The
Chalk River Laboratories (also known as
CRL,
Chalk River Labs and formerly the
Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories,
CRNL) is a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
nuclearIn nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is the process in which two nuclei or nuclear particles collide to produce products different from the initial particles...
research facility located near
Chalk River, OntarioChalk River is a Canadian rural community part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 , 10 km inland from the Ottawa River, approximately 21 km northwest of Petawawa, and 182 km northwest of Ottawa...
, about 180 km north-west of Ottawa.
CRL is a site of major research and development to support and advance nuclear technology, in particular
CANDU reactorThe CANDU reactor is a Canadian-invented, pressurized heavy water reactor developed initially in the late 1950s and 1960s by a partnership between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited , the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario , Canadian General Electric , as well as...
technology. CRL has expertise in physics, metallurgy, chemistry, biology, and engineering and unique research facilities.
The
Chalk River Laboratories (also known as
CRL,
Chalk River Labs and formerly the
Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories,
CRNL) is a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
nuclearIn nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is the process in which two nuclei or nuclear particles collide to produce products different from the initial particles...
research facility located near
Chalk River, OntarioChalk River is a Canadian rural community part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 , 10 km inland from the Ottawa River, approximately 21 km northwest of Petawawa, and 182 km northwest of Ottawa...
, about 180 km north-west of Ottawa.
CRL is a site of major research and development to support and advance nuclear technology, in particular
CANDU reactorThe CANDU reactor is a Canadian-invented, pressurized heavy water reactor developed initially in the late 1950s and 1960s by a partnership between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited , the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario , Canadian General Electric , as well as...
technology. CRL has expertise in physics, metallurgy, chemistry, biology, and engineering and unique research facilities. For example,
Bertram BrockhouseBertram Neville Brockhouse, CC, FRSC was a Canadian physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for pioneering contributions to the development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter", in particular "for the development of neutron spectroscopy".-Life:Brockhouse...
, a professor at
McMaster UniversityMcMaster University is a public research university located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It bears the name of William McMaster, a prominent Canadian Senator and banker whose substantial bequeathed funds helped form the beginning of the university. The institution being incorporated under the...
, received the 1994
Nobel PrizeThe Nobel Prize is a Sweden-based international monetary prize. The award was established by the 1895 will and estate of Swedish chemist and inventor Alfred Nobel. It was first awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace in 1901...
in Physics for his pioneering work in neutron spectrometry while at CRL from 1950-1962.
John CockcroftSir John Douglas Cockcroft, OM, KCB, CBE was a British physicist. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics for splitting the atomic nucleus, and was instrumental in the development of nuclear power....
was an early director of CRL and also a Nobel laureate. CRL produces about one-third of the world's supply of
medical radioisotopesNuclear medicine is a branch or specialty of medicine and medical imaging that uses radioactive isotopes and relies on the process of radioactive decay in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. In nuclear medicine procedures, radionuclides are combined with other chemical compounds or...
. It is owned and operated by
Atomic Energy of Canada LimitedAtomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation with the responsibility of managing Canada's national nuclear energy research and development program, including the advancement and support of CANDU reactor technology which was developed at AECL starting in the 1950s...
.
History
The facility arose out of a 1942 collaboration between British and Canadian nuclear researchers which saw a
Montreal research laboratoryThe Montreal Laboratory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was established by the National Research Council of Canada to undertake nuclear research, and to take over some of the scientists and projects from the Tube Alloys nuclear project in Britain...
established under the
National Research Council of CanadaThe National Research Council is an agency of the Government of Canada which conducts scientific research and development.- History :...
(NRC). By 1944 the Chalk River Labs were opened and in September, 1945 the facility saw the first nuclear reactor outside of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
go operational (see
Lew KowarskiLew Kowarski was a naturalized French physicist, of Russian-Polish descent. He was a lesser known, but important contributor to nuclear science.-Early life:...
). In 1946, NRC closed the Montreal laboratory and focused its resources on Chalk River.
In 1952,
Atomic Energy of Canada LimitedAtomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation with the responsibility of managing Canada's national nuclear energy research and development program, including the advancement and support of CANDU reactor technology which was developed at AECL starting in the 1950s...
(AECL), was created by the government to promote peaceful use of nuclear energy. AECL also took over operation of Chalk River from the NRC. Throughout the 1950s-2000s various nuclear research reactors have been operated by AECL for production of nuclear material for medical and scientific applications. The Labs produce about half of the world's
medical isotopesNuclear medicine is a branch or specialty of medicine and medical imaging that uses radioactive isotopes and relies on the process of radioactive decay in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. In nuclear medicine procedures, radionuclides are combined with other chemical compounds or...
. Despite the declaration of peaceful use, from 1955 to 1976, Chalk River facilities supplied about 250kg of
plutoniumPlutonium is a rare transuranic radioactive element. It is an actinide metal of silvery-white appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states. It reacts with carbon, halogens, nitrogen and...
, in the form of spent reactor fuel, to the US Dept. of Energy to be used in the production of nuclear weapons. (The bomb dropped on Nagasaki used about 6.4kg of plutonium.)
Canada's first nuclear power plant, a partnership between AECL and Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, went online in 1962 near the site of Chalk River Labs. This reactor, Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD), was a demonstration of the CANDU design, one of the world's safest and most successful nuclear reactors.
Chalk River was also the site of two nuclear accidents in the 1950s. The first incident occurred in 1952, when there was a power surge and partial loss of coolant in the
NRXNRX was a heavy water moderated, light water cooled, nuclear research reactor at the Canadian Chalk River Laboratories, which came into operation in 1947 at a design power rating of 10 MW , increasing to 42 MW by 1954...
reactor which resulted in significant damage to the core. Future US president
Jimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, then a
US NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
officer, was part of the clean up crew.
The second accident, in 1958, involved a fuel rupture and fire in the
NRUNRU may refer to:* National Research Universal Reactor* Nauru* Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, part of the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government* Nitrogen Rejection Unit* Northeast Rugby Union...
reactor building. Both accidents required a major cleanup effort involving many civilian and military personnel. Follow-up health monitoring of these workers has not revealed any adverse impacts from the two accidents. However, the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, an anti-nuclear watchdog group, notes that some cleanup workers who were part of the military contingent assigned to the NRU reactor building unsuccessfully applied for a military disability pension due to health damages.
Chalk River Labs remain an AECL facility to this day and are used as both a research (in partnership with the NRC) and production facility (on behalf of AECL) in support of other Canadian electrical utilities.
Major facilities
- ZEEP
The ZEEP reactor was a nuclear reactor built at the Chalk River Laboratories near Chalk River, Ontario, Canada . ZEEP first went critical at 3:45 PM, September 5, 1945...
- Zero Energy Experimental Pile Reactor (1945-1973).
- NRX
NRX was a heavy water moderated, light water cooled, nuclear research reactor at the Canadian Chalk River Laboratories, which came into operation in 1947 at a design power rating of 10 MW , increasing to 42 MW by 1954...
- NRX Reactor (1947-1992).
- NRU
The National Research Universal reactor, located in Chalk River, Ontario, is one of Canada’s national science facilities. It is a multipurpose science facility that serves three main roles....
- National Research Universal 135 MWt Reactor (1957-).
- CNBC
The NRC Canadian Neutron Beam Centre is Canada's national centre for materials research using neutrons, and is one of the Chalk River Laboratories. Neutrons are a unique and versatile tool for research in materials of all kinds. This field of science is known as neutron scattering....
- Canadian Neutron Beam Centre
- PTR
Pool Test Reactor was a 10 kWt light water moderated pool-type reactor fueled with highly enriched uranium built at Chalk River in 1957. It used 93% enriched uranium-aluminum plate-type fuel. The reactor, was used for burnup measurement of fissile samples from NRX...
- Pool Test 10 kW Reactor (1957-1990).
- ZED-2
ZED-2 is the successor to the ZEEP reactor. Designed by AECL for CANDU reactor support, the unit saw first criticality in September 1960...
- Zero Energy Deuterium 200W Reactor (1960-).
- NPD - Nuclear Power Demonstration 20MW(e) Reactor; located north of CRL in Rolphton, Ontario (1960-1987).
- SLOWPOKE
The SLOWPOKE is a low-energy, pool-type nuclear research reactor designed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the late 1960s...
- Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment 5 kW Reactor (1970-1976) - moved to the University of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated north of the city's Financial District on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. The university was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in the...
in 1971.
- TASCC - Tandem Accelerator Superconducting Cyclotron (1986-1996)
- MAPLE-1
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as Maple. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification, favour inclusion in Sapindaceae...
- Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment Reactor (2000-2008 (cancelled)).
- MAPLE-2
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as Maple. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification, favour inclusion in Sapindaceae...
- Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment Reactor (2003-2008 (cancelled)).
2007 shutdown
On November 18, 2007, the
National Research Universal Reactor (NRU)The National Research Universal reactor, located in Chalk River, Ontario, is one of Canada’s national science facilities. It is a multipurpose science facility that serves three main roles....
, which makes medical radioisotopes, was shut down for routine maintenance. This shutdown was extended when AECL, in consultation with the
Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionThe Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission , previously known as the Atomic Energy Control Board , is best described as the governmental nuclear energy and materials watchdog in Canada....
(CNSC), decided to connect seismically-qualified emergency power supplies (EPS) to two of the reactor's cooling pumps (in addition to the AC and DC backup power systems already in place), which had been required as part of its August 2006 operating licence issued by the CNSC. This resulted in a worldwide shortage of radioisotopes for medical treatments because Chalk River makes the majority of the world's supply of medical radioisotopes, including two-thirds of the world's
technetium-99mTechnetium-99m is a metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99, symbolized as
99mTc. The "m" indicates that this is a metastable nuclear isomer, i.e., it does not change into another element upon its "decay". It is a gamma ray emitting isotope used in radioactive isotope medical tests,...
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/highlights/2006/0605chalkriver_e.html. On December 11, 2007, the
Canadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate.
The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament .
Members are elected by simple...
, acting on independent expert advice, passed emergency legislation authorizing the restarting of the NRU reactor and its operation for 120 days (counter to the decision of the CNSC), which was passed by the Senate and received Royal Assent on December 12. Prime Minister
Stephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper, PC, MP is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada, and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became Prime Minister after his party won a minority government in the January 2006 federal election...
accused the "Liberal-appointed" CNSC for this shutdown which "jeopardized the health and safety of tens of thousands of Canadians", insisting that there was no risk.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071211.wisotope1211/BNStory/National/ http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1154689120071213 http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/285210 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/12/13/chalk-river-reactor.html
The NRU reactor was restarted on December 16, 2007.
2008 radioactive leakage
On December 5, 2008,
heavy waterHeavy water is water that contains a higher proportion than normal of the isotope deuterium, as deuterium oxide, D2O or ²H2O, or as deuterium protium oxide, HDO or ¹H²HO. Its physical and chemical properties are somewhat similar to those of water, H2O...
containing tritium leaked from the
NRU reactorThe National Research Universal reactor, located in Chalk River, Ontario, is one of Canada’s national science facilities. It is a multipurpose science facility that serves three main roles....
http://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/mediacentre/issues/memo_re_december_2008.cfm. The leaked water was contained within the facility, and the
Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionThe Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission , previously known as the Atomic Energy Control Board , is best described as the governmental nuclear energy and materials watchdog in Canada....
(CNSC) was notified immediately, as required.
In its formal report to the CNSC, filed on December 9, 2008 (when the volume of leakage was determined to meet the requirement for such a report)
AECLAtomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation with the responsibility of managing Canada's national nuclear energy research and development program, including the advancement and support of CANDU reactor technology which was developed at AECL starting in the 1950s...
mentioned that 47 litres of heavy water were released from the reactor, about 10% of which evaporated and the rest contained, but affirmed that the spill was not serious and did not present a threat to public health
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090127/radioactive_spill_090127/20090127?hub=Canada&s_name=. The amount that evaporated to the atmosphere is considered to be minor, accounting for less than a thousandth of the regulatory limit
http://www.aecl.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=971. The public was informed of the shutdown at the reactor, but not the details of the leakage since it was not deemed to pose a risk to the public or environment. The leak stopped before the source could be identified, and the reactor was restarted on December 11, 2008 with the approval of the CNSC, after a strategy for dealing with the leak (should it return) was put in place.
In an unrelated incident, the same reactor had been leaking 7,000 litres of light water per day from a crack in a weld of the reactor's reflector system. This water has been systematically collected, purified in an on-site Waste Treatment Centre, and eventually released to the
Ottawa RiverThe Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It defines for most of its length the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
in accordance with CNSC, Health Canada, and Ministry of the Environment regulations. Although the leakage is not a concern to the CNSC from a health, safety or environmental perspective
http://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/mediacentre/releases/news_release.cfm?news_release_id=332, AECL has plans for a repair to reduce the current leakage rate for operational reasons.
2009 NRU Reactor Shutdown
In mid-May 2009 the heavy water leak at the base of the NRU reactor vessel, first detected in 2008 (see above), returned at a greater rate and prompted another temporary shutdown that by August had been extended to at least Spring 2010. The lengthy shutdown was necessary to first completely defuel the entire reactor, then ascertain the full extent of the corrosion to the vessel, and finally to effect the repairs - all with remote and restricted access from a minimum distance of 9 metres due to the residual radioactive fields in the reactor vessel. The 2009 shutdown occurred at a time when only one of the other four worldwide regular medical isotope sourcing reactors was producing, resulting in a worldwide shortage.
See also
- List of Canadian nuclear generating stations
- George Laurence
George Craig Laurence was a Canadian nuclear physicist. He was educated at Dalhousie University, and at Cambridge University under Ernest Rutherford....
- Lew Kowarski
Lew Kowarski was a naturalized French physicist, of Russian-Polish descent. He was a lesser known, but important contributor to nuclear science.-Early life:...
- Hans von Halban
Hans von Halban was a French physicist, of Austrian-Jewish descent.- Family :He was descended on his father's side from Polish Jews, who left Kraków for Vienna in the 1850s...
- Science and technology in Canada
Science and technology in Canada consists of three distinct but closely related phenomena:* the diffusion of technology in Canada,* scientific research in Canada* innovation, invention and industrial research in Canada...
Further reading
- Robert Bothwell, "Nucleus. The History of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited", University of Toronto Press, 1988.
External links