Atomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation with the responsibility to manage Canadian nuclear policy, promote nuclear energy and research, and to oversee nuclear waste developed by Canadian nuclear reactors as well as manage the decommissioning of older reactors.

AECL describes its mandate as follows:

• Managing the Canadian nuclear platform responsibly and cost effectively.
• Leveraging the technology base to deliver nuclear products and services to market.

AECL also exports Canadian nuclear technology worldwide. Throughout the 1950s-2000s AECL marketed and built CANDU facilities in India, Pakistan, South Korea, Argentina, Romania, and China.

Like most companies in the nuclear industry, AECL faces many accusations of safety problems and weapons proliferation from citizen's groups. It is also often accused of wasting taxpayer money. The company is not financially self_sustaining; it relies on perpetual subsidies from the Canadian federal government.

History

1940s

AECL traces its heritage to the Second World War when a joint Canadian-British nuclear research laboratory was established in Montreal in 1942, under the National Research Council of Canada to develop a design for a nuclear reactor. [1] (http://www.cns-snc.ca/history/fifty_years/goldschmidt.html) In 1944, approval was given by the federal government to begin with construction of the ZEEP (Zero Energy Experimental Pile) reactor at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in Deep River, Ontario, located on the Chalk River, a tributary of the Ottawa River approximately 150 km northwest of Ottawa.

On September 5, 1945 the ZEEP reactor went critical, achieving the first "self-sustained nuclear reaction outside the United States."[2] (http://www.aecl.ca/index.asp?layid=3&csid=47&menuid=20) ZEEP put Canada at the forefront of nuclear research in the world and was the instigator behind eventual development of the CANDU reactors, ZEEP having operated as a research reactor until the early 1970s.

In 1946 the Montreal research laboratory was closed and research was consolidated at Chalk River Laboratories. On July 22, 1947 the NRX (National Research Experimental) reactor, the most powerful reactor in the world at the time, went critical and was "used successfully for producing radioisotopes, undertaking fuels and materials development work for CANDU reactors, and providing neutrons for physics experiments."[3] (http://www.aecl.ca/index.asp?layid=3&csid=47&menuid=20)

1950s

In 1952 AECL was formed by the government with a mandate to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy. On December 12, 1952 the NRX was the first reactor in history to undergo nuclear meltdown when four control rods were accidentally removed. A series of explosions blew a four_ton dome four feet into the air and embedded it in the superstructure. Radioactive dust and gas was released into the atmosphere, and millions of gallons of radioactive water accumulated inside the reactor. This water was dumped in shallow trenches not far from the Ottawa River. Hundreds of soldiers were employed in the cleanup and burial of the reactor debris.[4] (http://www.ccnr.org/paulson-legacy.html)

On November 3, 1957 the NRU (National Research Universal) reactor went critical. This is a natural-uranium, heavy-water-moderated and heavy-water-cooled research reactor which is a world-renowned research facility, producing about 60% of the world's supply of molybdenum-99, an isotope used for medical diagnosis. Canada also pioneered use of Cobalt-60 for medical diagnosis in 1951 and currently the NRU reactor produces the medical-use Cobalt-60, while selected CANDU reactors produce industrial-use Cobalt-60, comprising 85% of the world's supply.

On May 23, 1958 the NRU suffered another disaster. Several uranium fuel rods ruptured inside the reactor core. One of the damaged rods caught fire and was torn in two as it was being removed from the core. The fire was extinguished by an old-fashioned bucket brigade, but not before releasing a sizeable quantity of radioactives into the atmosphere. Over 600 people were employed in the clean-up.[5] (http://www.ccnr.org/paulson_legacy.html)

A few men were over-exposed to radiation, but no direct injuries resulted from AECL's two accidents.

1960s

In 1954 AECL partnered with the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario to build Canada's first nuclear power plant at Chalk River. On June 4, 1962 the NPD (Nuclear Power Demonstration) reactor went critical to demonstrate the CANDU concept. In 1963, AECL established the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (now Whiteshell Laboratories) in Pinawa, Manitoba where an organic-cooled and organic-operated research reactor was built.

1970s

In 1971 the first CANDU reactor, Pickering A 1, began commercial operation. By 1973 the other 3 reactors of the A group at Pickering were online and constituted the most powerful nuclear facility in the world at that time.

On May 18, 1974, India detonates a nuclear bomb made from plutonium manufactured by the Cirus reactor built by AECL in 1956. AECL has built three reactors in all in India, and all of India's other reactors are clones of the AECL CANDU design. This led to the accusation that AECL helped promote nuclear weapon proliferation, and the Canadian government forbade AECL from conducting further business in India. [6] (http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-104-898/science_technology/candu/clip4)

In 1977-1978 the Bruce A group went online and began commercial operation. In 1978, Whiteshell Labs began research into fuel waste disposal.

1980s

Between 1983-1986 the Pickering B group went online and also in 1983 the single CANDU reactor at Point Lepreau began operation, as did the Gentilly 2 CANDU reactor. Between 1984-1987 the Bruce B group began commercial operation and also in 1987 the CANDU design was ranked one of Canada's top_10 engineering achievements.

Between 1985-1987 a software bug in AECL's Therac-25 medical accelerator caused massive overdoses of radiation on 6 different occasions, with resultant deaths and injuries. In 1987 the machine was found defective by the FDA and recalled by AECL. The software had not been included in the original safety analysis of the machine.

1990s - present

Between 1990-1993 the 4 CANDU reactors at Darlington went online and represent the most recent reactor construction in Canada.

In 1998 Pakistan detonated a series of nuclear bombs which were probably produced with the aid of CANDU reactors built by AECL. AECL is forbidden from doing further business with Pakistan.

In 2000, AECL commissioned the MAPLE reactor, Canada's latest research reactor at Chalk River Labs. In 2001, AECL began tests at Chalk River Labs to determine the feasibility of using surplus MOX (mixed oxide) fuel from the Russian and U.S. defence programs (which contains plutonium) as a fuel in CANDU facilities.

Currently, AECL is in production of the Advanced CANDU reactors. They are meant to be improvements over the original CANDU. There is already one Advanced CANDU reactor operational in Thailand. However, improvements continue to be made.

References

• Leveson, Nancy G.; Turner, Clark S. (July, 1993) An Investigation of the Therac-25 Accidents. Computer 26 (7), 18-41.