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Archive 1 |
I heard that the fail-safe in case the reaction went out of control was a bucket of water. I want to include this in the article, but because it seems very unlikely, I wanted to put it in the discussion first. If anyone can confirm or deny this, let me know.
Thanks.
It was a cadmium salt solution because cadmium absorbs neutrons or somethin like that but i KNOW it was cadmium salt solution.
I heard the same story during a visit in the mid-60's. One further detail, not guaranteed: the students were told to not be too quick to dump the cadmium solution, because that would require replacement of all the cadmium-contaminated graphite, etc... NitPicker769 ( talk) 22:00, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
Further to the above, ref (9) in the article includes a description of the various shut-down methods, including the container of a cadmium salt solution (and an axe!)... NitPicker769 ( talk) 04:40, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
The result of the debate was AGAINST merger of Chicago Pile-1 into Stagg Field and AGAINST merger of Chicago Pile-1 with Metallurgical Laboratory.-- TonyTheTiger ( t/ c/ bio/ tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 19:31, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
I found this article, Metallurgical Laboratory, which is a near duplicate. Let's merge 'em. Speciate 02:21, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
I have proposed that the section entitled Chicago Pile-1 be split into its own article. This is the world's first nuclear reactor, and it deserves its own article. I would also like to see similar freestanding articles for Chicago Pile-2 and Chicago Pile-3. Squideshi 00:41, 24 May 2007 (UTC)
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 14:26, 9 November 2007 (UTC)
In 1983 I was walking in the Cook County Forest Preserve that now occupies the reactor site. There had been a marker noting it as the reactor site but vandals had destroyed it. One day I found that the ground had been disturbed, obviously by some heavy equipment. In the mix of rocks and dirt, I found several blocks of graphite and I collected one, which I still have. It is approximately 4 inches square and maybe 1.5 inches thick. Does anyone know if this would have been part of the graphite core of the reactor?
T bingerq ( talk) 18:41, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
Just a side note concerning the graphite and it's possible contamination... it (probably) isn't. I had attended a scientific glassblowing course (for chemistry majors) at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where some of the graphite from the original reactor had been machined for use in the glassblowing lab. This was in the mid-1990s. We were told of the provenance, and that it had been repeatedly tested, not only upon arrival, but also by the curious, who attended classes in the building, and others who were simply interested.... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.60.133.39 ( talk) 21:59, 20 September 2013 (UTC)
I'm just puzzled that this entire article makes no mention of secrecy. Wasn't the pile constructed as part of the Manhattan Project, and kept entirely from the public eye? Isn't the telegraph about the Italian navigator so worded for reasons other than whimsy? -- arkuat (talk) 03:43, 27 June 2008 (UTC)
Yes, it is kind of odd. Not to mention, if it was so secret, why would they invite dignitaries to watch? I'm gonna have to look into this...
-- Sci-Fi Dude ( talk) 18:30, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
There doesn't seem to be any mention of Eugene Wigner (either in the article or the team photograph), though he was apparently part of the team. His "Twentieth Birthday of the Atomic Age" (in Symmetries and Reflections, pg 239-240) speaks of 'our group' and 'we', and his description of the criticality is definitely first person:
"We stood on the balcony of the court and Fermi directed the withdrawal of the rods in steps of about a foot each. After each step, the clicking of the counters started to speed up, but soon leveled off and reached a steady value. This steady clicking became higher and higher as the control rods were pulled out further and further. However, this was still "background", for the counting rate was still levelling off. Finally, at the last stage, the clicking (thus the flow of neutrons inside the pile), continued to increase and did not seem to approach a steady state. Left alone, in another few minutes the neutron count would have doubled, then doubled again during the same interval and so on.
This meant that the self-sustaining chain reaction was established; the pile was "critical". When it was certain that this stage had been reached, Fermi had the control rods reinserted and the clicking died down.
Nothing very spectacular had happened. Nothing had moved and the pile itself had given no sound. Nevertheless, when the rods were pushed back and the clicking died down, we suddenly experienced a let-down feeling, for all of us understood the language of the counters. Even though we had anticipated the success of the experiment, its accomplishment had a deep impact on us. For some time we had known that we were about to unlock a giant; still, we could not escape an eerie feeling when we knew we had actually done it. We felt as, I presume, everyone feels who has done something that he knows will have very far-reaching consequences which he cannot foresee.
I produced a bottle of imported Chianti from a brown paper bag on the balcony floor. Italian wine was appropriate because our leader, Fermi, was of Italian birth. He uncorked the bottle and we toasted the success of the experiment. As we drank the wine, we sent up silent prayers that what we had done was the right thing to do. I do not remember whewther any of us gave expression to his sentiments but we knew each other too well not to sense what was in the others' minds."
-- 129.49.7.125 ( talk) 16:34, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
Not a picture of a sculpture. Seriously. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.70.111.59 ( talk) 22:24, 22 December 2011 (UTC)
Reinserting the rods would "dampen" the reaction? Don't you mean "damp?"
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![]() | This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 |
I heard that the fail-safe in case the reaction went out of control was a bucket of water. I want to include this in the article, but because it seems very unlikely, I wanted to put it in the discussion first. If anyone can confirm or deny this, let me know.
Thanks.
It was a cadmium salt solution because cadmium absorbs neutrons or somethin like that but i KNOW it was cadmium salt solution.
I heard the same story during a visit in the mid-60's. One further detail, not guaranteed: the students were told to not be too quick to dump the cadmium solution, because that would require replacement of all the cadmium-contaminated graphite, etc... NitPicker769 ( talk) 22:00, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
Further to the above, ref (9) in the article includes a description of the various shut-down methods, including the container of a cadmium salt solution (and an axe!)... NitPicker769 ( talk) 04:40, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
The result of the debate was AGAINST merger of Chicago Pile-1 into Stagg Field and AGAINST merger of Chicago Pile-1 with Metallurgical Laboratory.-- TonyTheTiger ( t/ c/ bio/ tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 19:31, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
I found this article, Metallurgical Laboratory, which is a near duplicate. Let's merge 'em. Speciate 02:21, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
I have proposed that the section entitled Chicago Pile-1 be split into its own article. This is the world's first nuclear reactor, and it deserves its own article. I would also like to see similar freestanding articles for Chicago Pile-2 and Chicago Pile-3. Squideshi 00:41, 24 May 2007 (UTC)
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 14:26, 9 November 2007 (UTC)
In 1983 I was walking in the Cook County Forest Preserve that now occupies the reactor site. There had been a marker noting it as the reactor site but vandals had destroyed it. One day I found that the ground had been disturbed, obviously by some heavy equipment. In the mix of rocks and dirt, I found several blocks of graphite and I collected one, which I still have. It is approximately 4 inches square and maybe 1.5 inches thick. Does anyone know if this would have been part of the graphite core of the reactor?
T bingerq ( talk) 18:41, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
Just a side note concerning the graphite and it's possible contamination... it (probably) isn't. I had attended a scientific glassblowing course (for chemistry majors) at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where some of the graphite from the original reactor had been machined for use in the glassblowing lab. This was in the mid-1990s. We were told of the provenance, and that it had been repeatedly tested, not only upon arrival, but also by the curious, who attended classes in the building, and others who were simply interested.... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.60.133.39 ( talk) 21:59, 20 September 2013 (UTC)
I'm just puzzled that this entire article makes no mention of secrecy. Wasn't the pile constructed as part of the Manhattan Project, and kept entirely from the public eye? Isn't the telegraph about the Italian navigator so worded for reasons other than whimsy? -- arkuat (talk) 03:43, 27 June 2008 (UTC)
Yes, it is kind of odd. Not to mention, if it was so secret, why would they invite dignitaries to watch? I'm gonna have to look into this...
-- Sci-Fi Dude ( talk) 18:30, 29 January 2009 (UTC)
There doesn't seem to be any mention of Eugene Wigner (either in the article or the team photograph), though he was apparently part of the team. His "Twentieth Birthday of the Atomic Age" (in Symmetries and Reflections, pg 239-240) speaks of 'our group' and 'we', and his description of the criticality is definitely first person:
"We stood on the balcony of the court and Fermi directed the withdrawal of the rods in steps of about a foot each. After each step, the clicking of the counters started to speed up, but soon leveled off and reached a steady value. This steady clicking became higher and higher as the control rods were pulled out further and further. However, this was still "background", for the counting rate was still levelling off. Finally, at the last stage, the clicking (thus the flow of neutrons inside the pile), continued to increase and did not seem to approach a steady state. Left alone, in another few minutes the neutron count would have doubled, then doubled again during the same interval and so on.
This meant that the self-sustaining chain reaction was established; the pile was "critical". When it was certain that this stage had been reached, Fermi had the control rods reinserted and the clicking died down.
Nothing very spectacular had happened. Nothing had moved and the pile itself had given no sound. Nevertheless, when the rods were pushed back and the clicking died down, we suddenly experienced a let-down feeling, for all of us understood the language of the counters. Even though we had anticipated the success of the experiment, its accomplishment had a deep impact on us. For some time we had known that we were about to unlock a giant; still, we could not escape an eerie feeling when we knew we had actually done it. We felt as, I presume, everyone feels who has done something that he knows will have very far-reaching consequences which he cannot foresee.
I produced a bottle of imported Chianti from a brown paper bag on the balcony floor. Italian wine was appropriate because our leader, Fermi, was of Italian birth. He uncorked the bottle and we toasted the success of the experiment. As we drank the wine, we sent up silent prayers that what we had done was the right thing to do. I do not remember whewther any of us gave expression to his sentiments but we knew each other too well not to sense what was in the others' minds."
-- 129.49.7.125 ( talk) 16:34, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
Not a picture of a sculpture. Seriously. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.70.111.59 ( talk) 22:24, 22 December 2011 (UTC)
Reinserting the rods would "dampen" the reaction? Don't you mean "damp?"
![]() |
An image used in this article,
File:AtomicScientistsFromChicagoPile1962.jpg, has been nominated for speedy deletion at
Wikimedia Commons for the following reason: Copyright violations
Don't panic; deletions can take a little longer at Commons than they do on Wikipedia. This gives you an opportunity to contest the deletion (although please review Commons guidelines before doing so). The best way to contest this form of deletion is by posting on the image talk page.
To take part in any discussion, or to review a more detailed deletion rationale please visit the relevant image page (File:AtomicScientistsFromChicagoPile1962.jpg) This is Bot placed notification, another user has nominated/tagged the image -- CommonsNotificationBot ( talk) 14:25, 15 April 2012 (UTC) |
The file File:AtomicScientistsFromChicagoPile1962.jpg, used on this page, has been deleted from Wikimedia Commons and re-uploaded at File:AtomicScientistsFromChicagoPile1962.jpg. It should be reviewed to determine if it is compliant with this project's non-free content policy, or else should be deleted and removed from this page. Commons fair use upload bot ( talk) 15:46, 16 April 2012 (UTC)