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5.4 KiB
Markdown
51 lines
5.4 KiB
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---
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title: "B Reactor"
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chunk: 2/2
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source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Reactor"
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category: "reference"
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tags: "science, encyclopedia"
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date_saved: "2026-05-05T16:28:02.823345+00:00"
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instance: "kb-cron"
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---
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== Operation ==
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The B Reactor had its first nuclear chain reaction in September 1944, the D Reactor in December 1944 and the F Reactor in February 1945. The initial operation was halted by a problem identified as neutron absorption by the fission product Xenon-135, first identified in a research paper of Chien-Shiung Wu that was shared with Fermi. It was overcome by increasing the amount of uranium charged. The reactor produced plutonium-239 by irradiating uranium-238 with neutrons generated by the nuclear reaction. It was one of three reactors – along with the D and F reactors – built about six miles (10 km) apart on the south bank of the Columbia River. Each reactor had its own auxiliary facilities that included a river pump house, large storage and settling basins, a filtration plant, large motor-driven pumps for delivering water to the face of the pile, and facilities for emergency cooling in case of a power failure.
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Emergency shutdown of the reactor, referred to as a SCRAM, was attained either by rapidly fully inserting the vertical safety rods or, as a backup method, by the injection of borated water into the reactor. In January 1952, the borated water system was replaced by a "Ball-3X" system that injected nickel-plated high-boron steel balls into the channels occupied by the vertical safety rods.
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The plutonium for the nuclear bomb used in the Trinity test in New Mexico and the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan was created in the B reactor. The B Reactor ran for two decades, and was joined by additional reactors constructed later. It was permanently shut down in February 1968.
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== Current status ==
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The United States Department of Energy has administered the site since 1977 and offers public tours on set dates during the spring, summer, and fall of the year, as well as special tours for visiting officials.
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As of 2014 six of the nine production reactors at Hanford were considered to be in "interim safe storage" status, and two more were to receive similar treatment. The exception was the B Reactor, which was given special status for its historical significance.
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In a process called cocooning or entombment, the reactor buildings are demolished up to the 4 ft-thick (1.2 m) concrete shield around the reactor core. Any openings are sealed and a new roof is built. Most auxiliary buildings at the first three reactors have been demolished, as well.
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The C reactor was put into operation in 1952 and was shut down in 1969. It was cocooned as of 1998.
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The D reactor operated from 1944 to June 1967, and was cocooned in 2004. The DR Reactor went online in October 1950, and was shut down in 1964. It was cocooned in 2002.
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The F reactor was shut down in June 1965 and cocooned in 2003.
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The H Reactor became operational as of October 1949 and was shut down as of April 1965. It was cocooned as of 2005.
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Cocooning of the N-Reactor, which operated from 1963 to 1987, was completed as of 14 June 2012.
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The decommissioned reactors are inspected every five years by the Department of Energy.
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The K East and K West reactors were built in the 1950s and went into use in 1955. They were shut down in 1970 and 1971, but reused temporarily for storage later.
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Preliminary plans for interim stabilizing of the K-East and K-West reactors were underway as of 30 January 2018.
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The B Reactor was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#92000245) on 3 April 1992. A Record of Decision (ROD) was issued in 1999, and an EPA Action Memorandum in 2001 authorized hazards mitigation in the reactor with the intention of allowing public tours of the reactor. It was named a National Historic Landmark on 19 August 2008.
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In December 2014, passage of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) made the B reactor part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which also includes historic sites at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The park was formally established by a Memorandum of Agreement on November 10, 2015, which was signed by the National Park Service and the Department of Energy. Museum development at Hanford may include the B Reactor, Bruggemann's Warehouse, Hanford High School, Pump House, and White Bluffs Bank.
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== Timeline of major events ==
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== See also ==
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List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Washington
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== References ==
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== Further reading ==
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Washington Closure Hanford- "Project News Volume 1, Issue 04" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
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"Hanford Site – Timeline 1943–1990" (PDF). 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009.
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History of the 100-B area (PDF) (Report). US DoE. WHC-EP-0273.
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== External links ==
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Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WA-164, "B Reactor, Richland, Benton County, WA", 32 photos, 148 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
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"Ranger in Your Pocket" online tours Atomic Heritage Foundation
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Hanford 25th Anniversary Celebration Video of the 25th anniversary celebration of the construction of B Reactor
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B Reactor Museum Association A collection of Hanford-related documents from a group working to preserve the B-100 Reactor at Hanford.
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Hanford Site Tours – Department of Energy, includes B Reactor |