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37-541: The laboratory is part of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program , a joint U.S Navy- Department of Energy program responsible for the research, design, construction, operation and maintenance of U.S. nuclear-powered warships. The laboratory was founded in 1949 on the site of the former Bettis Field , named after Cyrus Bettis . It covers approximately 207 acres (0.84 km). From the Lab's founding until 1998, it

74-531: A Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration . National Nuclear Security Administration The National Nuclear Security Administration ( NNSA ) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science . NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce

111-484: A good deal of information on Rickover's choices, methods and technical philosophy in the development of practical nuclear power, but are not biographies. While Rickover cooperated to provide real-time access to facilities, people and records, according to the authors he did not edit; Rickover was in-fact deceased before the second document was completed. These are: (1) Nuclear Navy, 1946-1962 by AEC staff historians Richard G. Hewlett and Francis Duncan, and (2) Rickover and

148-491: A nuclear-powered submarine.  The consensus of the group was that the technical difficulties could be overcome, and nuclear power could be used as a means for propelling Navy ships. On January 1, 1947, Congress established the Atomic Energy Commission and assigning it responsibilities for nuclear reactor plant development.  Later that month, Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, approved

185-707: A post-graduate certificate program in nuclear engineering with a focus on nuclear reactor design, construction, and operations. It is open only to naval personnel and Bettis engineers. The laboratory had been chosen to develop the Project Prometheus nuclear power source for the JIMO ( Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter ) project, however, funding for this program was cancelled in the fall of 2005. 40°21′27″N 79°53′58″W  /  40.35737°N 79.89938°W  / 40.35737; -79.89938 Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Naval Reactors ( NR ), which administers

222-474: A power reactor would require new corrosion resistant metals which could sustain prolonged periods of intense radiation, thick shielding to protect personnel from radiation, and new components which would operate safely and reliably. These problems were even more difficult for submarine application since the reactor and its associated steam plant had to fit within the confines of the comparatively small hull, and be able to withstand extreme battle shock incident to

259-410: A program for the design and development of nuclear power plants in submarines.    As of 1947, there was only limited experience with nuclear reactors. The United States had three reactors for producing nuclear material for atomic weapons, and five small research reactors. There was no readily available knowledge on operating a reactor that would produce power in a usable form.  Developing

296-470: Is responsible for providing efficient nuclear propulsion plants to the United States Navy. It is also known as Naval Reactors . It conducts the design, development and operational support required to power all the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines . The program consists of both civilian and military personnel who maintain, design, build, and manage the reactors. The following are

333-624: Is to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile. After the Cold War , the U.S. voluntarily ended underground nuclear testing . NNSA maintains the existing nuclear deterrent through the use of science experiments, engineering audits and high-tech simulations at its three national laboratories : Los Alamos National Laboratory , Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , and Sandia National Laboratories . It also creates new weapons programs as required by

370-553: The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program , is an umbrella term for the U.S. government office that has comprehensive responsibility for the safe and reliable operation of the United States Navy 's nuclear reactors "from womb to tomb." A single entity, it has authority and reporting responsibilities within both the Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 08) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NA-30). Moreover,

407-705: The Top500 list. Another important asset used to test the stockpile is the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at LLNL , a laser-based inertial confinement fusion research device. NIF achieved the first scientific breakeven controlled fusion experiment on December 5, 2022, with an energy gain factor of 1.5. Since then four additional ignition shots followed the December experiment: July 30, 2023; October 8, 2023; October 30, 2023; and February 12, 2024. The most recent experiment produced an estimated 5.2 MJ—more than doubling

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444-780: The United States Department of Defense . NNSA assets used to maintain and ensure the effectiveness of the American nuclear weapons stockpile include the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility (DARHT) at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Contained Firing Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories. NNSA also uses powerful supercomputers to run simulations and validate experimental data; these computers often appear on

481-621: The Director of Naval Reactors also serves as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations for Naval Nuclear Propulsion (Code N00N). Naval Reactors is headed by a Navy four-star admiral . The director serves for a nominal eight-year term of office, the longest standard assignment in the U.S. military. The program was originally created under Executive Order 12344 by the President Ronald Reagan , on February 1, 1982. The director

518-616: The Division of Reactor Development, United States Atomic Energy Commission and then assumed control of the Navy's effort as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch in the Bureau of Ships. Progress was made quickly with countless technological and engineering questions being raised, assessed, and resolved. The whole program was a prime example of what would now be called concurrent engineering with

555-574: The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), within which NR is Code 08, usually abbreviated NAVSEA 08 or SEA 08. Admiral Rickover parlayed an impressive personal publicity effort and intensive links with the United States Congress into an unprecedented tenure as head of Naval Reactors whereby he could not be relieved by conventional military procedures. He was promoted, partially as a result of Congressional involvement, until he reached

592-600: The Nuclear Navy: The Discipline of Technology by Francis Duncan. The AEC makes both of these documents directly available to the public in digital form. Many books (including those referenced below) and articles have been written about core NR management principles such as attention to detail and adherence to rigidly-defined standards and specifications, as well as the organization's unique (for government) personnel practices. NR staff and alumni (including Admiral Rickover himself) have often been called by Congress,

629-549: The Office of Materials Management and Minimization is divided into three subprograms: Conversion, Nuclear Materials Removal, and Material Disposition. Through this office and its predecessors, NNSA has successfully led the recovery efforts of nuclear materials from dozens of countries. Since 1996, the Department of Energy/NNSA has disposed of enough material to produce more than 325 nuclear weapons. For example, in 2017, it removed all

666-631: The PWR design for commercial use and built the first commercial nuclear power plant in the United States , the Shippingport Power Plant in the west hills of Pittsburgh. The laboratory had two supercomputers listed on the 26th TOP500 List (November 2005). Ranked 97 a 1,090 processor Opteron system and ranked 405 a 536 processor Itanium 2 system. The laboratory is also home to the U.S. Navy's Bettis Reactor Engineering School. The school provides

703-681: The President and other government agencies to provide expert opinion and management support to other important government programs, most notably the large scale reviews following the destruction of the Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger . NR alumni have also founded or led numerous corporate and industrial organizations, for example MPR Associates, Inc. [1] , founded by three of Admiral Rickover's leading technical managers in NR's early days. The Director of Naval Reactors also concurrently serves as

740-483: The Secretary of Energy. The first Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA administrator appointed was Air Force General (and CIA Deputy Director) John A. Gordon . In 2006, it was confirmed that NNSA employee information had been hacked. A report criticized the response. NNSA's Administrator took responsibility. NNSA has the following missions with regard to national security: One of NNSA's primary missions

777-766: The Super Bowl. NNSA provides expertise, tools and technically informed policy recommendations to advance U.S. nuclear counterterrorism and counterproliferation objectives. It is responsible for understanding nuclear threat devices and foreign activities that cause proliferation concerns. To do this, members of the counterproliferation office confer with international counterparts on nuclear security and counterterrorism; conduct scientific research to characterize, detect and defeat nuclear threat devices; develop and conduct WMD counterterrorism exercises; and promote nuclear information security policy and practices. NNSA's Nuclear Propulsion Program – working with Naval Nuclear Laboratories –

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814-579: The U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ships. When the AEC was abolished, Naval Reactors became a joint effort of the Navy and the Energy Research and Development Administration , which partly replaced the AEC. In 1977, ERDA was combined with the Federal Energy Administration to form the U.S. Department of Energy. On the Navy side of the organization, the Bureau of Ships has transitioned since the 1950s to become

851-401: The elements of the program: NNSA has several offices that support its primary missions. Among them are: NNSA's Office of Emergency Operations has the obligation of responding to emergencies on behalf of the entire Department of Energy. Its high level of alertness allows the United States to respond to incidents in a rapid manner. NNSA's Office of Defense Nuclear Security is responsible for

888-448: The global danger from weapons of mass destruction ; provides the United States Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion ; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad. Established by the United States Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the United States Department of Energy . The current Administrator is Jill Hruby . The National Nuclear Security Administration

925-609: The highly enriched uranium from Ghana and repatriated it to China. The Ghanaian reactor now uses low-enriched uranium. NNSA's Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation focuses on: The office oversees the capabilities of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team . NNSA deploys response teams dozens of times each year, usually to check for radioactive materials. Missions assuage safety concerns, support other agencies, and bolster law enforcement capabilities at large public events such as presidential inaugurations and

962-488: The input energy of 2.2 MJ. The Office of Secure Transportation provides safe and secure transportation of nuclear weapons and components and special nuclear materials, and conducts other missions supporting national security. OST shipments are moved in specially designed equipment and escorted by armed and specially trained federal agents . NNSA's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation works with international partners, federal agencies, U.S. national laboratories, and

999-487: The laboratory on July 12, 2018 and assumed operations on October 1, 2018. The laboratory developed Oak Ridge National Laboratory's original design of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) for operational naval use. It built the nuclear propulsion plants for the first U.S. nuclear submarines and surface ships including USS  Nautilus , USS  George Washington , USS  Long Beach , and USS  Enterprise . Westinghouse's Nuclear Power Division adapted

1036-436: The nation's first power reactor in an astounding engineering achievement. The following four years would see three more nuclear submarines and two reactor plant prototypes operating and another seven ships and two prototypes being built. To date, more reactors have been built and safely operated by the NR program than any other US program. The office was originally a joint activity of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and

1073-462: The operation of combatant ships. The propulsion plant had to be operated and maintained at sea by Naval officers and enlisted men who, although specially trained, were not physicists or scientists. Although application of nuclear power to submarines was a major challenge, it was generally recognized that success would transform submarine warfare. Submerged operation of submarines of the World War II era

1110-640: The private sector to discover, protect, and or dispose of radiological and nuclear materials. The office strives to: The agency created the Global Threat Reduction Initiative in 2004 to expand efforts similar to the Cooperative Threat Reduction program beyond the former Soviet Union. In 2016, GTRI was renamed the Office of Materials Management and Minimization, and continues the efforts of supporting reactor conversions, fuel returns, and LEU fuel development. The work of

1147-460: The prototype being prepared as the design progressed and construction of the first nuclear powered submarine ( SSN 571 Nautilus ) progressing close behind. The results were an astoundingly successful and a testament to Rickover's style of management and getting complex engineering done. The results achieved from 1949 - 1955 speak for themselves: Within seven years of its inception, the organization had moved from almost nothing to put into operation

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1184-588: The rank of full Admiral and held the position for over 30 years from 1949 to February 1, 1982 (when he was retired). The history of nuclear propulsion and Rickover's influence and involvement is substantial. Due to the importance and impact of nuclear power, the AEC commissioned the creation of two related historical records to capture important facts of both naval nuclear propulsion and the Shippingport commercial reactor. Both of these official documents necessarily contain

1221-412: Was concurrently assigned as the deputy administrator for Naval Reactors for the National Nuclear Security Administration via Pub. L.   98–525 ( 50 U.S.C.   § 2406 ) on October 19, 1984 in order to assist them in the research, design, development, health, and safety matters pertaining to naval nuclear propulsion plants via 42 U.S.C.   § 7158 . Executive Order 12344

1258-456: Was created by Congressional action in 1999, in the wake of the Wen Ho Lee spy scandal and other allegations that lax administration by the Department of Energy had resulted in the loss of U.S. nuclear secrets to China. Originally proposed to be an independent agency, it was instead chartered as a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy to be headed by an administrator reporting to

1295-420: Was limited by battery power and was measured in hours to a few days. Because nuclear fission produced heat without consuming oxygen, a true submarine was possible, one which could remain submerged and steam at sustained high speed for long periods. Captain (later Admiral) Hyman G. Rickover quickly became the principal early advocate of nuclear marine propulsion . In February 1949 he received an assignment to

1332-627: Was made a permanent federal program via Pub. L.   106–65 (text) (PDF) of October 5, 1999 ( 50 U.S.C.   § 2511 ). In June 1946, the Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz decided to send five officers (including then Captain Hyman Rickover) and three civilians to Oak Ridge , Tennessee, to study the potential of using nuclear energy to power ships.  The Navy group organized themselves under then Captain Rickover and embraced Philip Abelson 's concept of

1369-405: Was run by Westinghouse Electric Corporation . Bechtel Corporation won the contract to run the laboratory on September 19, 2008 and assumed operation on February 1, 2009, first under its subsidiary Bechtel Bettis, Inc., later under Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation. The contract changed hands again when Fluor Corporation , as their subsidiary Fluor Marine Propulsion, LLC won the contract to run

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