WAGR
History
In 1958 Windscale was the setting for a new reactor to explore the potential of high pressure and temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel and components.
WAGR was built to study and prove in service the performance of gas-cooled fuel elements suitable for a commercial reactor, to serve as a test bed for further development of advanced fuel and other components and to provide operational experience of power production.
In October 1957 Pile 1 caught fire, causing extensive damage to the core. Water was pumped into the reactor for 30 hours before the fire was finally extinguished. Although there were no casualties, monitoring showed that some radioactive contamination had been released and a milk ban was imposed over an area of 200 square miles. The ban was lifted in November 1957.
The Windscale fire was the catalyst for major changes in the way nuclear facilities were managed in the Uk. Following two inquiries into the accident, it was recognised that there were serious shortcomings that had to be addressed to make sure that such an event could never happen again.
Independent regulators were set up to oversee nuclear safety and license reactors and a wide raneg of recommendations were applied to the design of future reactors as well as to the operation of existing ones - ensuring that the highest standards of safety, public and environmental protection would be upheld as the UK's nuclear industry developed.
Challenge
From 1957 to 1961 work was carried out to make both plants safe and secure. The damage in Pile 1 makes decommissioning the reactor one of the world's most challenging nuclear clean-up projects. The limited knowledge of the core's condition, the difficulty in accessing the fire-affected area and the need for innovative methods to remove hazardous material while ensuring a fire-free environment are all factors in this. Since 1999 desmantling operations have been taking place involving a series of campaigns, which are being carried out in a 'top down' approach because of the construction of the reactor. This includes the removal of the hot box, reactor core and pressure vessel.
Windscale Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor
