The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and its functions

Abstract

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has three main groups: research, industrial and weapons. The Research Group carries out research and development directly relating to civilian application of atomic energy. The Industrial Group designs and operates factories for the production of uranium metal and the fissile materials uranium 235 and plutonium. It has also a design office for the design of pioneering type of nuclear power stations. The Industrial Group has also a Research and Development Branch which carries out experimental research into the operational problems of the factories and into specific development problems of new plant and nuclear power stations. The nuclear power programme of the future requires the development of new types of power stations as successors to the gas-cooled graphite-moderated power stations which are now to be constructed by industry in successively improved marks. The Research and Industrial Groups together explore the different possible types of future power stations and are carrying out design studies on the most promising types. During the last year, for example, a design study on the pressurized-water reactor has been carried out in collaboration with industry and the Central Electricity Authority (C.E.A.). The comparative merits of this and other possible Stage-2 reactors are now being assessed. At the same time longer-range work is carried out on still more advanced reactors such as the homogeneous reactor and the fast reactor. This work combines with zero-energy reactor physics studies and is followed by construction of an experimental reactor. Each new reactor requires the development of specific technologies, particularly in the development of appropriate fuel elements and associated chemical-processing facilities for spent fuel elements. This development requires an intensive testing programme of reactor components, particularly fuel elements, and the Authority is now building three heavy-water research and fuel-element-testing reactors to speed up such testing. These reactors require associated heavily shielded and remote-handling facilities for examining the highly radioactive components. These expensive central facilities are likely to continue to be provided by the Authority. Also it seems likely that fuel-element fabrication and chemical-processing facilities will be held by the Authority. Industry will take an increasing share of the research and development work and construction work for reactors and nuclear power stations, and the pattern of co-operation is being worked out by experience. The Research Group is responsible for the production and application of radioactive isotopes and radiation. These applications are growing rapidly, at a rate of about 25% a year, and it is expected soon to have very powerful sources of radiation available for industrial processes. The Research Group also looks to the future and carries out research and long-term projects of importance to future developments.