Engineering Education “Today in History” Blog: First nuclear power plant
by Joonhong Ahn
closeAuthor: Joonhong Ahn
Name: Joonhong Ahn
Email: ahn@nuc.berkeley.edu
Site: http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/ahn.htm
About: Professor Ahn teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in radioactive waste management. The undergraduate course covers broad aspects of radioactive waste management, whereas the graduate course concentrates on safety assessment aspects of high-level radioactive waste disposal into deep geologic formations. His research interests involve mathematical analyses of radionuclide transport in heterogeneous geologic formations and of radionuclide release from man-made waste disposal systems. He is also interested in integrating these into an overall performance assessment model, and analyzing the nature of uncertainty incorporated in long-term assessments for radioactive waste disposal. He also teaches the Nuclear Design course for undergraduates. The course aims at providing students with an opportunity for integrating knowledge into an engineering solution for a specific problem.See Authors Posts (5) · June 27th, 2012 · Add a Comment
Today in History – June 27, 1954 – First nuclear power plant begins operation. In the mid-1950′s, both the Soviet Union and western countries were exploring the non-military uses of the atom. However, even this non-military work was done in secret and not much was known about it in the West at the time. The Obninsk Power Plant in the USSR, was the world’s first nuclear power plant to generate electricity at 5 megawatts. Ordered by Stalin for nonmilitary purposes, this graphite-moderated and water-cooled reactor could be switched to plutonium production if needed.
Two years later in Calder Hall (England) and three years later in Shippingport two other power plants started operation.
On April 29, 2002, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was decommissioned after 48 years of commercial operation.
See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on nuclear power. Or visit the Nuclear Engineering Education community site for more information.
Tags: General Engineering, Engineering Science · Nuclear Engineering
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