On December 18, 1957, the United States produced its first nuclear-powered electrical current.
According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Shipping Port Atomic Power Station was the first power station to use nuclear power for dedicated peacetime use. The SAP station was situated near Beaver Valley Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania.
Although the atomic core reached criticality on December 02, 1957, the actual electricity production was done on December 18, the same year. The plant could share its electrical output after engineers synchronized the plant’s system with the distribution grid owned by the Duquesne light Company.
The Reactor Designs
The plant’s first reactor core used highly enriched Uranium as seed fuel. To keep the seed sealed in, the engineers used natural U-238 to blanket the surface of the seed. This design is called seed-and-blanket design. The second core featured a larger seed meaning it could produce more power. The downside to the bigger nuclear seed is the core could only do a few cycles before stopping for a recharge. The third core was a whole different design and was considered an experimental core.
The engineers built a light-water moderated thermal breeder reactor. The seed and blanket design was used to cover a Uranium-233 seed. The blanket was made of Thorium. The breeder reactor was designed to turn Thorium Uranium-233 as a part of the fuel cycle. Before it was closed down in1982, the plant completed 80,324 operational hours and produced 7.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Critiques argued that the plant cost more than it benefited the American citizen.
Did you forget the first reactor to produce power was in Idaho and the first city to be powered by this reactor was Arco Idaho.
Did you forget the first reactor to produce power was in Idaho and the first city to be powered by this reactor was Arco Idaho.
Big oil is currently preventing any progress with the Old/New Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor developed in the early 1950s. It utilizes waste or spent power rods from older reactors.
The plant is 1/4th the size and about 1/10th the cost of current reactors and is internally fail safe designed thanks to a female designer that has been removed in some way or another.
Big oil will most likely present them when their fossil fuel reserves become obviously low. Until them we must hope that those spent fuel rods do not rot their graveyard canisters and destroy us all. If you really want electric transportation and non polluting utility plants get off your duff and demand that Molten Salt reactors be brought to the forefront of energy. jwstx
Big oil is currently preventing any progress with the Old/New Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor developed in the early 1950s. It utilizes waste or spent power rods from older reactors.
The plant is 1/4th the size and about 1/10th the cost of current reactors and is internally fail safe designed thanks to a female designer that has been removed in some way or another.
Big oil will most likely present them when their fossil fuel reserves become obviously low. Until them we must hope that those spent fuel rods do not rot their graveyard canisters and destroy us all. If you really want electric transportation and non polluting utility plants get off your duff and demand that Molten Salt reactors be brought to the forefront of energy. jwstx
So… you have to realize this chunk of land will be highly radioactive forever…. thousands of years….that’s forever as far as all of mankind alive today… all of this folly has an extremely long half life. Job security for guards & watchmen.
So… you have to realize this chunk of land will be highly radioactive forever…. thousands of years….that’s forever as far as all of mankind alive today… all of this folly has an extremely long half life. Job security for guards & watchmen.