The peaceful atom: part 3

Model
Video

Abstract

In this last program of the three-part series produced with the cooperation of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) on peacetime uses of atomic energy, Lynn Poole shows a model of the nation's first commercial nuclear reactor, the Shipping port power plant in Pennsylvania. He lists the products of this nuclear reactor as a result of splitting uranium-235: heat, fissionable materials, fission products, and atomic radiation. Dr. Manov, of the AEC, explains radioactive isotopes such as carbon-14 and why irons or other household appliances can not be atomic powered. He describes the ways radioisotopes can be used in industry for such purposes as checking metal castings for flaws, gauging thicknesses, measuring the wear and life of a cutting tool, tracing oil flow in pipelines, and applying the process of handling dangerous materials to other purposes. A film shows the application of radioisotope tracers to improve milk production in cows, eggshell thickness in chickens, and fertilizer use in plants.