Graphite-moderated reactor

"Graphite reactor" directs here. For the graphite reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, see X-10 Graphite Reactor. A graphite-moderated reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses carbon as a neutron moderator, which allows natural uranium to be used as nuclear fuel. The first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, used nuclear graphite as a moderator. Graphite-moderated reactors were involved in two of the best-known nuclear disasters: an untested graphite annealing process contributed to the Windscale fire (but the graphite itself did not catch fire), while a graphite fire during the Chernobyl disaster contributed to the spread of radioactive material. Several types of graphite-moderated nuclear reactors have been used in commercial electricity generation: Gas-cooled reactors Magnox UNGG reactor Advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) Water-cooled reactors RBMK MKER EGP-6 Hanford N-Reactor (dual use) High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (past) Dragon reactor AVR Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1 THTR-300 Fort St. Vrain Generating Station High temperature gas-cooled reactors (in development or construction) Pebble-bed reactor Very high temperature reactor Prismatic fuel reactor UHTREX Ultra-high-temperature reactor experiment Other Molten salt reactor There have been a number of research or test reactors built that use graphite as the moderator. Chicago Pile-1 Chicago Pile-2 Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) The first artificial nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, a graphite-moderated device that produced between 0.5 watts and 200 watts , was constructed by a team led by Enrico Fermi in 1942. The construction and testing of this reactor (an "atomic pile") was part of the Manhattan Project. This work led to the construction of the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was the first nuclear reactor designed and built for continuous operation, and began operation in 1943.