Manhattan Project National Historical Park is one of the more fascinating sites managed by the National Park Service. Spread across 3 states, the park preserves Manhattan Project facilities located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington. I intend on visiting all 3 sites, but my first stop was Hanford, Washington and the B Reactor, the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor.
The plutonium produced by the B Reactor was used to build the first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Gadget”, which was famously detonated during the “Trinity Test”. The B Reactor also produced the plutonium for “Fat Man”, the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, which led to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. The Hanford Site was expanded over time, and operated throughout the Cold War, ultimately producing plutonium for over 60,000 atomic weapons.
https://www.nps.gov/mapr/index.htm
The Hanford Site was one of the most important parts of the Manhattan Project, but anecdotal evidence suggests its not very well known. The Manhattan Project sites in Los Alamos and Oak Ridge seem to garner much more recognition, which is unfortunate, because the Hanford Site was just as important. For anyone interested in learning about the Hanford Site, there’s no better way than taking a tour of the B Reactor. Tours are made possible through a partnership between the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Energy, two agencies you wouldn’t think team up very often.
https://manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov
Tours of the B Reactor begin at the visitor center in Richland, Washington, where you watch a quick introductory video, before taking a 45 minute bus ride out to the Hanford Site. That arrangement might sound slightly odd, but much of the broader Hanford Site remains highly contaminated with radioactive waste. So not building visitor facilities at the reactor site makes sense. The bus rides to and from the reactor are productive though, as docents give fascinating color on the history of the area, and are generally very interesting.
Once at Reactor B, tours being with a docent talk in front of the reactor. The discussion covers broad topics, from the science of how Reactor B worked, to its role as part of the Manhattan Project, as well as its broader historical significance. Fascinating stuff, and well presented by the tour’s docents. After the introductory talk, you’re allowed to wander the reactor facilities. There’s plenty of exhibits spread throughout the reactor facility, and all are filled with really interesting information.
While there’s plenty of cool stuff to see throughout the facility, my favorite part was the room featuring the front face of the reactor. Staring up at the reactor’s face, you’re not really sure what to make of it at first. The structure is certainly impressive, but unless you’re well versed in nuclear reactor construction, it’s unclear exactly what you’re looking at. Fortunately the docents are well versed in the subject, and do an excellent job explaining the technical details of the reactor, and how it worked.
The front face of the reactor has just over 2,000 openings, which were used to load uranium slugs into the reactor’s process tubes. Straddling the sides of the reactor, are pipes which would have carried water into the core. Cooling water would only be inside the reactor’s core for 1 second, but in that short time, its temperature would rise from 50 to 190 degrees. An indication of the immense heat being generated by the reactor. I’ll spare you the technical details, but if that sort of thing interests you, taking a tour of Reactor B is well worth the trip.
Overall I really enjoyed by tour of Reactor B and the Hanford Site. The Manhattan Project is one of the most significant undertakings in American history, and touring Reactor B is a really cool way to learn about it. Hanford is a bit out of the way, but for anyone interested in making the trip, its 3 hours from Seattle and 3.5 hours from Portland. Alternatively, consider checking out one of the other sites making up Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Los Alamos and Oak Ridge are probably an easier trip for most people, and are also cool sites to learn about the Manhattan Project. Either way, if you ever get the chance, consider visiting one of the 3 sites making up Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
