On this day in history, June 2nd, 1943, the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant began construction in Oak Ridge, TN. Built to enrich uranium for use in the Little Boy atomic bomb, the K-25 plant was the largest building in the world during the Manhattan Project. The plant’s distinctive U-shaped building covered a 44-acre tract (178,062 sq. meters) over one-half mile long (0.8 km) and 1,000 yards wide (914.4 meters). At its height of operation in 1945, K-25 employed over 10,000 workers.
K-25 operated through the Cold War and was the only gaseous diffusion plant in operation in the US during that time. The plant ceased operating in 1987 and was demolished by Department of Energy contractors in 2013.
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Image Caption: K-25 in 1947
Image Credit: US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY/ED WESTCOTT
Original source can be found here.
