PM-1 Nuclear Power Plant — the radar-powering microreactor in Wyoming from 1962

This is a historical US Atomic Energy Commission video about the 1 MWe PM-1 microreactor that powered a radar station near Sundance, WY in the 1960s. See: Catalog entry: “A filmed story of the PM-1 nuclear power plant (a pressurized water system), a joint project of the USAEC and the U. S. Air Force, which supplies the power for the radar and space heating of a remote Air Defense Command radar station in Wyoming. The film breaks down the types and contents of 16 air transportable packages, a total weight of about 30,000 pounds: reactor, steam generator, waste tank, heat-transfer apparatus, control room, turbogenerator, etc. Details are given on major components and the design and operation of the system by information on: 741 nuclear fuel tubes in 7 fuel bundles, the “flow“ of primary water, the secondary water, details on the makeup of the fuel element tubes, criticality testing, nature of the control rods, tests to determine heat transfer and flow characteristics. The film recounts the airlift of the packages, erection and assembly of the power plant, the work to achieve criticality, and the varied safety controls. “ Courtesy of The National Archives, NAID 88220 00:00 Intro 02:30 Package (module) descriptions 03:04 Primary system modules 03:23 Secondary system modules 03:41 Turbine/generator module 03:55 Switchgear module 04:43 Heat transfer equipment module 05:21 Maintenance module 05:50 Decontamination and water chemistry module 06:22 Animations of design 08:37 Fuel element fabrication 10:00 Core testing in the critical facility 12:20 Magnetic jack control rod drives 13:01 Flow testing in 1/4 scale model 13:27 Factory fab and initial assembly 13:51 Airlifting the reactor and flight testing 15:10 Field re-assembly 15:45 Startup testing and criticality 17:10 2-person operation team 17:40 Safety and reliability 19:05 Summary