Abstract
THE Atomic Energy Production headquarters of the Ministry of Supply at Risley, near Warrington, is increasing its team of design and planning engineers, to speed up the development of atomic research in Britain. Already a large technical department at Risley is planning the factories, such as the one being erected at Springfields, Lancashire, which are required for the production of fissile material. This factory, one of the war-time chemical defence plants, is being converted by the Ministry of Supply into an atomic energy centre for the manufacture of uranium metal. The processes to be carried out will consist of the refining of pitchblende concentrates, reduction to metal and the machining and finishing of uranium metal rods for atomic piles. It is hoped that building work and plant erection will be sufficiently advanced for production to begin in the late autumn. When production reaches its peak, a labour force of more than a thousand will be required, of which a number will work on continuous shifts. Most of these will be recruited locally, but it will also be necessary to bring in supervisory staff with specialized knowledge.
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Atomic Energy Utilization in Britain. Nature 159, 533 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159533b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159533b0