TCR Will be Oak Ridge’s 14th Reactor

TCR will be the 14th reactor constructed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which began in 1943 when the United States needed to develop nuclear capabilities in the race to end World War II.

The ORNL site was home to the world’s first continuously operated nuclear reactor. Today, with a critical need for a source of carbon-free energy, ORNL is again leading the charge.

Timeline

The Graphite Reactor, the world’s first continuously operated nuclear reactor, goes critical at the Manhattan Project’s X-10 site – now known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
1943
The Low-Intensity Test Reactor establishes the feasibility of water-cooled reactors.
1950
The Bulk Shielding Reactor begins operations and is used for studying radiation shielding and materials irradiation.
1950
The Homogeneous Reactor Experiment goes critical and provides the first nuclear-generated electricity to the commercial power grid.
1952
The Aircraft Reactor Experiment is the first molten salt reactor design to go critical and leads to the development of several new reactor designs.
1954
Tower Shielding Reactor I begins operations and holds a reactor and its shielding 200 feet above ground, which offers unique research capabilities.
1954
The Geneva Reactor debuts at the first United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy—becoming the prototype of future “swimming pool” reactors.
1955
The Homogeneous Reactor Test starts up and offers valuable insights for the development of future nuclear facilities.
1957
Tower Shielding Reactor II goes critical and provides valuable data in shielding materials and air scattering in more than 30 years of operation
1958
The Oak Ridge Research Reactor starts up and becomes the world’s major supplier of radioisotopes, while supporting numerous research efforts.
1958
The Health Physics Research Reactor goes critical and is home to research focused on dosimetry development and radiobiology studies.
1963
The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment begins operations using uranium-235. Three years later, the reactor breaks new ground by using uranium-233 for fuel.
1965
The High Flux Isotope Reactor achieves criticality, producing super heavy elements and also being used for groundbreaking materials science.
1965
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