WI: Alvin Weinberg on the Atomic Energy Commission

According to Alvin Weinberg's memoirs, John McCone offered him a seat on the Atomic Energy Commission. He doesn't specify a year, but this would be 1958 to 1961, given when McCone was on the AEC. Weinberg turned it down, preferring to remain in the field as head of Oak Ridge. What if he hadn't?

Weinberg on the AEC presumably means a stronger molten salt program, but it doesn't necessarily mean the triumph of the MSR over its rivals. The AEC had been working on the liquid metal fast breeder since the late 40s and had sunk a lot of money into it; by this point they had one working prototype, two high-power prototypes under construction, an advanced liquid-fuel LMFBR prototype being built at Los Alamos, and at least three sodium-cooled thermal reactors. The MSR had had one prototype for a completely different purpose that operated for a brief period in the mid-50s, and a true prototype, the MSRE, under construction. It's got an enormous amount of ground to make up, even with friends in high places, and Milton Shaw may still end up in charge of the Division of Reactor Development in 1964.

Still, it's a fascinating possibility. Given the half-life of commissioners, Weinberg would probably be off the AEC by the 70s, but he might leave an MSR program strong enough to survive until the LMFBR project collapses.

Thoughts?
 
For those of us not steeped in AEC lore, how is Weinberg's seat on the AEC a POD?

Based on info I know now in 2013, MSR's are a significant step up from LWR and Weinberg might get them a hearing as the OTHER proven nuclear fission reactor design so when TMI goes down, you can point to MSR's and have a viable alternative, butterflying nuclear power's dork age. YMMDV.
 
For those of us not steeped in AEC lore, how is Weinberg's seat on the AEC a POD?

Weinberg was THE molten salt guy. He was director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory during its golden age, and the main force behind the molten salt project. IOTL, the MSR was always a distant second at best to the LMFBR for the AEC leadership; moving Weinberg from ORNL to Washington gives molten salt a strong advocate within AEC headquarters. And, as one of the actual commissioners rather than just a staffer, he'd be in an excellent position to push the program. The forces favoring the LMFBR are probably too strong to be completely overriden, but it would put the MSR in a much better position, assuming Weinberg's successor at ORNL is equally sold on the technology.

Based on info I know now in 2013, MSR's are a significant step up from LWR and Weinberg might get them a hearing as the OTHER proven nuclear fission reactor design so when TMI goes down, you can point to MSR's and have a viable alternative, butterflying nuclear power's dork age. YMMDV.

That's what I'm thinking. I doubt MSRs can be ready for commercialization by TMI - even if the technology is theoretically ready, the inertia behind LWRs will be too much for them to make serious inroads. But after TMI and the collapse of the LMFBR effort in the 80s, the increased interest in safety could see them make serious progress in the 80s, and hopefully prevent the collapse of the Department of Energy civilian nuclear R&D effort.
 
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