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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
K. Tsujimoto, N. Kohno, N. Shinohara, T. Sakurai, Y. Nakahara, T. Mukaiyama, S. Raman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 144 | Number 2 | June 2003 | Pages 129-141
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE03-A2348
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To evaluate neutron cross-section data of minor actinides (MAs), separated actinide samples and dosimetry samples were irradiated at the Dounreay Prototype Fast Reactor for 492 effective full-power days. Irradiated samples were analyzed both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). This independent duplication has resulted in the generation of reliable radiochemical analysis data. Based on the burnup calculations of major actinide (235U and 239Pu) and dosimetry samples, the neutron flux distribution and the flux level were adjusted at the locations where MA samples were irradiated. The burnup calculations were carried out for MAs using the determined flux distribution and flux level. The calculated results were compared with the experimental data. A brief description of sample preparation and irradiation and a detailed discussion of radiochemical analysis at JAERI are given in a companion paper. The current paper discusses the burnup calculations and the validation of MA cross-section data in evaluated nuclear data libraries.