Atomic establishment of search for Harwell

The atomic Establishment of research ( Atomic Energy Research VENTILATED Establishment in English) installed close to Harwell, Oxfordshire was the principal research center and of development for the atomic energy of the the United Kingdom between the years 1940 and 1990.

Creation of the site

It is into 1945 that John Cockcroft received the mission of creating a research laboratory to promote the use of fission nuclaire at the same time for the needs soldier and civilian. It is the site of the Royal Air Force de Harwell which was chosen, it is to approximately 25 km in the south of Oxford beside Didcot and the village of Harwell. The establishment was open on January 1st, 1946.

The first laboratories included/understood the following specialities: Chemistry, Physics, Nuclear physics, Physical of the engines, Theoretical physics, Issotopes, the directors after Cockcroft were Basil Schonland, Arthur Vick and Walter Marshall.

First engines

GLEEP the first engine (for Graphite Low Energy Experimental Crushes ) was brought into service in 1947. It was a regulator graphite engine air-cooled basic energy (3 kw). It is the first engine of Western Europe and it functioned until 1990.
BEPO, the second, (for British Experimental Crushes 0 ) used the experience feedback acquired with GLEEP, it started in 1948 and it functioned until 1968.
LIDO was an engine with enriched uranium functioned of 1956 until 1972 and it was mainly used for tests of nuclear physics. Its complete dismantling was completed in 1995.
the two engines DIDO and PLUTO, of 26 MW, used uranium enriched with heavy water like regulator. They were brought into service in 1956 and 1957. These small engines were used to test the behavior of various materials under an intensive bombardment of neutrons before choosing them for the large engines. They were stopped in 1990.

Engine GLEEP and its hangar were dismantled in 2005; it is envisaged to finish the dismantling of engines BEPO, DIDO and PLUTO in 2020.

Zeta

The experimental reactor most interesting for VENTILATED was the experimental reactor of fusion ZETA. This project started in 1954 and it had its first results in 1957. However, the project was stopped in 1958 because it appeared impossible to progress on fusion with this design of engine.

Evolution of the organization

AIRED was built-in 1954 with the British Autorité of atomic energy (in English United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)) belonging to the Department Commercial and Industrie.

The deceleration of the nuclear program brittanic in years 1980 resulted in the reduction of the work entrusted to UKAEA. Gouvernemant reduced the budgets, it was requested from UKAEA to propose its research scientifqies directly with industry as if it were a business enterprise although it belongs entirely to the état.
In the years 1990, UKAEA was entirely reorganized. UKAEA kept the seizure on the infrastructures and the nuclear equipment and of all work related to nuclear energy but the remainder was privatisé within AEA Technology with the opening of the capital on the London Stock Exchange.

The name of Atomic Energy Research Establishment was at the same time abandoned and the site is called today Harwell International Business Centers .

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