Records of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Establishment: Winfrith

Records concerning all aspects of research carried out at the UK Atomic Energy Establishment at Winfrith into the construction and operation of zero energy and small scale demonstration reactors.

These include committee papers in AB 28, reports in AB 29 and senior management papers in AB 33

Correspondence and papers relating to research and development are in AB 35, files relating to the construction and operation of the steam generating heavy water reactor are in AB 37, and records relating to the Dragon project are in AB 32

Series of registered files on specific subjects are as follows:

• Contract and stores: AB 67
• Finance and accounts: AB 68
• General administration: AB 34
• Health and Safety: AB 28 and AB 69
• Personnel and establishment: AB 70 and AB 29
• Scientific and technical: AB 36
• Diversification projects: AB 91.

For the whereabouts of engineering drawings see AB 30 and for photographs see AB 31

Topics

Nuclear energy

Research

The development of an Atomic Energy Establishment at Winfrith, Dorset, as a satellite of the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell, began in 1957 in order to meet the requirement for a continuing programme of construction and operation of zero energy and small scale demonstration reactors.

Winfrith's main activities were concerned with the development and assessment of both thermal and fast reactor systems, including reactor physics, heat transfer and fluid dynamics, reactor safety and control, and nucleonic instrumentation.

In 1959, the establishment was chosen to house the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Dragon project and reactor, and provided support services for this research programme into high temperature reactors until it closed in 1976.

In 1961, the establishment was transferred to the control of the authority's Reactor Group, which had overall responsibility for the development and introduction of nuclear power reactor systems. In 1963, authorisation was given for the construction of a prototype Steam Generating Heavy Water Power Reactor at Winfrith.

From 1970 onwards an increased amount of repayment work was undertaken at Winfrith, particularly for the Central Electricity Generating Board and British Nuclear Fuels. In addition, non-nuclear work on techniques of oil recovery became an important part of the work.

After 1977, the establishment became a separate management unit within the authority, ceasing to be a component of Northern Division.