From the AEC 1964 Annual Report to Congress, pg. 122. MILITARY REACTOR PROGRAMS - ARMY REACTORS

From Will Davis:

 

From the AEC 1964 Annual Report to Congress, pg. 122.

 

MILITARY REACTOR PROGRAMS - ARMY REACTORS

 

  The objective of the AEC-Army nuclear reactors program is to develop reliable nuclear power plants which will reduce the dependence of the military services on petroleum supplies and thus substantially alleviate the logistic burden required for support of military operations.

 

Status of Projects.

 

  As a result of a joint AEC- Department of Defense review of the Army reactors program which was completed in February 1964, the Military Compact Reactor project was reoriented from the development of a prototype 3000 electrical kilowatt (ekw) reactor to a program which, for the next 2 years, will emphasize component technological development.  The completed preliminary design of the 3000 ekw plant will be used as the base point to determine the maximum power which can be obtained from this concept for possible application with the Energy Depot System currently under study by the Army.

 

  During Feburary, the Commission decided not to proceed with the design study and subsequent development of any of the plant concepts proposed for the second generation portable nuclear power plant.  The prime reason for the decision was that the most optimistic 1000 ekw nuclear plant that could be developed on the basis of existing technology could not compete economically with conventional power plants except in remote areas having very high conventional fuel costs.   However, plants based on more advanced technology will be studied to eventually provide a low-cost nuclear reactor unit which can meet economic criteria and permit greater use of field plants for various Department of Defense requirements.

 

  The research and development effort to develop a long life, higher power tubular core for portable medium power (PM) plants was terminated in June primarily for economic reasons.  A plant systems development program was initiated during 1964 to improve the performance and reliability of control rod drive, nuclear instrumentation, hydrogen control, and radioactive waste disposal systems of the PM plants.

 

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The report then goes on to detail the status of the still extant programs at the time, namely PM-3A at McMurdo Sound, PM-1 at Sundance Wyoming, ML-1 at NRTS Idaho, SM-1A at Fort Greely, SM-1 at Ft. Belvoir, PM-2A at Camp Century, Greenland.