Early Exploration - Reactors designed/built by Argonne National Laboratory Early Exploration Tweet BOOKSHELF “Plentiful Energy: The Story of the Integral Fast Reactor” by Charles E. Till and Yoon Chang gives the history of the IFR at Argonne. The book is available on Amazon.com… More about the IFR » Early Exploration Early exploration nuclear reactors designed by the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory, the direct predecessor to Argonne National Laboratory, began the development of nuclear technology. CP-3 CP-1 (Chicago Pile 1 Reactor) This drawing depicts the historic Dec. 2, 1942, event -- the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. It took place under the abandoned football stands at the University of Chicago. Click on photo to view a larger image. Chicago Pile 1 was the world's first nuclear reactor, built in 1942 by Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi. The reactor was built underneath the University of Chicago's Stagg Field football stadium. On Dec.

2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and 48 of his colleagues succeed in achieving in this reactor the world’s first man-made controlled nuclear chain reaction, thereby establishing the ability of mankind to control the release of nuclear energy. He and other scientists from that group later founded Argonne National Laboratory. Scale model of CP-1 reactor. Courtesy Archival Photographic Files, [apf2-00504], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library. Click on photo to view a larger image. Download image from Flickr The photograph at right shows a scale model depicting Fermi’s reactor setup on that day in 1942. The model shows a segment of the football stadium and gives a perspective on where the reactor was located under the stands. Fermi and his colleagues were assembled on the balcony to the right to observe the instruments recording the neutron intensity in the pile. After the reactor had sustained the chain reaction for 28 minutes the operators to the right of the reactor (in the left foreground of the photo) pushed in a cadmium control rod called zip, which absorbed neutrons and ended the chain reaction.

The reactor fuel was lumps of uranium metal and uranium oxide; these were spaced on a cubic lattice within layers of graphite, with some graphite layers containing only uranium metal pseudospheres, some only uranium oxide pseudospheres, and some containing both. The pile was built by alternating graphite layers seeded with uranium metal and/or uranium oxide with layers of solid graphite blocks. The completed reactor contained 57 layers, which was about one layer beyond the critical stage needed to sustain the chain reaction. Early in 1943, CP-1 was dismantled and moved to a less-populated site in the "Argonne Forest" section of the Cook County Forest Preserve in Palos Park. That part of the forest has since been renamed, but its appellation survives today in the name of Argonne National Laboratory. For more information on CP-1 : Watch the video on YouTube (posted on May 15, 2014) CP-2 (Chicago Pile 2 Reactor) In early 1943, Chicago Pile 1 was dismantled at the University of Chicago, moved to the Argonne Forest section of the Palos Hills Forest Preserve, and renamed Chicago Pile 2.

Click on photo to view a larger image. In early 1943 Manhattan Engineer District disassembled Chicago Pile 1 and rebuilt it at Palos Park, IL, as Chicago Pile 2. CP-2 had a thermal- power level of 10 kW. The fuel for CP-2 was natural uranium (uranium in which the natural abundance of the isotopes uranium-234, uranium-235, and uranium-238 has not been altered). A small laboratory atop the 14,000-ton reactor provided space for limited experiments using neutrons from the reactor's core. The reactor's face contained ports through which materials could be inserted into the core for irradiation. For more information on CP-2: Evaluation of the ZPR-6 assembly for DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program ANL-NT-175 (April, 2001) [5.8MB] — Report featuring detailed descriptions of all the ZPR-6 assemblies, also contains an extensive bibliography of technical reports that detail the results of all the experiments on ZPR-6.

History of MET Lab Section C-I, April 1942--April 1943 [40MB], by Glenn T. Seaborg, February 01, 1977 — This is a report assembled in the 1970’s by Glenn Seaborg on his work at the Met Lab in the April 1942 to April 1943 period. See page 201 of the report for his personal account of how Plutonium was isolated by the microchemists at the Met Lab. Having a Meltdown? Cool Your Engines with a Nuclear Power Trip Dennis Jacobs from the BurridgePatch wrote a great article about Argonne National Laboratory's surroundings and why they are definitely worth a visit -- burrridge.patch.com blogs (Sep. 7, 2011) CP-3 (Chicago Pile 3 Reactor) The Chicago Pile-3 reactor. Click on photo to view a larger image. Chicago Pile 3 was the world's first "heavy-water moderated" reactor. It was designed by Eugene Wigner; at Enrico Fermi's request, Walter Zinn directed its construction in the Argonne Forest in 1943.

Chicago Pile 3 achieved criticality in 1944. The fuel was, as in the case of the CP-2 reactor , natural uranium. CP-3 was dismantled in January 1950 because of suspected corrosion of the aluminum cladding around some of the fuel rods. The natural uranium fuel in CP-3 was replaced with enriched uranium (uranium in which the amount of uranium-235 in the fuel has been increased from its naturally occurring abundance). The redesigned reactor, named CP-3’ ("CP-3 prime"), became operational in May 1950. CP-3’ shut down in 1954. CP-3 was shared with the Canadians, who used it in the design of the Canadian NRX reactor, from which the 27 CANDU commercial power reactors evolved. Research programs conducted at CP-3 and CP-3’ included reactor physics studies, fission product separations, tritium recovery from irradiated lithium, and studies of radionuclide metabolism in laboratory animals.

For more information on CP-3 : Chicago Pile-1 – Worlds First Nuclear Reactor – Enformable Author: Enformable Nuclear News No Comments Share: Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world’s first artificial nuclear reactor.[4] CP-1 was built on a rackets court, under the abandoned west stands of the original Alonzo Stagg Field stadium, at the University of Chicago. The first artificial, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction was initiated within CP-1, on December 2, 1942. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and was added to the newly created National Register of Historic Places a little over a year later. The site was named a Chicago Landmark in 1971. It is one of the four Chicago Registered Historic Places from the original October 15, 1966, National Register of Historic Places list. On December 2, 1942, CP-1 was ready for a demonstration. Before a group of dignitaries, a young scientist named George Weil worked the final control rod while Fermi carefully monitored the neutron activity.

The pile reached the critical mass for self-sustaining reaction at 3:25 p.m. Fermi shut it down 28 minutes later. Chicago Pile-1 - 必应 Sign in Chicago Pile-1 Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world's first nuclear reactor to achieve criticality. Its construction was part of the Manhattan Project, the Allied effort to create atomic bombs during World War II. It was built by the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago, under the west viewing stands of the original Stagg Field. The first man-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1 on 2 December 1942, under the supervision of Enrico Fermi, who described the apparatus as "a crude pile of black bricks and wooden ti ... (展开) mbers". The reactor was assembled in November 1942, by a team that included Fermi, Leo Szilard, discoverer of the chain reaction, and Herbert L. Anderson, Walter Zinn, Martin D. Whitaker, and George Weil.

It contained 45,000 graphite blocks weighing 400 short tons (360 t) used as a neutron moderator, and was fueled by 6 short tons (5.4 t) of uranium metal and 50 short tons (45 t) of uranium oxide. In the pile, some of the free neutrons produced by the natural decay of uranium were absorbed by other uranium atoms, causing nuclear fission of those atoms, and the release of additional free neutrons. Unlike most subsequent nuclear reactors, it had no radiation shield or cooling system as it only operated at very low power. The shape of the pile was intended to be roughly spherical, but as work proceeded Fermi calculated that critical mass could be achieved without finishing the entire pile as planned. In 1943, CP-1 was moved to Red Gate Woods, and reconfigured to become Chicago Pile-2 (CP-2). There, it was operated until 1954, when it was dismantled and buried. The stands at Stagg Field were demolished in August 1957, but the site is now a National Historic Landmark and a Chicago Landmark.

Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) Reactor concept: Research reactor: Designed and build by: Metallurgical Laboratory: Operational: 1942 to 1943: Status: Dismantled: Location Chicago Pile-1的用法讲解 法语助手是权威的法语在线词典,为您提供Chicago Pile-1的中文意思,Chicago Pile-1的读音,Chicago Pile-1的同义词,Chicago Pile-1的反义词,Chicago ... By Miller, Frederic P.; Vandome, Agnes F.; McBrewster, John · 76 pages 图书Chicago Pile-1 介绍、书评、论坛及推荐 登录 注册 下载豆瓣客户端 豆瓣 3.0 和有趣的人做有趣的事 扫码直接下载 iPhone · Android 豆瓣 3.0 全新发布 × 豆瓣 ...

book.douban.com/subject/19456294 亚马逊在线销售正版Frederic P Miller, Agnes F Vandome, John McBrewsterChicago Pile-1，本页面提供Frederic P Miller, Agnes F Vandome, John McBrewsterChicago Pile-1 ... Chicago Pile 1 Model 发现 最新 花瓣，陪你做生活的设计师 注册 登录 kuangtu > > nuclear 采集 喜欢 评论 查看来源 flickr.com kuangtu 通过花瓣Chrome扩展采集于 ... huaban.com/pins/5336113 Chicago Pile-1 | OpenBuildings Chicago Pile-1 Our community's Force will be with you. Ontotext edited this building last References Wikipedia , licensed under the GFDL Suggestions View original size Report Chicago Pile-1 ( CP-1) was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. CP-1 was built on a rackets court, under the abandoned west stands of the original Alonzo Stagg Field stadium, at the University of Chicago.

The first artificial, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction was initiated within CP-1, on December 2, 1942. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and was added to the newly created National Register of Historic Places a little over a year later. The site was named a Chicago Landmark in 1971. It is one of the four Chicago Registered Historic Places from the original October 15, 1966, National Register of Historic Places list. Reactor The reactor was a pile of uranium and graphite blocks, assembled under the supervision of the renowned Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, in collaboration with Leo Szilard, discoverer of the chain reaction. It contained a critical mass of fissile material, together with control rods, and was built as a part of the Manhattan Project by the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory. The shape of the pile was intended to be roughly spherical, but as work proceeded Fermi calculated that critical mass could be achieved without finishing the entire pile as planned.

A labor strike prevented construction of the pile at the Argonne National Laboratory, so Fermi and his associates Martin Whittaker and Walter Zinn set about building the pile (the term "nuclear reactor" was not used until 1952) in a rackets court under the abandoned west stands of the university's Stagg Field. The pile consisted of uranium pellets as a neutron-producing "core", separated from one another by graphite blocks to slow the neutrons. Fermi himself described the apparatus as "a crude pile of black bricks and wooden timbers." The controls consisted of cadmium-coated rods that absorbed neutrons. Withdrawing the rods would increase neutron activity in the pile, leading to a self-sustaining chain reaction. Re-inserting the rods would dampen the reaction. First nuclear reaction On December 2, 1942, CP-1 was ready for a demonstration. Before a group of dignitaries, a young scientist named George Weil worked the final control rod while Fermi carefully monitored the neutron activity. The pile reached the critical mass for self-sustaining reaction at 3:25 p.m. Fermi shut it down 28 minutes later.

After the first self-sustained nuclear chain reaction was achieved, a coded phone call was made by one of the physicists, Arthur Compton, to James Conant, chairman of the National Defense Research Committee. The conversation was in impromptu code: Unlike most reactors that have been built since, this first one had no radiation shielding and no cooling system of any kind. Fermi had convinced Arthur Compton that his calculations were reliable enough to rule out a runaway chain reaction or an explosion, but, as the official historians of the Atomic Energy Commission later noted, the "gamble" remained in conducting "a possibly catastrophic experiment in one of the most densely populated areas of the nation!" Operation of CP-1 was terminated in February 1943. The reactor was then dismantled and moved to Red Gate Woods, the former site of Argonne National Laboratory, where it was reconstructed using the original materials, plus an enlarged radiation shield, and renamed Chicago Pile-2 (CP-2). CP-2 began operation in March 1943 and was later buried at the same site, now known as the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site.

Significance and commemoration The site of the first man-made self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction received designation as a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1965. On October 15, 1966, which is the day that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was enacted creating the National Register of Historic Places, it was added to that as well. The site was named a Chicago Landmark on October 27, 1971. A small graphite block from the pile is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, another can be seen at the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, NM. The old Stagg Field plot of land is currently home to the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago. A Henry Moore sculpture, Nuclear Energy , in a small quadrangle commemorates the nuclear experiment. “ Compton: The Italian navigator has landed in the New World. Conant: How were the natives? Compton: Everyone landed safe and happy.

” Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) 70th Anniversary Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) 70th Anniversary December 2, 1942 - December 2, 2012 Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the world's first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction Legacy 70 years ago an experiment in a converted squash court at the University of Chicago's abandoned Stagg Field wrote nuclear science history Details… CP-1 Pioneers 49 scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, were present on Dec. 2, 1942, when Chicago Pile 1, the world's first nuclear reactor went critical. Hear why… The Dawn of the Nuclear Age A Director’s Special Symposium was held as one of the events to commemorate the 70th anniversary year of CP-1 achieving criticality. Tweet On December 2, 1942, 49 scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, made history when Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) went critical and produced the world's first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction . Did you know?

The knowledge gained from CP-1, combined with data and analysis from many Argonne physics experiments conducted in the 1940's and early 1950's, informed the development of early naval and commercial nuclear power reactors and made it possible, fifteen years to the day after CP-1 first went critical, for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station to go critical on Dec. 2, 1957 and become America's first full-scale commercial atomic electric power plant. Related Information Atoms forge a Scientific Revolution: Promethean Boldness - A chronicle of the Chicago Pile 1 experiment Chicago Pile 1 Pioneers — Forty-nine scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, were present in a converted squash court at the University of Chicago's abandoned Stagg Field on Dec. 2, 1942, when Chicago Pile 1, the world's first nuclear reactor went critical… Reactors Designed by Argonne National Laboratory: Early Exploration - Early exploration nuclear reactors designed by the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory, the direct predecessor to Argonne National Laboratory, began the development of nuclear technology. Almanac: The 1st self-sustained nuclear reaction - from CBS News (Dec.

2, 2012) December 2, 1942 was the date on which scientists at the University of Chicago created the first, self-sustaining nuclear reaction… A transcript of the video is also available at the CBS website. The Dawn of the Nuclear Age - June 28, 2012 marked a special day at Argonne National Laboratory, when nearly 600 Argonne staff members had the privilege of hearing two of the pioneers in the nuclear energy field discuss the early days of their careers and their roles in Argonne’s nuclear energy legacy. The video of the symposium and a summary are now available… Argonne nuclear pioneers: Chicago Pile 1 on YouTube (by Argonne National Laboratory) On December 2, 1942, 49 scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, made history when Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) went critical and produced the world's first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction. Seventy years later, two of the last surviving CP-1 pioneers, Harold Agnew and Warren Nyer, recall that historic day.

Chicago Pile One Chicago Pile One Submitted as coursework for PH241 , Stanford University, Winter 2013 Fig. 1: Sketch of the Chicago Pile One reactor. (Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Introduction The Chicago Pile One (CP-1), constructed as part of the Manhattan Project, was the first man-made, controlled nuclear chain reaction and thus the first man-made nuclear reactor. [1-3] Motivated by the potential to utilize nuclear fission both as a power source and in weaponry, there existed, in the late 1930s and 1940s, a strong interest in fundamental research into nuclear fission and the ability to control this process. [1-4] To this end, the CP-1 experiment demonstrated that it was possible to establish a self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction, adjust its reactivity through control elements, and shut down the chain reaction when desired. [4] The CP-1 experiment was carried out at the University of Chicago, by researchers from that institution and from Columbia University, led by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi.

[1-4] Early Work By 1939, Fermi and co-workers had proposed two means by which a fission chain reaction could be developed using uranium as a fuel source. [4] Each proposal sought to mitigate a fundamental hindrance to the desired chain reaction: the parasitic (unproductive) absorption of neutrons in the reactor, especially by the abundant U-238 isotope in the uranium fuel. The first proposal was the use of U-235-enriched uranium; however, this was deemed impractical due to the difficulty of enriching natural uranium. The second proposal was the use of natural uranium in conjunction with a readily-available light element that would slow the neutrons to thermal energies, minimizing the loss by U-238 absorption. It was recognized that hydrogen, in the form of water or paraffin wax, could serve in this capacity; however, its behavior is complicated by its ability to absorb neutrons and thus lower the neutron population, preventing the chain reaction. [4] Ultimately, graphite was selected as the moderator, both due to its acceptable behavior as a moderator and due to its ready availability in pure form.

[3,4] An additional consideration was the exact nature of the fuel source. Although pure uranium metal was considered a viable fuel, it was only available (as of 1941) in small amounts and with variable purity. [4] However, by 1942, highly pure forms of both uranium oxides and uranium metal were available, and these were employed together as the fuel in the CP-1. [3,4] Design and Construction of the Pile Initial experiments indicated that an ideal reactor design consisted not of a uniform distribution of uranium throughout the graphite moderator but, instead, of a lattice consisting of "lumps" of uranium in the graphite. This approach led to minimal parasitic absorption of neutrons by U-238. Furthermore, it was discovered that loss of neutrons by diffusion out of the reactor could be minimized by simply making the reactor very large, thus trapping neutrons within the reactor. [4] With these preliminary findings in hand, models were constructed at Columbia University in 1941 and thereafter at the University of Chicago. These models led to greater insight into, and mathematical models for, the behavior of neutrons in such a matrix.

[1,3,4] Despite the risk of conducting an unprecedented nuclear fission experiment in a densely populated major city, construction of the CP-1 began in October, 1942, on the campus of the University of Chicago. [4] As its name implies, the CP-1 consisted of a spherical arrangement of "piles" of alternating uranium and graphite layers. Embedded into this matrix were three control rods composed of cadmium, a strong neutron absorber, which were used to control the reactor (see Fig. 1). [1,3,4] Achieving Criticality As the size of the pile was increased, researchers carefully monitored the neutron output until the measurements indicated that the pile was close to becoming self-sustaining ("critical"). The late-stage construction was performed with the cadmium rods in place, and on the morning of December 2, 1942, it was calculated that the pile would reach criticality if the rods were removed. [1,4] During the key criticality experiment, all but one of the rods were removed. [4] One control rod was automatically set to be inserted if the reactivity passed a preset level.

Another was suspended by a rope and pulley and could be released manually in an emergency. The final rod was controlled manually by George Weil, who was tasked with carefully removing the rod while Fermi and others measured the increasing neutron output, as the reactor approached criticality. [1,4] With each measured extension of the control rod, the reactor output increased in intensity but soon stabilized at constant output. This indicated that although the fission reaction was occurring, it was not yet self-sustaining. Finally, as Weil withdrew the rod a further distance, Fermi and others observed the neutron count rise at a slow but increasing rate -- evidence that the reactor had become self-sustaining and had reached criticality. [4] After this event, the researchers re-inserted the control rod, ending the self-sustaining reaction. [2] Implications The success of the CP-1 experiment established that a nuclear chain reaction could be achieved using natural uranium as a fuel source. Perhaps more importantly, the experiment demonstrated that such a reaction could be readily controlled. Clearly, this experiment had significant implications for the use of nuclear fission as an energy source and in weaponry.

[4] Fermi later remarked that the success of the CP-1 "meant that release of atomic energy on a large scale would be only a matter of time." [1] Presumably due to its applications in weaponry, one of the researchers, Leo Szilard, remarked that the event would be regarded as "a black day in the history of mankind." [2] Indeed, within two years of the CP-1 experiment, reactors based on its principles were being used to produce plutonium. [4] However, the ability to employ nuclear fission as a power source also presented itself: although the maximum energy output of the CP-1 was only approximately 200 watts [4], scientists at the time were interested in using the heat output of a fission reactor as a source of electricity. [3] The outcome of the CP-1 experiment -- the demonstration that an energy-producing, self-sustaining fission reactor is feasible and controllable -- also served to validate this application of the technology.

Fermi later commented on such applications with optimism, stating "we all hoped that with the end of the war emphasis would be shifted decidedly from the weapon to the peaceful aspects of atomic energy" and "we hoped that perhaps the building of power plants, production of radioactive elements for science and medicine would become the paramount objectives." [1] © James T. Masters. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author. References [1] E. Fermi, "Fermi's Own Story," in The First Reactor, United States Department of Energy, DOE/NE-0046 , December 1982. [2] S. Vander Hook, The Manhattan Project (Essential Library, 2011). [3] J. Wood, Nuclear Power (Inst. Eng. Technol., 2007). [4] E. Fermi, "The Development of the First Chain Reacting Pile," Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. 90, 20 (1946).

Argonne History - 1940's | Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory 1 of 20 CP-1 drawing This drawing depicts the historic event on Dec. 2, 1942, when a group of 49 scientists led by Enrico Fermi created the world's first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction underneath the University of Chicago's Stagg Field football stadium. Some of those present would later founded Argonne National Laboratory. Called Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1), the reactor was the first in a distinguished series of "Chicago Pile" reactors that advanced nuclear reactor technology, helped commercialize it for electricity generation, and developed the early use of nuclear reactors as a source of neutrons for research in other scientific disciplines. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. 1 of 20 CP-1 drawing This drawing depicts the historic event on Dec. 2, 1942, when a group of 49 scientists led by Enrico Fermi created the world's first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction underneath the University of Chicago's Stagg Field football stadium.

Some of those present would later founded Argonne National Laboratory. Called Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1), the reactor was the first in a distinguished series of "Chicago Pile" reactors that advanced nuclear reactor technology, helped commercialize it for electricity generation, and developed the early use of nuclear reactors as a source of neutrons for research in other scientific disciplines. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. 2 of 20 Chicago Pile 1 Model Photograph of a model showing the first nuclear reactor erected in 1942 in a squash court in the West Stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. On December 2, 1942 (as depicted here), a group of scientists under the direction of Enrico Fermi achieved the first self-sustaining chain reaction and thereby initiated the controlled release of nuclear energy. Fermi and his colleagues were assembled on the balcony to the right to observe the instruments recording the neutron intensity in the pile. After 28 minutes the operators to the right of the reactor pushed in a cadmium control rod called zip and ended the world's first chain reaction to be achieved by man.

The reactor in the left foreground contained alternate layers of dead graphite containing uranium metal and uranium oxide. The completed reactor contained 57 layers which was about one layer beyond the critical stage. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. Courtesy: Archival Photographic Files, [apf2-00504], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library. 3 of 20 Birth certificate of the Atomic Age Often called "the Birth Certificate of the Atomic Age," this chart records neutron intensity as measured by a galvanometer on Dec. 2, 1942, when a group of 49 scientists led by Enrico Fermi created history's first controlled nuclear chain reaction. In February 1943, the reactor was dismantled and moved to an isolated location in the Argonne Forest section of the Cook County Forest Preserve, where it was rebuilt in March 1943 as Chicago Pile 2 in a slightly different configuration. The small laboratory that grew up around the reactor became known as the Argonne Laboratory, and in 1946 became Argonne National Laboratory.

For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 4 of 20 Chianti bottle with list of original participants Forty-nine people were present in a converted squash court at the University of Chicago's abandoned Stagg Field on Dec. 2, 1942, when Chicago Pile 1, the world's first nuclear reactor went critical. To celebrate their success, Eugene Wigner opened a bottle of Chianti he had purchased months before in anticipation of the event. The group silently sipped Chianti from paper cups, then passed the bottle around and signed the straw wrapping. The list contains the names of everyone present at the squash court during the historical experiment, which was led by Enrico Fermi. Many of them signed the list at a 20th-anniversary reunion. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 5 of 20 CP-1 pioneer signatures A list of the 49 people, led by Enrico Fermi, who were present in a converted squash court at the University of Chicago's abandoned Stagg Field on Dec.

2, 1942, when Chicago Pile-1, the world's first nuclear reactor, went critical. Those present at their 20th reunion added their signatures to the list. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 6 of 20 Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi, who led the experiments on Chicago Pile-1, leading to the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 7 of 20 CP-2 Chicago Pile 2 (CP-2) - pictured in March 1943 - was born in early 1943, when Chicago Pile 1, the world's first nuclear reactor, was dismantled and moved to the Cook County Forest Preserve near Palos Hills. At the new, isolated location, the reactor was reassembled with some refinements and modifications and renamed Chicago Pile 2. CP-2 had a thermal- power level of 10 kW and was fueled by natural uranium.

A small laboratory atop the 14,000-ton reactor provided space for limited experiments using neutrons from the reactor's core. The reactor's face contained ports through which materials could be inserted into the core for irradiation. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. 8 of 20 Walter Zinn, CP-1 Graphite bricks Argonne Director Walter Zinn at CP-1. Chicago Pile 1 was the world's first nuclear reactor, built in 1942 by Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi. The reactor was built underneath the University of Chicago's Stagg Field football stadium. On Dec. 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and 48 of his colleagues succeed in achieving in this reactor the world’s first man-made controlled nuclear chain reaction, thereby establishing the ability of mankind to control the release of nuclear energy. He and other scientists from that group later founded Argonne National Laboratory. CP-1 consisted of 45000 graphite bricks stacked in 587 layers. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic.

Image courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory. 9 of 20 Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi, who led the experiments on Chicago Pile-1, leading to the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 10 of 20 Enrico Fermi and Walter H. Zinn Enrico Fermi (left) and Walter H. Zinn were Argonne's first two directors. In early 1943, Chicago Pile 1, was moved from the University of Chicago to the Argonne Forest section of the Cook County Forest Preserve, rebuilt in a slightly different configuration and renamed Chicago Pile 2. The small laboratory that grew up around the reactor was called the Argonne Laboratory, and Fermi was its first director. In September 1944, Fermi moved to Los Alamos and Zinn, his deputy, was named director of the Argonne Laboratory, a position he held until July 1, 1946, when he was named director of the newly created Argonne National Laboratory. Zinn continued as director of Argonne National Laboratory until June 30, 1956.

For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 11 of 20 CP-3 Chicago Pile 3 (CP-3) - pictured in 1944 - was the world's first heavy-water moderated reactor. It was designed by Eugene Wigner. At Enrico Fermi's request, Walter Zinn directed its construction at the Argonne Laboratory in 1943. Chicago Pile 3 achieved criticality in 1944. The original fuel was natural uranium. CP-3 was modified in January 1950, and the natural uranium fuel was replaced with enriched uranium. The redesigned reactor, named CP-3’ ("CP-3 prime"), became operational in May 1950. Research programs conducted at CP-3 and CP-3’ included reactor physics studies, fission product separations, tritium recovery from irradiated lithium, and studies of radionuclide metabolism in laboratory animals. CP-3 was shared with Canadian scientists and engineers, who used it in the design of the Canadian NRX reactor, from which CANDU commercial power reactors evolved. CP-3’ shut down in 1954.

For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. 12 of 20 Walter Zinn, Crystal spectrometer CP-3 Walter Zinn, Argonne's second director and a pioneer in nuclear physics and reactor development, observes a Chicago Pile 3 crystal spectrometer. CP-3 was the world's first "heavy-water moderated" reactor. It was designed by Eugene Wigner; at Enrico Fermi's request, Walter Zinn directed its construction in the Argonne Forest in 1943. Chicago Pile 3 achieved criticality in 1944 and eventually served as a model for the CANDU line of reactors, which are used today in Canada. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. Image courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory 13 of 20 Site A gate The front gate of the Argonne Lab, also known as Site A, circa 1943. After Enrico Fermi's historical experiment on Dec.

2, 1942, Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) was moved to a remote location in the Argonne Forest of the Cook County Forest Preserve near Palos Hills. By March 1943, CP-1 had been rebuilt in a slightly different configuration and renamed Chicago Pile 2. The small laboratory that grew up around the reactor was called the Argonne Lab. On July 1, 1946, it became Argonne National Laboratory, the nation's first national laboratory. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 14 of 20 CP-1 fourth anniversary This photo was taken Dec. 2, 1946, on the steps of Eckhart Hall at the University of Chicago at the fourth anniversary reunion of Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) Pioneers. Front row (from left): Enrico Fermi, Walter Zinn, Albert Wattenberg and Herbert Anderson. Middle row (from left): Harold Agnew, William Sturm, Harold Lichtenberger, Leona W. Marshall and Leo Szillard.

Back row (from left): Norman Hilberry, Samuel Allison, Thomas Brill, Robert Nobles, Warren Nyer and Marvin Wilkening. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 15 of 20 DuPage site farms An aerial photo looking north shows farmland that became part of Argonne National Laboratory's new campus in the late 1940s, when Argonne began to move from its original site in the Cook County Forest Preserve near Palos Hills to its current site in southeastern DuPage County. These farm buildings were located in what is now the 300 area on the southern side of the Argonne campus. Old Bluff Road runs through the foreground. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 16 of 20 Argonne-West Argonne-West was an Idaho site that Argonne National laboratory operated from Aug. 23, 1949, until February 1, 2005, when the U.S. Department of Energy merged Argonne-West and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to create Idaho National Laboratory.

Argonne-West was Argonne's primary site for testing and demonstrating advanced nuclear reactor components and designs. The site hosted many unique facilities that contributed to the nation's nuclear power development program. • The silver dome in the photo is Experimental Breeder Reactor II. It was originally built to demonstrate a complete breeder-reactor power plant with on-site reprocessing of metallic fuel; this was successfully done from 1964 to 1969. The facility was then converted from a breeder to a burner reactor and given new missions that emphasized testing fuels and materials for larger, liquid-metal-cooled reactors. It became the prototype for the Integral Fast Reactor, successfully demonstrating the inherent safety of a nuclear reactor fueled by metallic alloy and cooled by a pool of liquid sodium. • The sliver structure with the flat top and sloping sides is the Zero-Power Plutonium Reactor (ZPPR), a &quot;split-core&quot; research reactor. Its core could be separated into two halves, each with an array of drawers that could be loaded with various fuels and other materials to simulate different reactor core designs. When the core halves were brought together, the reactor went critical and researchers could assess the performance of various core designs.

• The brown box-like structure behind ZPPR is the Hot Fuel Examination Facility. HFEF is still operating and is a hot-cell complex with 15 separate hot cell workstations where highly radioactive materials can be safely examined using master-slave manipulators. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Reactors by Argonne National Laboratory” graphic. 17 of 20 Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi, who led the experiments on Chicago Pile-1, leading to the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 18 of 20 Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi, who led the experiments on Chicago Pile-1, leading to the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. 19 of 20 Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi, who led the experiments on Chicago Pile-1, leading to the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic.

20 of 20 Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi, who led the experiments on Chicago Pile-1 leading to the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction. For more information, go to and click on the “Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy” graphic. Browse By

Question: Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world’s first what?
Answer: Nuclear reactor