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The Frank H. Neely Nuclear Research Center, also known as the Neely Research Reactor and the Georgia Tech Research Reactor was a nuclear engineering research center on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus, which housed a 5 megawatt heavy water moderated and cooled research reactor from 1961 until 1995.[1] It was decommissioned in November 1999.[2] The building that housed the reactor was demolished to make way for the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center.

The center is named for Frank H. Neely, a Georgia Tech graduate and businessman who organized the first Georgia Nuclear Advisory Commission, an essential step in the creation of the reactor and associated facilities.[3]

History

The center and associated reactor was built after campus president Blake R. Van Leer appointed a Nuclear Science Committee, which included Georgia Tech Research Institute director James E. Boyd.[4][5]

The committee recommended the creation of a Radioisotopes Laboratory Facility and a large research reactor. The laboratory was built and dedicated on January 7, 1959, and could receive, store, and process radioactive materials.[4] The research reactor would be completed in 1963.

The reactor was shut down in 1988 due to safety concerns,[6] and was defueled due to safety concerns related to the nearby 1996 Summer Olympics events.[4]

The reactor building was torn down after the decommissioning, with the remainder removed as of 2015.

The former site of the Neely Nuclear Research Center

References

  1. ^ "History of the Georgia Tech Research Reactor" (PDF). Georgia Institute of Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  2. ^ "Research Reactor Decommissioning" (PDF). CH2M Hill. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-11. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  3. ^ "Frank H. Neely Papers". Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  4. ^ a b c "James E. Boyd" (PDF). Georgia Institute of Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-12. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  5. ^ "History Makers". Georgia Tech Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2010-06-16. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  6. ^ "Georgia Tech Closes Its Reactor, Citing Continued Safety Concerns". The New York Times. 1988-02-16. Retrieved 2010-03-29.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neely_Nuclear_Research_Center