[Closed] EGCR and the current box controversy. Bear with me....

EGCR and the current box controversy. Bear with me....

This past Monday a few of us from the Oak Ridge Lab fire protection engineering staff got a tour of a building that is rarely entered - the Experimental Gas Cooled Reactor (EGCR) containment structure at ORNL. The original plan was to test how helium could be used to cool a nuclear reactor instead of water. I won't go into more details but suffice to say the project was abandoned in the early 1960's and the structure has been "cold and dark" for decades. (Ft. St. Vrain in Colorado was the only US helium-cooled commercial power reactor, and it was converted to natural gas a few years back.)

photo no longer available Check out the period photo with the bulldozer being lifted out. It's marked "USAF".

Pretty creepy place, flashlights being the only light to guide us down three stair flights and up about five - a lot of climbing for an old geezer like me. It was never loaded with nuclear fuel, but almost all the equipment was in place. With no power, it hits over 100 degrees F in the summer, and Southern humidity has a field day (hence all the rust). My flashlight burned through its battery, and I had to resort to cell phone flashlight feature. Which was also my camera (hard to focus in the dark).

photo no longer available Bottom view of reactor from basement

We got a kick out of the carbon dioxide fire equipment everywhere, something almost no one installs anymore out of concern for life safety. Since there is only one open stair, a second means of escape was provided by a tight-radius circular enclosed metal slide (I kid you not). Some of our younger guys really wanted to try it out, but weren't allowed due to possible clothes-ripping, tetanus-causing rust.

photo no longer available Top of reactor

photo no longer available Control rods still attached to wall

The building may never be torn down - no money for that and it ain't hurting nobody.

So what is the conclusion in relation to the recent Brooklin box controversy? Just this - you can pay a lot for something that quickly becomes useless.