NRX reactor accident of 1952

E290831

industrial accident nuclear reactor accident radiological incident

The NRX reactor accident of 1952 was a major nuclear reactor incident in Canada involving a partial meltdown and significant radioactive release, making it one of the earliest serious accidents in nuclear power history.

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All labels observed (2)

Label	Occurrences
1952 NRX reactor accident	1
NRX reactor accident of 1952 canonical	1

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	industrial accident ⓘ nuclear reactor accident ⓘ radiological incident ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	NRX reactor accident of 1952 ⓘ surface form: 1952 NRX reactor accident NRX accident ⓘ
cause	inadequate communication of control rod status ⓘ malfunctioning control rods ⓘ operator error ⓘ
cleanupOperation	involved extensive decontamination of reactor building ⓘ involved removal of damaged fuel and reactor components ⓘ
cleanupWorkers	included Canadian military personnel ⓘ included civilian scientists and technicians ⓘ
containmentMeasures	pumping contaminated water to storage and disposal areas ⓘ venting of radioactive gases through stack ⓘ
continent	North America ⓘ
country	Canada ⓘ
date	1952-12-12 ⓘ
environmentalImpact	release of radioactive water into nearby environment after treatment and dilution ⓘ
followedBy	further safety upgrades at Chalk River reactors ⓘ
healthEffects	no immediate fatalities reported ⓘ workers received elevated radiation doses during cleanup ⓘ
historicalSignificance	highlighted importance of clear control room communication ⓘ influenced development of reactor safety procedures ⓘ one of the earliest serious accidents in nuclear reactor history ⓘ
impactOnReactor	NRX reactor ⓘ surface form: NRX reactor was heavily damaged NRX reactor ⓘ surface form: NRX reactor was later repaired and returned to service
lessonsLearned	need for better control rod interlocks ⓘ need for improved operator training ⓘ need for more robust emergency procedures ⓘ
location	Chalk River Laboratories ⓘ
operator	Atomic Energy of Canada Limited ⓘ
precededBy	early experimental reactor operations at Chalk River ⓘ
radioactiveRelease	contamination of reactor building and surrounding area ⓘ significant release of radioactive material into the reactor building ⓘ
reactorCoolant	light water ⓘ
reactorInvolved	NRX research reactor ⓘ
reactorModerator	heavy water ⓘ
reactorType	research reactor ⓘ
regulatoryImpact	contributed to improvements in Canadian nuclear safety regulations ⓘ
relatedTo	nuclear safety ⓘ reactor control systems ⓘ
sequenceOfEvents	control rods were withdrawn further than intended ⓘ fuel elements overheated and were damaged ⓘ reactor power increased uncontrollably ⓘ
site	Chalk River ⓘ surface form: Chalk River, Ontario
typeOfDamage	fuel element rupture ⓘ partial core meltdown ⓘ
year	1952 ⓘ

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Chalk River Laboratories → significantEvent → NRX reactor accident of 1952 ⓘ

NRX reactor accident of 1952 → alsoKnownAs → NRX reactor accident of 1952 ⓘ

this entity surface form: 1952 NRX reactor accident