This was the first time that an atomic reactor worked in Peru, in 1961

As of October 7, 1961, Peruvians discovered some of the secrets of the nuclear energy thanks to the exhibition held in the old San Felipe racecourse, in Jesús María, mounted under a modern structure supported only by air pressure, something never seen before in our capital.

The two main attractions were the nuclear reactor and the gamma radiation laboratory, both exhibited for the first time in Peru.

In an exhibition area of ​​1,800 square meters, classrooms were installed where Peruvian schoolchildren received classes on atomic energy, as well as libraries and spaces for conferences.

The best physics teachers from Lima’s public and private schools were chosen for these lectures: Carlos Bravo Pinto from Alfonso Ugarte, Luis Mauro Monge from Ricardo Bentín and Benjamín Morote Fernández del Leoncio Prado, among others.

The selected teachers were intensively trained by representatives of the famous Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies in Tennessee, whose specialists traveled to Peru for this purpose.

Central demo

The great attraction of this scientific exhibition, called The “magic of the atom”, consisted of conducting experiments in a huge cylindrical steel repository of more than three meters embedded in the ground, where the gamma radiation laboratory-tank was located.

Peruvian engineers and scientists were able to take advantage of this tank to carry out special radiation work in chemistry and biology.

The heart of the gamma radiation laboratory consisted of four rectangular radioactive cobalt ribbons, which had a combined force of 1,500 curies (unit of measurement for radiation).

Cobalt 60 (radioactive isotope) was carefully transported in a stainless steel tank, with a lead shield that weighed three tons.

This tank was submerged inside the tank filled with filtered and demineralized water. In this way the water protected the shielding between the operators and the cobalt gamma ray emissions.

The samples destined to be irradiated were placed in receptacles that were conducted through tubes to the tank where the cobalt established a radiation field.

Radiation: power and danger

The radiation the sample received varied between 12,000 and 200,000 roentgens per hour. At that time the roentgen was the unit of measurement for radiation.

Receiving more than 400 roentgens per hour could be lethal for anyone. At Chernobyl, the nuclear plant that exploded in 1986 released up to 30,000 roentgens per hour.

The reactor fuel elements, which contained the enriched uranium that produced atomic energy, were encased in aluminum and submerged in a large tank of water, thus offering safety to the public and those who worked with it.

Another novelty of this exhibition was the “atomic battery”, devised by North American engineers and scientists for use in space exploration. It was a miniature generator the size of a large orange, with no moving parts, that produced great electrical force. Compared to electric battery, atomic battery is lighter, longer-lasting, and reliable.

Energy for peace

The closest reference to atomic energy that the Peruvians of those years had was its devastating use during World War II.

At the exhibition they were able to discover other applications. University students wearing uniforms with a badge that read “Atoms for Peace”, explained to the audience the phases of atomic energy production and its application in medical and biological sciences, and in the generation of energy for agriculture and industry. .

The exhibition was sponsored by the United States Atomic Energy Commission and with the cooperation of the Atomic Energy Control Board of Peru.

The exhibition was free and open access, in which groups of 300 people could enter in a staggered manner, according to the capacity of the so-called “atomic building”.

The opening

The opening ceremony was attended by Pedro Beltrán, President of the Council of Ministers, and the United States Ambassador, James Loeb.

Ambassador Loeb said: “The inauguration of this great event has been possible thanks to the cooperation of the atomic energy organizations of the governments of Peru and the United States.”

“We are hopeful that all that they have erected here will bring to thousands of Peruvians new concepts and understanding of the beneficial uses of nuclear energy,” he added.

In Peru, the first nuclear reactor started operating in 1988 and was implemented with the cooperation of the Argentine government.