Pioneering with Power

for [Applause] [Applause] [Music] for centuries these The Hills and Valleys of New England have bred and raised Pioneers in ideas in Inventions in development [Music] and today another phase of pioneering raises a new and strange form against these ageless Hills a form that signifies pioneering with power the power of the atom the beginning August 30th 1954 when the administration signed into law the atomic energy act to permit ownership of atomic facilities by private companies on the next day August 31st 1st 1954 representatives from major New England utilities met to form an atomic power company why there were several reasons all of them sound here are some because it was expected of US Electric utilities have an obligation to provide the most efficient and economical service that meant atomic energy it was our job to try it because we felt this was a job for Private Industry not the government call this the old Yankee Spirit if you will because the only way to learn the potentials of the atomic power field is to try it yes those were some of the reasons there were others a full-scale plant in operation would put us in the best position to benefit from new breakthroughs in the atomic field such a plant would focus attention on New England attract Allied Industries in the atomic area finally it seemed that the possible benefits outweighed the pitfalls to learn answers costs money but the answers in this case seemed well worth the risks such was the plan for a new element in the power network of New England financed by private Capital aided by a research Grant of $5 million from the atomic energy commission total cost about $50 million forming a company however was just a license to get involved in countless decisions where for example might such a plant best be located a number of factors had to be considered first it would be handy to have it reasonably close to existing transmission lines second an adequate supply of water was essential third well here a compromise was needed rail Transportation would be most useful even if it meant reconstructing some miles of track last but by no means least it would make things immeasurably easier if the people wanted the installation in their town all the requirements especially the last were met in a site in Northwestern Massachusetts on the Deerfield river water power transmission lines a railroad and folks that were interested in the plan all added up to a final Choice the name of the town Row Mass assetts site for pioneering with power decision two which particular type of reactor would best serve the purpose a number of other operating reactors were studied all the way back to the first nuclear submarine Nautilus consultation with the Builders of the Nautilus reactor who had also been involved with many other atomic energy projects resulted in the choice of a pressurized water reactor using slightly enriched uranium Fuel and cooled by ordinary water to understand it to appreciate the functioning of this 136,000 Kow plant let's look inside for a moment and see how a nuclear power plant Works basically the pressurized water reactor station operates on a simple principle embodying a primary and secondary heat transfer system in the primary Loop ordin Ary water of high Purity kept under pressure of 2,000 lb per square in to prevent boiling is pumped through the reactor the reactor contains uranium fuel which is the source of heat and control rods to regulate the power level the control rods absorb neutrons in the fuel area and make them available to cause fishion by further inserting the rods the number of neutrons is reduced and power level declines the water after being heated by the fuel in the reactor flows through a steam generator there it gives up some of its heat and is then recirculated by the pump repeating the cycle the secondary Loop operates at a lower pressure to allow water to boil saturated steam is produced in the steam generator and flows through a turbine generator to produce electric power the steam then goes to the condenser and as water is pumped back to complete and repeat the cycle the use of separate systems prevents the possibility of transferring radioactivity from the primary system to the turbine and condenser in order to condense steam to water in the condenser to improve the efficiency of the plant heat must be extracted for this purpose water pumped from the Deerfield river flows through pipes to pick up heat from Steam being condensed and is then returned to the river notice that river water does not flow directly through the reactor or the steam system since reliability is a vital quality in power generation the pressurized water reactor seems likely to be the Workhorse of the nuclear power industry for some years to come it holds the potential of becoming the first to approach competitive cost levels in the generation of electric power the possibility of replacing millions of tons of coal at the end of expensive miles of transportation is of course an alluring [Music] one similarly the idea that a few hundred l pounds of uranium fuel could replace countless gallons of fuel oil holds out the promise of more economical operation these however are long range potentials for the moment the the people who undertook to build the Yankee Atomic plant know full well that the cost per kilowatt hour for the electricity generated there will be higher than that generated by time refined conventional methods but with a demand for power expanding at the rate of 6% a year promising to Triple in a couple of decades and with the New England area the dynamic Pioneer and most of the advanced concepts in atomic energy the need to know the answers to electric power generated by nuclear energy is one which cannot be and will not be ignored the next major step was seeking engineering help to integrate them into a practical unit Boston's Federal Street held the answer to the type of engineering needed for here was an organization which had been deeply involved with the design of other nuclear operations within its nuclear projects division was gathered a group of people familiar with with and anxious to participate in the job of bringing nuclear energy for power generation to New England the date July 1st 1956 when a conference like this initiated the plant engineering and design to take an idea from its roughest form through all the many steps demanded close teamwork between the engineer and designer coupled with experience of the highest order it demands also the use of all the mechanical and electronic assistant available in a modern and well integrated engineering effort from this team effort from the day byday week by week and month by month detail development data study and Analysis a form and an idea took final shape mountains of detail having to do with All Phases of the job from cubic yards of Earth to be moved to final installation of the reactor itself had to be established checked and rechecked until finally three-dimensional and solid the idea grew to a complete model it consisted of these basic elements the spherical steel Vapor container housing the nuclear reactor itself the turbine building where the heat from the reactor would drive the generator the office building for administration of the project and several other structures we shall touch on later in more detail yes at this point an idea has had been made tangible measurable an idea for pioneering with power from the atom in the best New England tradition only one thing remained build it the date September 4th 1956 the operation preliminary land clearing and radiation monitoring but in other language seen against the Ageless Hills the beginning of another story suitably fitted to the long traditions of which these Hills have been a part after that initial date significant moments strung themselves together like beads on a chain thanks to planning and execution of the plans according to a carefully developed schedule March 17th 1958 hungry tools biting out huge mouthfuls of Earth changing the face of the land April 11 1958 the first of more than 2500 tons of concrete to support the 125 ft diameter steel sphere the 175 ton pressure vessel and its auxiliary equipment upon this concrete would rest the eight reinforced concrete columns and the 16 steel pipe supports for the steel sphere [Music] June 20th 1958 Arms of Steel for the turban Hall where the turbines driven by the heat generated in the sphere would eventually produce 136,000 Kow of power to feed into the power network of New England it is a Mighty story and an exciting story these scenes of continuing activity of bringing order and form and pattern out of the raw and stubborn Earth out of inert steel and fluid concrete this story of bringing out of the reams of paper the models the plans and specifications something massive and solid something too with a significance in its very conception that probes long fingers into the future for it is truly the job of the pioneer to seek test yes even gamble to discover the answers that must be known before information can become progress and progress can provide measurable benefits to mankind [Applause] [Music] another major date September 26th 1958 when the last steps are taken to prepare for pouring of the initial concrete for the reactor structure [Music] [Applause] itself Senus of Steel most of it 2 in in diameter for the tons of concrete which will be placed in one continuous pore so that the base of the reactor structure shall be without seene or [Music] joint for 10 20 30 hours and more the three Derek swing a continuous Bucket Brigade to the scene better than 2,000 tons of concrete webbed and sened by more than 100 tons of steel 1,000 cubic yards of continuous core a feat to test machines and Men alike but a feat that is accomplished as planned and the huge saucer-like base of the internal reactor structure takes its final shape supplies the strength and protection needed for what is to follow other areas of the unique complex of buildings take their final shapes as well and as the weeks go by the complete plan begins to emerge with a gross weight of some 1,400 tons and a diameter of 125 ft the outer skin the final protection for the reactor and its Associated equipment goes on many of the individual plates are machine welded on the ground into subassemblies each weld is xray and when the plates find their final place the total length of Wells alone runs to a mile and a half about 50% hand and 50% machine welded and perhaps here as the final steps are taken on the reactor sphere and the rest of the installation becomes each day more and more completed would be a good time to stop for a moment and see just how the plant [Music] operates as we saw previously in more detail the splitting of the uranium atoms under calculated control produces intense heat enough actually in this plant to compare to the output of a steam boiler Plant 15 stories tall the heat from the fishing material heats water that flows to the Reactor Core the water is held under 2 ,000 lb pressure to prevent steaming this heated and pressurized water then is pumped through the steam generator where it heats the water in the secondary system transforming it into steam this steam as in any conventional steam generating plant turns the turbines which produce the electric power yes this is how pioneering with atomic power looks from the outside and from here on it is what happens inside that counts of primary importance is the neutron Shield tank into it the reactor itself will be set the top section is a very heavy steel plate to support the weight of the reactor vessel itself a 5-t concrete wall surrounds the waterfill tank the reactor consists of a heavy steel tank shown here arriving by rail this 30t long tank has an inside diameter of 9 ft into this vessel will go the fuel assemblies containing 26 tons of uranium since the vessel will operate at a pressure of 2,000 lb per square in it was built with walls 8 in thick the reactor weighing 175 tons was hoisted into the sphere by means of a powerful crane which also placed the steam generators and other heavy equipment [Music] with the neutron Shield tank installed the actual reactive vessel is now lowered into place so after years of effort planning decisions and construction the reactor itself becomes a part of the [Music] system next is one of the four steam generators which utilize the pressurized water heated by atomic fishing to make Steam to run the generators themselves arriving from the supplier by flat car the transfer of it from car to its final resting place is a matter of high skill and experience a different approach is the installation of such equipment through the opening in the sphere GE to four such installations have been below or at ground level but here the four generators may be lifted directly from the railroad into position [Music] for an idea of how they are placed let's refer to another mockup of the interior of the sphere these generators are tied to the main reactor by the pipes carrying pressurized water for heat and tied to the turbine to deliver the necessary steam to control guide and direct the operation of the reactor to safeguard the installation to provide the required heat for the given load a system of interlock controls is installed here in the plant control room from this main panel trained operators are able to run the atomic furnace and to supervise the performance of the entire power production flow two they can and will Note data over the course of the test operations to come later from such data and from the Practical experience gained will come some of the answers sought in this bold Venture in the meanwhile a little overshadowed by the exciting implications of nuclear energy the installation of the electric generator itself goes [Music] on as previously mentioned the general generator is driven by a steam turbine here the cover is lowered into its position over the blades which will capture the energy from the steam when the generator is operating the whole Venture will make sense for the cost of providing each of the kilowatt hours generated here will be watched and studied by all the participating companies that make up Yankee Atomic electric [Music] company we have talked a lot about water throughout our story in fact it was one of the primary influences in the selecting of a site for the plant to supply all that is necessary for the day-to-day functioning of the plant an unfailing Supply is assured through the installation of the intake line into the pond and so a plant that was only an idea a few short years ago now stands commandingly against the ancient Hills of New England in the meanwhile miles away the uranium the actual fuel for the reactor has been made ready from the arrival of powdered uranium oxide and sampling of it for production fuel fabrication is a job that requires care and skill mixing the oxide with a plastic binder puts it in shape for further processing pellets made from the mix by pressing and centering arrive in corrugated shipping roles from each shipment pellets are selected at random for inspection visual inspection for chips cracks and so on begins a long series of quality controls upon which the ultimate reliability of the Reactor Core will depend for storage preliminary to the loading of the actual fuel tubes the pellets are loaded into transfer tubes at the same time the stainless steel fuel tubes are checked in an Eddy machine to be sure the walls of the tubes are perfect actual loading of the fuel tubes is a high specialized job each tube when completed contains 150 pellets of uranium oxide the pellets are positioned and locked in place in the tube by means of a series of crimping and positioning [Music] operations the full tube as it is retracted from the positioning Rod measures 8 ft in length there are a number of other steps leading to the first subassembly where the fuel rods are stacked in a stainless steel fixture in preparation for the furnace brazing operation after brazing and cleaning we have completed subassemblies nine of which are stacked to form a bundle or fuel element assembly and thus a fuel element assembly is born a 9900 lb 300 rod assembly joined together under precise tolerances Atomic fuel a dream of yesterday now in Practical usable form the Yankee crew that has spent months in intensive training and study now fuels the Reactor with its precious uranium 76 of these assemblies containing the 26 tons of uranium make up the core itself [Music] now the day arrives toward which all the massive effort has been directed the day when in the language of the nuclear people the plant will go critical this is the moment when the rods will be moved to initiate the first test of the reactor when it goes critical for the very first time when the silent power of atomic fishing will write another chapter of New England progress the date Friday the 19 of August 1960 the time 19 minutes after 8:00 [Music] p.m. the control is moved and generation of Power by atomic energy takes another long step forward toward reality the reactor goes critical that one small motion at the control panel sets a complete cycle into the first phase of its operation and later on November 10th 1960 an announcement was made of significant importance to the entire future of electric power in the Northeast the nation's newest Atomic power plant was now operating and at a cost well below that originally estimated during the balance of the Year electric output is stepped up slowly toward the output capacity of 136,000 KW [Music] such is the beginning of the story the ending of which cannot yet be even guessed at a story that holds the promise of a way to equalize New England power costs with those of the rest of the country and the promise of a great deal more of lasting value to everyone living in this storied section of the country around this new process a number of brand new Industries will emerge and grow to Major size here are just a few ideas as to these new undertakings fuel fabrication the making of cores that may finally replace coal and oil some New England firms have already started on this kind of thing controls and instrumentation for the reactors where better to make them than in the region and by the people where craftsmanship has for centuries than a byword reprocessing of spent fuel facilities that are part of the row plant take care of storage of the spent fuel but in the reaction process many by products are formed some of them of Great Value when refined and reprocessed for other uses how many such byproducts and new products here indeed is a broad area for further development on the part of many new Enterprises finally a tremendous opportunity for basic research and development in a region which has since the very beginning initiated such projects in its independent Laboratories and universities yes here in this modern looking plant in the Hills where pioneering has long been a way of life is the promise of much more than just another way of producing electric power here is something that Heralds a new age of Industrial growth of development of research a growth that has its initial impetus in the will and determination of New England people to accept the never ending challenge of pioneering with power [Music] [Applause] [Music]