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ebrh.com 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 18 miles southeast
of Arco, Idaho. At 1:50pm on December 20, 1951 it became the world's first
electricity-generating nuclear power plant when it produced sufficient
electricity to illuminate four 200-watt light bulbs.[1][2] It subsequently
generated sufficient electricity to power its building, and continued to be used
for experimental purposes until it was decommissioned in 1964.
History
Part of the National Reactor Testing Station (now known as INL), EBR-I's
construction started in late 1949. The reactor itself was designed by a team led
by Walter Zinn at the Argonne National Laboratory. Installation of the reactor
at EBR-I took place in early 1951 and the first reaction went critical on August
24, 1951. On December 20 of that year, atomic energy was successfully harvested
for the first time. The design purpose of EBR-I was not to produce electricity
but instead to validate nuclear physics which suggested that a breeder reactor
should be possible. In 1953, experiments revealed the reactor was producing
additional fuel during fission, thus confirming the hypothesis. However, on
November 29, 1955, the reactor at EBR-I suffered a partial meltdown due to
operator error. It was subsequently repaired for further experiments.
The first production of usable nuclear electricity in Idaho National Laboratory
occurred in December 20th 1951 when four light bulbs were lit with electricity
generated from the EBR-1 reactor.
View of EBR-1, as seen from the car park.Besides generating the world's first
electricity from atomic energy, EBR-I was also the world's first breeder reactor
and the first to use plutonium fuel. EBR-I was deactivated in 1964 and replaced
with a new reactor, EBR-II. Landmark status for EBR-I was granted by President
Lyndon Johnson and Glenn T. Seaborg on August 25, 1966. The site has been open
to the public since 1976, however it is only open between the Memorial Day and
Labor Day holidays. Also on display at the site are two prototype reactors from
the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Project of the 1950s.
EBR-I was followed by Experimental Breeder Reactor II in 1964.
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