United States · Schenectady, NY · 42.804, -73.929 (approximate location)

PPA Preliminary Pile Assembly

PPA Preliminary Pile Assembly, a research reactor (critical assembly) in Schenectady, NY, United States, with 100 W of thermal power, operated by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. Decommissioned, first critical in 1948.

It was one of the 340 research reactors the United States has had; 48 remain in operation today. It went critical 6 years after the first research reactor in the United States, CP-1, Chicago Pile 1 (1942). 44 critical assemblies remain in operation today across 12 countries. Its declared uses include activation analysis, nuclear data measurements and materials testing.

Country

United States

City

Schenectady, NY

Type

Critical assembly

Thermal power

100 W

Operator

Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory

Status

Decommissioned

First criticality

1948

Purpose

Activation analysis, nuclear data, materials testing

See also: every research reactor in United States · How research reactors work