NUCLEAR AMBITION

Discussion on jamaica-observer-com | 9 comments

NUCLEAR AMBITION

Dennis A Minott, PhD 2 days ago

By the way fellow Jamaicans and Jamaica Observer Editor, Puerto Rico had a nuclear research reactor known as the Boiling Nuclear Superheater (BONUS) Reactor Facility.

Here are the key details:

Overview of the BONUS Reactor Construction Start: 1960

First Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction: April 13, 1964

Full Power Operation Achieved: September 1965, with a thermal power output of 50 MW.

Operation Termination: June 1968 due to technical difficulties.

Decommissioning : The reactor was decommissioned between 1969 and 1970.

During this process, all special nuclear materials were removed from the island, and the reactor was entombed in concrete to ensure safety and prevent exposure to residual radioactive materials.

Current Status

Today, the site is grandly dubbed the Museo Tecnológico BONUS . Dr. Modesto Iriarte and has earned its spot on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This facility boasts the distinction of being Puerto Rico's one and only nuclear reactor—an enduring relic of the island’s decades ago foray into nuclear energy.

And guess what our Caribbean neighbors in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic think of nuclear power? Their engineers and scientists were deep in the game long before our own starry-eyed elites and their likely sponsors and shills even began dabbling. Meanwhile, we’re supposed to believe that UWI, with its self-proclaimed “top 1.5% of global universities” status, is poised to lead us boldly into nuclear innovation—territory where the ministers, engineers, and scientists of our 28 million-strong neighbours never dared tread before us 2.9 million Jamaicans upon yonder Mount of Transfiguration.

Truly, it's nothing short of a miraculous bath of blinding light from the visage of dear Canada.

Academic Dishonesty

Dennis A Minott, PhD 3 days ago

In addition to the SLOWPOKE-2 at UWI Mona (since 1984), there are indeed other research reactors nearby in the broader Caribbean region.

Here are some:

1. TRIGA II reactor in Cuba: Located at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Technology in Havana, this reactor was commissioned in 1983. The TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) design is widely used around the world for educational and research purposes due to its high safety features. Cuba's TRIGA II plays a role in scientific research, including nuclear medicine, agriculture, and environmental studies.

2. IRR-1 research reactor in the Dominican Republic: The Irradiation and Research Reactor (IRR-1), located at the Nuclear Center in Santo Domingo, was commissioned in 1968. It is a smaller reactor primarily used for research and isotope production, playing a similar role to Cuba's TRIGA II , and Jamaica's SLOWROKE-2 in contributing to scientific research and practical applications in various NON-POWER fields.

So, the SLOWPOKE-2 at UWI Mona is not the only nuclear research reactor in the Caribbean basin, as both Cuba and the Dominican Republic also have operational reactors. However, all these reactors are unique in their specific designs and functions within the region. None is in any way even a tiny power reactor!