ANS President Lisa Marshall presented Illinois Tech vice provost for research Jeff Terry with the Armour Research Foundation Research Reactor’s Nuclear Historic Landmark plaque at the April 23 ceremony.
The American Nuclear Society presented the Illinois Institute of Technology with a plaque last week to officially designate the Armour Research Foundation Reactor a Nuclear Historic Landmark, following the Society’s decision to confer the status onto the reactor in September 2024.
First reaching criticality in 1956, the Armour Research Foundation Reactor—nicknamed the “atomic furnace”—was the first privately owned and operated nuclear reactor in the world. The reactor was a partnership between Illinois Tech and 25 industrial partners, including IBM, Caterpillar, and U.S. Steel. It ran for 11 years.
The reactor utilized a liquid fuel of uranyl sulfate dissolved in water to increase design safety, a particularly important consideration given the site’s densely populated location in Chicago. “If the reaction ran away, the liquid would expand and the change in geometry would stop the criticality,” said Jeff Terry, vice provost for research at Illinois Tech. “It was a really clever design.”
Quotable: “The story of the Armour Research Foundation Reactor reflects both the optimism and the challenges of embracing new technologies. As we continue to explore the possibilities of nuclear energy today, this pioneering effort at Illinois Tech serves as a reminder of the progress made and the potential that still lies ahead,” Terry said at the commemoration ceremony.
Program details: The Nuclear Historic Landmark Award exists to identify and memorialize sites and facilities where outstanding accomplishments advanced the peaceful development and application of nuclear technology.
To be considered for historic landmark designation, a site must have ceased operation at least 20 beforehand. The reactor at Illinois Tech is the 98th site to receive recognition as a Nuclear Historic Landmark. A full list of recipients can be read here.
Remarking on the value of preserving our nuclear history, ANS President Lisa Marshall said at the ceremony, “It’s very important to have these various landmarks—and even more important for us to talk about what was done there.”