Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor

The BGRR was the first nuclear reactor built after World War II for exclusively peaceful use. It was the first reactor constructed at BNL. The primary purposes of the BGRR were to produce neutrons for scientific use and to refine nuclear reactor design. The reactor provided a source of neutrons for multidisciplinary scientific research in materials science, chemistry, biology, and physics. ==Design==

The BGRR was an air cooled, graphite moderated, uranium fueled research reactor. The 700 ton ==Decommissioning==

After operating for 18 years, BGRR was functionally obsolete. The BGRR was placed in standby mode in June 1968, then permanently shut down in 1969. All fuel was removed from the reactor and shipped to the Savannah River Site by 1972. The BGRR was fully decommissioned in 2012 following a 13-year, $148 million process. Contaminated materials were shipped to Nevada and Utah for disposal. Over its lifetime an estimated 25,000 individual experiments were performed by the reactor and accompanying scientists and engineers. The BGRR was the predecessor for the High Flux Beam Reactor also located at BNL. ==See also==