Digitization of historical films about Nebraska's pioneering Hallam Sodium Graphite Reactor.

We’re excited to announce the world “re-premier” of two historic videos about Nebraska’s pioneering nuclear power experience with the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility at the Sheldon Power Station.

The Nebraska Public Power District has generously sponsored the digitization of two early 1960s films about the historic Hallam Nuclear Power Facility just south of Lincoln, NE. The films were sitting on 16mm film at the National Archives for the past 60 years, and thanks to NPPD, are now right here on the internet. Extra special thanks to John McClure, who drove me down to Sheldon Station during the 2021 Nebraska Advanced Reactor Forum and supported getting these resources digitized, and to Scott Margheim for coordinating the digitization efforts.

1963 Atomic Energy Commission video about Hallam, digitized from the National Archives thanks to Nebraska Public Power District

To celebrate these videos, we just added a new page briefly summarizing the Hallam story, and explaining what’s so cool about sodium graphite reactors. In summary, they can produce high-temperature heat (good for efficiency and industrial needs), with low-pressure liquid metal sodium (good for emergency cooling without backup power) without requiring above ~4% enrichment. The SGR is a nearly-forgotten super-capable reactor that has significant operational experience. Hopefully these videos will help us remember them.

The second film contains mostly the same footage as the first, but in a condensed version.

1964 Atomic Energy Commission video about Hallam, digitized from the National Archives thanks to Nebraska Public Power District

Independently of whatisnuclear.com, NPPD also digitized two other Hallam videos that are well worth watching:

A film about the construction of the Sheldon station digitized by NPPD.

A film about the construction of the Sheldon station digitized by NPPD. This one includes a great shot of the Hallam reactor vessel after it fell off the truck and rolled several hundred yards through a corn field.

In other exciting news, NPPD has also been scanning photos from the Sheldon Station office showing the construction and operation of the Hallam reactor in even more thrilling detail. They have already sent us hundreds of photos from the Hallam decommissioning. More to come on that!

This digitization effort kicked off after we found out about the existence of the Hallam videos in a film catalog linked on our ZPPR video page. There are lots more like this still.