Evening star., 1951-12-28
Third Of a Series


ing project is reactor-or atomic
Third Of Series
furnace-which is unique among
all known atomic furnaces in the
world.
Top American atomic officials
have publicly stated that "the re-
actor of most advanced design
and performance is in Canada. "
Key Difference Noted.
Key difference between Canada S
furnace" and the principal ones
SO far announced by the United
States is this:
The Canadian device employs
'"'heavy water" as a material for
sustaining a controlled chain re-
action in a pile of uranium
thereby making possible the pro-
duction of atomic energy by the
uranium fuel.
In contrast. the principal known
American reactors employ graph
ite, a form of carbon, for the same
purpose.
Neither 'heavy water" nor
graphite produce atomic energy
themselves. Essentially, their job
is to slow down neutrons. or
atomic particles, given off by the
splitting of uranium atoms. so
that further splitting in other
atoms of the fuel will take place.
Thus a chain reaction is sus-
tained.
In tour this reporter made Of
Canada'S project. and in supple
mentary mterviwes with atomic
officials at Ottawa. no Canadian
intimated that the United States
will concentrate on heavy water"
reaetorS at the H-bomb plant.
Evidence Listed.
But there is suggestive evidence
that Canada's heavy water" de-
vice may be the model for the
new American project
l. The American appraisal of
Canada's reactor as being the
most advanced in design and per-
formance was given after the
United States had had at least
five years experience with graph
ite reactorS.
2. When the United States an
nounced last year it would build
a plant in South Carolina to
make materials which could be
used either for the projected H
bomb, the established A-bomb. or
for potential atomic power pur-
poses, the Americans said devices
for making such materials would
be of advanced design.
8. One of CanadaS top atomic
scientists, DR.. w. Bennett Lewis.
told me that plutonium-a ma
terial for A-bombs-can be pro-
duced faster from a given amount
of uranium in heavy water"
reactor than it can in one en-
ploying graphite.
The significance is this:
In any atomic furnace. you can
make materials that could be
used in A-bombs, and theoret-
ically at least, in H-bombs.
Your A-bomb material would
be plutonium, made from Uran-
inum-238.
Your H-bomb material would
be tritium-a form of heavy hy-
drogen-which can be made by
exposing lithium to atomic neu-
irons in an atomic furnace.
Speculate on Tritium
Top scientists have speculated
that if the H-bomb is perfected,
it would be compounded of a rela-
lively small amount of tritium
plus a much larger amount of
another form of heavy hydrogen
called deutertium.
But, whether plutonium and
tritium are made simultaneously,
or separately in a furnace, each
is made at the sacrifice of the
other.
The reason for this is that the
production of each depends upon
neutrons, or atomic rays. within
the furnace. If you use a given
number of neutrons to make plu-
tonium, you have that many less
for making tritium-and vice
versa.
Getting back to the significance
of Canada'S heavy water" re-
actor, it has what is technically
called the highest "neutron flux"
- of any known reactor.
That means that at any given
time in any part of the reactor,
more neutrons are available for
doing certain atomic jobs than
there are available in any other
known reactor in the world.
Thus, in the manufacture of plu-
tonium Or tritium- you'd have
more neutrons available at given
time in given area of your heavy
water" device than you would if
you were running a graphite de-
vice.
Could Produce Faster.
Finally. this boils down to the
fact that for a given amount of
uranium as your starting fuel, YOU
could produce plutonium and tri-
tium faster than you could with
the same amount of uranium in a
graphite pile.
Canada is making small quanti-
ties of plutonium in it's existing
reactor and the Dominion will be
able to produce large quantities,
if it wishes, in a new reactor now
under construction. But Canadian
scientists say they have no plans