Nuclear Reactor Materials and Fuels

Abstract

The first nuclear reactor was the famous “Chicago Pile” (CP-1) which was built under the west stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago on a squash court and went critical on December 2, 1942. The first nuclear materials were uranium in both a metal and an oxide form as the fuel, carbon in a graphite form as the moderator, atmospheric air as the coolant (since the reactor power was essentially zero), cadmium as the control material, and wood as the structural material. Nuclear power plant designs have come a long way since then, particularly with regard to cooling. However, the fuel form remains basically the same.