ANTARCTIC NUCLEAR REACTOR AT McMURDO STATION 26042

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This fascinating film was made by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. Navy in 1962. In that year the U.S. Navy delivered a nuclear reactor to Antarctica to power the McMurdo Station. The plant, like the nearby Scott's Discovery Hut, was prefabricated in modules. Engineers designed the components to weigh no more than 30,000 pounds (13,608 kg) each and to measure no more than 8 ft 8 inches by 8 ft 8 inches by thirty feet. A single core no larger than an oil drum served as the heart of the nuclear reactor. These size and weight restrictions were intended to allow the reactor to be delivered in an LC-130 Hercules aircraft. However, the components were actually delivered by ship.

The reactor generated 1.8 MW of electrical power and reportedly replaced the need for 1,500 US gallons (5,700 L) of oil daily. Engineers applied the reactor's power, for instance, in producing steam for the salt water distillation plant. The reactor, designated PM-3A, was designed and built by the Martin Company. There were problems with the plant from the beginning. It underperformed to expectations and frequently fell victim to power failures. It also raised concerns in New Zealand, where U.S. Navy ships transporting the fuel and waste under Operation Deep Freeze would dock for a few days while in transit.

As a result of the multiple malfunctions of the PM-3A as well as it's clean up activities, there have been concerns that the health of personnel involved with the reactor may have been adversely affected. Although members of the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Unit were continuously monitored for radiation, many of the military support crew were not. As such, a study was undertaken by the Department of Defense to estimate an upper bound on radiation exposure for these individuals based on the worst cases of the available data from McMurdo. Levels of radioactivity in the water were monitored once the PM-3A was used in the production of drinking water. During the first few years of fresh water production (between 1967 and 1969) there were several instances of abnormally high amounts of tritium in the drinking water. In addition, there was a case of abnormally high amounts of long-lived beta activity in the drinking water in 1969.

In addition to problems with the drinking water and environmental contamination, there were several recorded instances of crew radiation exposure, some resulting in injury. During the plant operation, 223 reports of abnormal levels of radiation were recorded. Of these cases, 14 resulted in injury and 123 resulted in exposure in the amount of 0.350 rem over a period of 7 days. This is a substantial amount of radiation when it is estimated that, one average, a typical yearly dose from background sources is 0.240 rem. The remaining 86 instances were abnormal radiation levels detected within the plant and its immediate surroundings.

All of these factors led to PM-3A existing on very shaky ground almost from the day it began operating. The coup de grace, however, came in 1972 when a leak in the reactor's pressure vessel was discovered during a routine inspection. A closer look uncovered cracks throughout the reactor, caused by failures in some of the welds, and the decision was made to close and dismantle PM-3A. Disposal presented other headaches. Decommissioned nuclear plants are usually entombed in concrete, but provisions in the Antarctic Treaty made this impossible, so the dismantled plant, along with some of the contaminated ground surrounding it, was shipped to a disposal site in California.

The nuclear reactor installed at McMurdo Station was the first and only to operate on the Antarctic continent. It operated for 10 years and greatly reduced the need for fossil fuels in the Antarctic. Although it was initially thought to be a cost saving device, its unreliability, large operational crew, and large clean up proved it to be an expensive experiment. As a memorial, a plaque now stands at the site of the nuclear power station in McMurdo commemorating the people and services of the PM-3A.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

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