Victoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️

Nuclear criticality safety

Making "The Blue Flash:" Reconstructing fatal atomic accident
In 1946 radioactive Manhattan Project component killed a scientist when his screwdriver slipped
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230725-making-the-blue-flash-how-i-reconstructed-a-fatal-atomic-accident
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36872955

Demon core: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core#Second_incident
T* ickling the Dragon's Tail: 1946 failed experiment to test exact point at which fissile material becomes critical

#history #DemonCore #LouisSlotin #NuclearEngineering #NuclearCriticality #NuclearSafety #criticality

Making 'The Blue Flash': How I reconstructed a fatal atomic accident

In 1946, a dangerous radioactive apparatus in the Manhattan Project killed a scientist when his screwdriver slipped. To tell his story, Ben Platts-Mills pieced together what happened inside the room.

BBC
Jul 28, 2023 at 2:31pmWeb
Show threadVictoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 28, 2023

Addendae 1

Tickling A Dragon’s Tail: The Physicist Who Tangled w. the Demon Core & Lost
Tried To Understand How The Atomic Bomb Worked & The Price He Paid
https://thedebrief.org/tickling-a-dragons-tail-the-physicist-who-tangled-with-the-demon-core-and-lost

December 1st marks the 110th birthday of Louis Slotin (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on December 1st, 1910.).
This Canadian physicist worked on the infamous Manhattan Project, the secret U.S. program to build the first nuclear bomb, and died trying to understand the secrets of the Demon Core.

#DemonCore #LouisSlotin

Tickling A Dragon’s Tail: The Physicist Who Tangled with The Demon Core and Lost - The Debrief

Science, Tech and Defense for the Rebelliously Curious.

The Debrief
Show threadVictoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 28, 2023

Addendae 2

It's shocking how many times highly educated / knowledgeable people have died doing this or very similar experiments. 😨

Fission, critical mass and safety--a historical review

Criticality Accidents
https://www.abomb1.org/accident/critical.html

A review of criticality accidents
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6629170

[2006] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16738413/
Criticality accident: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_accident
...

#AtomicSafety #OHS #OHSA #OSTI #RadiationPhysics #MaterialsScience

Criticality Accidents

Show threadVictoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 28, 2023

Addendae 2 cont'd

[1984] Consequence Analysis of a Hypothetical Contained Criticality Accident in the Hanford Critical Mass Laboratory
https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/16/057/16057704.pdf

[1981] Safety Analysis Report for the Hanford Critical Mass Laboratory: Supplement No. 2 ...
https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/12/618/12618946.pdf

Copy of Training Presentations for the National Criticality Safety Program Hands-On Critical Experiments Course.
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1666283

RD-327: Nuclear Criticality Safety
https://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/acts-and-regulations/regulatory-documents/published/html/rd327/index.cfm

Show threadVictoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️Aug 1, 2023

Addendae 3

Winnipeg's Oppenheimer (Louis Slotin): The man responsible for the core of the atomic bomb
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg-s-oppenheimer-the-man-responsible-for-the-core-of-the-atomic-bomb-1.6501340

* at 16 attended UManitoba (BSc; MSc)
* at 25 had a doctorate in biochemistry (London University)
* went to the UChicago, working with Enrico Fermi
* Fermi joined Manhattan Project, took my Slotin with him

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin

#LouisSlotin #ManhattanProject #WWII #history #DemonCore

Winnipeg's Oppenheimer: The man responsible for the core of the atomic bomb

The new movie Oppenheimer has been bringing people to the theatres and taking them back in time looking at the creation of the atomic bomb, but a Winnipegger who was part of the project still remains in the shadows.

Winnipeg
Show threadVictoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️Aug 9, 2023

Addendae 4

A Critical Problem
https://nucleardiner.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/a-critical-problem
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37059487
@[email protected]

* nuclear engineering; nuclear criticality safety

Nuclear Negligence
https://apps.publicintegrity.org/nuclear-negligence

* safety weaknesses at U.S. nuclear weapon sites operated by corporate contractors
* unpublicized accidents at nuclear weapons facilities
* avoidable radiation exposures

#NuclearEngineering #nuclearSafety #criticality #OSHA #OHS #DefenseContractors #DOE #MilitaryIndustrialComplex #MIC

A Critical Problem

Apparently the management at Los Alamos doesn’t know what criticality safety is.

Nuclear Diner