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The Windscale Fire

By Layoutbissell

  • “Windscale” Site Construction Begins

    “Windscale” Site Construction Begins
    • Site of former WWII ordinance factory
    • Reactors built for plutonium production
    • 2 reactors to be built - Pile 1 and Pile 2

  • Warned About Wigner Energy Buildup

    Warned About Wigner Energy Buildup
    • Edward Teller visited site and warned that design might lead to a fuel rod fire
    • Wigner Energy = Potential energy created by Neutrons knocking atoms out of place in lattice structure of material
    • Wigner Energy has potential for huge energy release (massive heat)

  • Pile 1 (Reactor) Operational

    Pile 1 (Reactor) Operational
    • Gas Cooled, Graphite Moderated Low Temperature Reactor
    • Began generating weapons grade plutonium
    • Operated at a lower efficiency (30% of spec) due to graphite quality used

  • Pile 2 (Reactor) Operational

    Pile 2 (Reactor) Operational
    • Reactor more efficient (90% of specs)due to higher quality graphite use
    • Reactors began producing 198 pounds of plutonium annually.
    • Air filters installed at top of pile chimneys called “Cockcroft’s Follies”

  • Pile 2 Spontaneous Heating Event

    Pile 2 Spontaneous Heating Event
    • Pile 2 experienced a temperature spike while being shut down.
    • Blowers started and core cooled to normal temperatures
    • Design flaw in uranium cartridge ejection discovered.
      • Cartridges occasionally miss the water cool down tank or fall into the reactor

  • Pile 1 Spontaneous Heating Event

    Pile 1 Spontaneous Heating Event
    • Pile 1 experiences heating event while shutdown
    • Smoke observed coming from the core suggesting graphite fuel elements burning/smouldering
    • Regular annealling procedures implemented to try and counteract and relieve Wigner Effect

  • The Burning Deep Within

    The Burning Deep Within
    • Graphite temps began rising on Oct 9
    • Oct 10 temps reached 820 degrees F
    • Blue flames observed in back of reactor indicating graphite was burning (Wigner Energy)
    • Radiation Levels Detected in Chimney, levels continued to rise over time.
    • Air used for cooling fed fire increasing temps and radiation levels as uranium began catching fire.

  • Drown It or Blow Everyone Away

    Drown It or Blow Everyone Away
    • CO2 used to suppress flames to no effect
    • Decision to flood reactor with water made, despite great risk of a massive hydrogen explosion being triggered.
    • 11 tons of uranium on fire releasing radionuclides into atmosphere
    • Temps recorded at 2372 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Fury Recedes

    Fury Recedes
    • At 10:10 AM on Oct 12 the fans were shut down, this combined with the water finally terminated the fire and the reactor began to cool.
    • Incident rated 5/7 on the International Nuclear Incident Scale
    • No other air cooled reactors have been built since

  • Not The Milk!

    Not The Milk!
    • Estimated to be released into the air during fire:
      • 600 terabecquerels of iodine-131, 100 fatal and 90 non-fatal thyroid cancers
      • 4.6 terabecquerels of cesium-137
      • 8.8 terabecquerels of polonium-210, 70 fatal and 10 non-fatal lung cancers
    • Give half-life of iodine-131, all milk (500,000 gallons) within 500 square kilometers was destroyed for 3 weeks after incident.
    • Determined that “Cockcroft’s Follies” filters helped to greatly reduce escaped radionuclides.

  • The Long Slow Sludge

    The Long Slow Sludge
    • Site officially decommissioned in 1980
    • Pile 2 chimney partially demolished in 2001
    • Decontamination scheduled to be completed past 2040