An 8:1 linear scale model of a General Atomics High Temperature Gas Reactor HTGR fuel element. The hexagonal cross-section model is 9.6 cm long and measures 4.4 cm across from face to face. The artifact was handed out to delegates to a seminar held in honour of Peter Fortescu on June 17, 1978 in San Diego, California. See notes below on Fortescu.
This artifact was donated by the Lewis Library which received a number of artifacts from the estate of Dr. W.B. Lewis. It is believed that DR. Lewis attended the seminar in San Diego.
According to the General Atomic website: “Dr. Peter Fortescue was an internationally recognized leader in the development of helium-cooled nuclear reactors for electric power generation. For many years he was chief research and development engineer at General Atomic Division of General Dynamics, the predecessor of today’s General Atomics. He was leader of the team responsible for the initial development of the High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) for electric power generation, as well as the Gas-cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR) system.
Before coming to GA in 1957, Dr. Fortescue was deputy chief scientist at the British Atomic Energy Establishment at Harwell, which he joined in 1947. There, he made major contributions to the development of the British Calder Hall power reactors, including the cooling arrangements. Earlier, he was with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, as well as the Bristol Aero Company, where he was responsible for the technical design of the first propeller gas turbine engine.”
