder reactor. At 1:50 p.m. on December 20, ...
(Chicago Pile-4)
* Chicago Pile-5
References
Nuclear research reactors Nuclear history of the United States Argonne National Laboratory Manhattan Project sites {{nuclear-energy-stub