Experimental Breeder Reactor I

 When scientists and government officials working with the Atomic Energy Commission began searching for a location to build a breeder reactor they looked for a site that had a plentiful source of water and was  hundreds of miles from large cities but close enough to a smaller established city to provide housing for employees.  Acres of empty desert sitting over the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer within commuting distance from Idaho Falls fit the bill. Construction started in late 1949 and by December 1951 the reactor was powering all the lights in the building.

The purpose of the experimental breeder reactor was not to produce electricity but to prove that it could produce more fuel than it consumed. Uranium was used as a fuel source and it created an isotope of plutonium, another fissile material, as a byproduct. When the reactor core neared the end of its life in 1955, the scientists decided to conduct an experiment by turning the coolant off while slowly turning the power up. Safe guards didn't work as they should have and the reactor had to be shut down. The uranium core had partially melted. New cores were installed in 1955 and in 1962. The reactor was decommissioned in 1964. Due to high operating costs and special dangers associated with breeder reactors, they are not being constructed in the US. 

 Spent fuel rod were stored in concrete holes in the floor.

The building that housed Experimental Breeder Reactor I is now a museum and open for guided or self tours. There are 8 tour stops with signs and a brochure with information about each stop. A small theater has a short video on nuclear power, and displays in several rooms tell the story of the next experimental breeder reactor EBR- II. On the grounds outside there are two experimental nuclear powered plane engines that were built but never used in planes.   

The museum is not very accessible.The first floor has stops 5,6, and 7. One room has a high threshold. The rest of the stops are on the second floor and in the basement so understanding the breeder reactor operation is difficult. The EBR- II displays and the plane engine exhibits are accessible.

 The parking lot is large enough for any RV.  Museum  43.5119, -113.00562