Culcheth Laboratories

Culcheth Laboratories was a British metallurgical and nuclear research institute that researched the structural design of nuclear reactors and reactor pressure vessels in Culcheth, Cheshire, then in south Lancashire and now in the borough of Warrington.

Culcheth Laboratories[1]
UKAEA Culcheth
Culcheth Laboratories is located in Cheshire
Culcheth Laboratories
Location within Cheshire
Former namesReactor Materials Laboratory
Alternative namesCulcheth Laboratory
General information
TypeMetallurgical Research Centre
Locationformer South Lancashire
AddressWigshaw Lane, Culcheth and Glazebury, WA3 4NE
Coordinates53.4517°N 2.5292°W / 53.4517; -2.5292
Elevation35 m (115 ft)
Completed1950
Demolished1995
ClientUKAEA
OwnerUKAEA

History

The Reactor Materials Laboratory was established at Culcheth in 1950.[2] The UKAEA's Safety and Reliability Directorate (SRD)[3] stayed at Culcheth until 1995.

Function

It carried out work on reactors for the British civil and military (submarine fleet) nuclear energy programmes, investigating metallurgy. In the first ten years, it carried out research on materials for fast breeder reactors; it was the first time that niobium had been part of a fast breeder reactor.[4] The site investigated fracture mechanics, nuclear reactor physics and hydraulics.

Work on irradiation of metals was also carried out with the School of Materials, University of Manchester and the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge.[5]

Structure

Culcheth is just over one mile north of junction 11 of the M62 motorway on the A574.

It was administered by the Research and Development Branch of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).

See also

References
  1. New Scientist, 22 October 1959, page 778
  2. Institute of Physics, Nuclear Industry Group September 2016
  3. New Scientist, 10 April 1980, page 112
  4. Times, 11 May 1957, page 6
  5. Effects of Radiation on Structural Metals, 1967, ASTM International, page 161
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