5g
. Whitman began with the boiling reactor,
Dr, Zinn wasnow
Report | testing excursion conditions and various types of shutdown fuses.
of
Reactor
‘The
final test was to be a runaway experiment in which the assembly would —
Subsommittee be allowed to destroy itself through melting of the fuel elements.
Boiling
Neaetor
Then a new assembly would be set up at Arco and operated till the snow.
flies.
The new assembly would incorporate various improvements and
| .
|
would be used for additional tests of boiling operation,
A tentative, and somewhat tight schedule had been established for
building the BER (experimental boiling reactor) at ANL,
_ preliminary design
It. provides for:
now completed
selection of architect~engineer
1 September '54
construction begins
1 April 155
core fabrication
'@a. 1 year
reactor critical
end of 156
The Subcommittee was in accord with these plans.
Mr, Whitman said
there was a problem about the contractual arrangements.
Dr, Zinn
thought the work would go better with a lump sum plus fixed fee contract;
but the AEC had not yet assented,
Dr. Zinn believed that $3.5 million
would be adequate for the job.
The BER woulduse light #20 and slig
ghtly enriched fuel.
It would
produce 600 lb steam and furnish 5 megawatts of electric power for
distribution.
Some other points on boiling reactors were the following.
It is
hoped that 40% burnup can be achieved with fully enriched fuel, 1% with
natural uranium.
Heavy water might be preferable in a large unit; the
: