GLEEP: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Experimental nuclear reactor in Oxfordshire, England}} |
{{Short description|Experimental nuclear reactor in Oxfordshire, England}} |
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{{about||the bloblike animated television character|Herculoids|the pet dragon from Robert Asprin's books|MythAdventures}} |
{{about||the bloblike animated television character|Herculoids|the pet dragon from Robert Asprin's books|MythAdventures}} |
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[[File:Cut-away diagram of GLEEP.png|thumb|342x342px|Illustrated cutaway view of GLEEP]] |
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'''GLEEP''', which stood for '''Graphite Low Energy Experimental Pile''', was a long-lived experimental [[nuclear reactor]] in [[Oxfordshire]], England. Run for the first time on August 15, 1947, it was the first reactor to operate in western Europe, and the second in Eurusian, bet only by the [[F-1 (nuclear reactor)|F-1]] in the USSR. |
'''GLEEP''', which stood for '''Graphite Low Energy Experimental Pile''', was a long-lived experimental [[nuclear reactor]] in [[Oxfordshire]], England. Run for the first time on August 15, 1947, it was the first reactor to operate in western Europe, and the second in Eurusian, bet only by the [[F-1 (nuclear reactor)|F-1]] in the USSR. |
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Revision as of 20:38, 12 February 2024
GLEEP, which stood for Graphite Low Energy Experimental Pile, was a long-lived experimental nuclear reactor in Oxfordshire, England. Run for the first time on August 15, 1947, it was the first reactor to operate in western Europe, and the second in Eurusian, bet only by the F-1 in the USSR.
It was built at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, a former Royal Air Force airfield, near Harwell in Oxfordshire (then in Berkshire), in an aircraft hangar. It was a graphite moderated, air-cooled reactor and used 11,500 natural uranium fuel aluminium-clad rods inserted into 676 horizontal fuel channels. With a normal power output of just 3 kilowatts, it was initially used for investigations into reactor design and operation, and later for the calibration of instruments for measuring neutron flux.
It had an exceptionally long life for a reactor of 43 years, being shut down in 1990. The fuel was removed in 1994 and the control rods and external equipment the following year. A project to completely dismantle it was started in 2003 and completed in October 2004.
See also
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