PM-1 Nuclear Power Plant — the radar-powering microreactor in Wyoming from 1962

Описание: This is a historical US Atomic Energy Commission video about the 1 MWe PM-1 microreactor that powered a radar station near Sundance, WY in the 1960s. See: https://whatisnuclear.com/news/2023-0...

Catalog entry: "A filmed story of the PM-1 nuclear power plant (a pressurized water system), a joint project of the USAEC and the U. S. Air Force, which supplies the power for the radar and space heating of a remote Air Defense Command radar station in Wyoming. The film breaks down the types and contents of 16 air transportable packages, a total weight of about 30,000 pounds: reactor, steam generator, waste tank, heat-transfer apparatus, control room, turbogenerator, etc. Details are given on major components and the design and operation of the system by information on: 741 nuclear fuel tubes in 7 fuel bundles, the "flow" of primary water, the secondary water, details on the makeup of the fuel element tubes, criticality testing, nature of the control rods, tests to determine heat transfer and flow characteristics. The film recounts the airlift of the packages, erection and assembly of the power plant, the work to achieve criticality, and the varied safety controls. "

Courtesy of The National Archives, NAID 88220

00:00 Intro
02:30 Package (module) descriptions
03:04 Primary system modules
03:23 Secondary system modules
03:41 Turbine/generator module
03:55 Switchgear module
04:43 Heat transfer equipment module
05:21 Maintenance module
05:50 Decontamination and water chemistry module
06:22 Animations of design
08:37 Fuel element fabrication
10:00 Core testing in the critical facility
12:20 Magnetic jack control rod drives
13:01 Flow testing in 1/4 scale model
13:27 Factory fab and initial assembly
13:51 Airlifting the reactor and flight testing
15:10 Field re-assembly
15:45 Startup testing and criticality
17:10 2-person operation team
17:40 Safety and reliability
19:05 Summary