1975 History of the Development of Zirconium in Nuclear Reactors

In March 1975, Rickover was awarded the William J. Kroll Medal for Zirconium Development. On the occasion of the presentation, Rickover prepared this paper detailing the history of the Development of Zirconium Alloys for the Use In Nuclear Reactors. Three papers are included in this report: One presentation by Admiral Rickover, and two papers he requested outlining the key events associated with the use of zirconium alloys for use in neval reactors. The three papers are: ''The decision to use zirconium in nuclear reactors'', by Admiral H.G. Rickover, (presented at the William J. Kroll Medal Presentation, Denver Colorado, March 21, 1975), ''Development of sources of supply for zirconium and hafnium for nuclear reactors'' , by L.D. Geiger, and, ''Technical development of zirconium for nuclear reactor use'', by B. Lustman.

Rickover's acceptance speech is included starting on pdf page 9

Here is the forward:

Upon being notified of my selection to receive the William J. Kroll Medal for Zirconium, I thought it fitting to outline the technical problems and the major decisions made during the early development of zirconium alloys for use in naval reactors. It also seemed appropriate to compile a more detailed account of these events to supplement my remarks at the Medal presentation. Therefore, two of those most deeply involved with zirconium development for naval reactors were asked to prepare papers outlining the key events associated with this evolution.

The first was Mr. Lawson D. Geiger, who was Manager of the Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office of the Atomic Energy Commission from its establishment in 1948 until his retirement in 1973. He was directly involved in the early procurement of zirconium for all Commission needs including naval nuclear reactors. The second was Dr. Benjamin Lustman who, starting in 1949, was a metallurgist and currently is a manager responsible for core materials development at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. He has been directly involved in the development of zirconium and its alloys as well as their application to naval reactors. Their papers, together with my speech presented at the Medal Award ceremony on March 21, 1975, in Denver, Colorado, are assembled in this report.

I have fostered the publication of the technology developed as part of the Naval Reactors Program. Eleven books have been published under the sponsorship of Naval Reactors. Three of the books deal with the materials covered in this report. They are:

- *Metallurgy of Zirconium*, edited by B. Lustman and F. Kerze, Jr., July 1955, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York

- *The Metallurgy of Hafnium*, edited by D. E. Thomas and E. T. Hayes, 1960, available from Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.

- *Neutron Absorber Materials for Reactor Control*, edited by W. Kermit Anderson and J. S. Theilacker, 1962, available from Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.

My deep appreciation goes to Mr. Geiger and Dr. Lustman for their work in preparing their papers.

**H. G. RICKOVER**

**ADMIRAL, USN**