ML21264A163: Difference between revisions

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(StriderTol Bot change)
(StriderTol Bot change)
 
Line 15: Line 15:


=Text=
=Text=
{{#Wiki_filter:CRUD: Another Acronym Bites the Dust Chalk River Unidentified Deposits (CRUD). The nuclear industry loves its acronyms, and the myth behind CRUDa term for corrosion particles that become radioactiveis almost as fabled as Safety Control Rod Axe Man (SCRAM). But in reality, crud, like scram, is not an acronym at all, but popular slang appropriated by Manhattan Project personnel.
{{#Wiki_filter:CRUD: Another Acrony m Bites the Dust
The idea that crud was an acronym came from a 1959 article by Commander E.E. Kintner. In 1953, Kintner headed the Advanced Design Group under Hyman Rickover developing the Mark I prototype reactor for the first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus. To verify that the reactors fuel elements would not corrode, Kintner recalled, samples were placed in a research reactor located at Chalk River, Canada. After several months of irradiation, the fuel elements were covered in depositsChalk River Unidentified Deposits. This was worrisome since the deposits might block the flow of coolant around the fuel causing them to overheat and melt. While the problem was resolved by adjusting water chemistry, CRUD lived on as an acronym for radioactive deposits.
 
Crud was a term used early by the Hanford Engineering Works. Kintner likely did not know that by 1953 the word crud had already been in use for nearly a decade at Atomic Energy Commission facilities. The word appeared in a technical manual as early as May 1944 at in the Hanford Engineering Works in Washington State. The manual described the use of chemical treatments to seep insoluble crud and mud from the solution. By 1947, crud was a common enough in the AEC that reports from Hanford and Oak Ridge no longer used quotation marks to describe the crud deposition problem.
C ha lk R ive r U nide nt ifie d D e pos it s (C R U D ). T he nuc le a r indus t r y love s it s a c r onyms, a nd t he myt h be hind C R U D a t erm for corros ion part icles t hat be c ome r a dioa c t ive is almos t as fabled as Safety C ont r ol R od A x e M a n (SC R A M ). B ut in r e a lit y, c r ud, like s c r a m, is not a n a c r onym a t a ll, but popula r s la ng a ppr opr ia t e d by M a nha t t a n Pr oje c t pe r s onne l.
Thus, CRUD is really an example of a backronym  where words are identified to fit the letters of an existing word.
 
So, why was crud used to describe radioactive deposits in the first place? Crud was a common word well before World War II that likely derives from the Welsh cryd, meaning disease or plague. By the early 1930s, crud became slang for unpalatable food, filth, a sloppily dressed man or an illness, as in, Ive got the crud. By World War II, soldiers called any unknown illness the crud, and a comic book of the era featured a Corporal Crud as one of its characters.
T he ide a t ha t c r ud w a s a n a c r onym c a me fr om a 1 9 5 9 a r t ic le by C omma nde r E. E. Kint ne r. I n 1 9 5 3, Kint ne r he a de d t he A dva nc e d D e s ig n G r oup unde r H yma n R ic kove r de ve loping t he M a r k I pr ot ot ype r e a c t or for t he fir s t nuc le a r pow e r e d s ubma r ine, t he N a ut ilus. T o ve r ify t ha t t he r e a c t or s fue l e le me nt s w ould not c or r ode, Kint ne r r e c a lle d, s a mple s w e r e placed in a research reactor locat e d a t C ha lk R ive r, C a na da. A ft e r s e ve r a l mont hs of ir r a dia t ion, t he fue l element s were covered in depos it s C ha lk R ive r U nide nt ifie d D e pos it s. T his w a s w or r is ome s inc e t he de pos it s mig ht bloc k t he flow of c oola nt a r ound t he fue l c a us ing t he m t o ove r he a t a nd melt. While t he pr oble m w a s r e s olve d by a djus t ing w a t e r c he mis t r y, C R U D live d on a s a n a c r onym for r a dioa c t ive de pos it s.
It seems likely that the negative connotations of crud made it a fitting descriptor for contamination associated with radioactive deposits. The etymology of scram and crud, then, reveals how Manhattan Project workers tried to make sense of the uncommon new world of the atom through common language.
 
By Thomas Wellock, NRC Historian}}
C r ud w a s a t e r m us e d e a r ly by t he H a nfor d E ng ine e r ing Wor ks. Kint ne r like ly did not know t ha t by 1953 t he w or d c r ud ha d a lr e a dy be en in us e for ne a r ly a de c a de a t At omic E ne r g y C ommis s ion fa c ilit ie s. T he w or d a ppe a r e d in a t e c hnic a l ma nua l a s e a r ly a s M a y 1944 a t in t he H a nfor d E ng ine e r ing Wor ks in Wa s hing t on St a t e. T he ma nua l de s c r ibe d t he us e of c he mic a l t r e a t me nt s t o s e e p ins oluble c r ud a nd mud fr om t he s olut ion. B y 1947, c r ud w a s a c ommon e noug h in t he AE C t ha t r e por t s fr om H a nfor d a nd Oa k R idg e no long e r us e d quot a t ion ma r ks t o de s c r ibe t he c r ud de pos it ion pr oble m.  
 
T hus, C R U D is r e a lly a n e x a mple of a ba c kr onym where wor ds a r e ide nt ifie d t o fit t he le t t e r s of a n e x is t ing w or d.
 
So, w hy w a s c r ud us e d t o de s c r ibe r a dioa c t ive de pos it s in t he fir s t pla c e ? C r ud w a s a c ommon w or d w e ll be for e Wor ld Wa r I I t ha t like ly de r ive s fr om t he We ls h c r yd, me a ning dis e a s e or pla g ue. B y t he early 1 9 3 0 s, c r ud be c a me s la ng for unpa la t a ble food, filt h, a s loppily dr e s s e d ma n or a n illne s s, a s in, I ve g ot t he c r ud. B y Wor ld Wa r I I, s oldie r s c a lle d a ny unknow n illne s s t he c r ud, a nd a c omic book of t he e r a fe a t ur e d a C or por a l C r ud a s one of its characters.
 
I t s e e ms like ly t ha t t he ne g a t ive c onnot a t ions of c r ud ma de it a fit t ing de s c r ipt or for c ont a mina t ion a s s oc ia t e d w it h r a dioa c t ive de pos it s. T he e t ymolog y of s c r a m a nd c r ud, t he n, r e ve a ls how M a nha t t a n Project workers t ried t o make s ens e of t he unc ommon ne w w or ld of t he a t om t hr oug h c ommon la ng ua g e.
 
B y T homa s We lloc k, NR C H is t or ia n}}

Latest revision as of 20:40, 19 November 2024

History 101: Crud Another Acronym Bites the Dust
ML21264A163
Person / Time
Issue date: 09/21/2021
From: Thomas Wellock
Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Download: ML21264A163 (1)
v • d • e


Text

CRUD: Another Acrony m Bites the Dust

C ha lk R ive r U nide nt ifie d D e pos it s (C R U D ). T he nuc le a r indus t r y love s it s a c r onyms, a nd t he myt h be hind C R U D a t erm for corros ion part icles t hat be c ome r a dioa c t ive is almos t as fabled as Safety C ont r ol R od A x e M a n (SC R A M ). B ut in r e a lit y, c r ud, like s c r a m, is not a n a c r onym a t a ll, but popula r s la ng a ppr opr ia t e d by M a nha t t a n Pr oje c t pe r s onne l.

T he ide a t ha t c r ud w a s a n a c r onym c a me fr om a 1 9 5 9 a r t ic le by C omma nde r E. E. Kint ne r. I n 1 9 5 3, Kint ne r he a de d t he A dva nc e d D e s ig n G r oup unde r H yma n R ic kove r de ve loping t he M a r k I pr ot ot ype r e a c t or for t he fir s t nuc le a r pow e r e d s ubma r ine, t he N a ut ilus. T o ve r ify t ha t t he r e a c t or s fue l e le me nt s w ould not c or r ode, Kint ne r r e c a lle d, s a mple s w e r e placed in a research reactor locat e d a t C ha lk R ive r, C a na da. A ft e r s e ve r a l mont hs of ir r a dia t ion, t he fue l element s were covered in depos it s C ha lk R ive r U nide nt ifie d D e pos it s. T his w a s w or r is ome s inc e t he de pos it s mig ht bloc k t he flow of c oola nt a r ound t he fue l c a us ing t he m t o ove r he a t a nd melt. While t he pr oble m w a s r e s olve d by a djus t ing w a t e r c he mis t r y, C R U D live d on a s a n a c r onym for r a dioa c t ive de pos it s.

C r ud w a s a t e r m us e d e a r ly by t he H a nfor d E ng ine e r ing Wor ks. Kint ne r like ly did not know t ha t by 1953 t he w or d c r ud ha d a lr e a dy be en in us e for ne a r ly a de c a de a t At omic E ne r g y C ommis s ion fa c ilit ie s. T he w or d a ppe a r e d in a t e c hnic a l ma nua l a s e a r ly a s M a y 1944 a t in t he H a nfor d E ng ine e r ing Wor ks in Wa s hing t on St a t e. T he ma nua l de s c r ibe d t he us e of c he mic a l t r e a t me nt s t o s e e p ins oluble c r ud a nd mud fr om t he s olut ion. B y 1947, c r ud w a s a c ommon e noug h in t he AE C t ha t r e por t s fr om H a nfor d a nd Oa k R idg e no long e r us e d quot a t ion ma r ks t o de s c r ibe t he c r ud de pos it ion pr oble m.

T hus, C R U D is r e a lly a n e x a mple of a ba c kr onym where wor ds a r e ide nt ifie d t o fit t he le t t e r s of a n e x is t ing w or d.

So, w hy w a s c r ud us e d t o de s c r ibe r a dioa c t ive de pos it s in t he fir s t pla c e ? C r ud w a s a c ommon w or d w e ll be for e Wor ld Wa r I I t ha t like ly de r ive s fr om t he We ls h c r yd, me a ning dis e a s e or pla g ue. B y t he early 1 9 3 0 s, c r ud be c a me s la ng for unpa la t a ble food, filt h, a s loppily dr e s s e d ma n or a n illne s s, a s in, I ve g ot t he c r ud. B y Wor ld Wa r I I, s oldie r s c a lle d a ny unknow n illne s s t he c r ud, a nd a c omic book of t he e r a fe a t ur e d a C or por a l C r ud a s one of its characters.

I t s e e ms like ly t ha t t he ne g a t ive c onnot a t ions of c r ud ma de it a fit t ing de s c r ipt or for c ont a mina t ion a s s oc ia t e d w it h r a dioa c t ive de pos it s. T he e t ymolog y of s c r a m a nd c r ud, t he n, r e ve a ls how M a nha t t a n Project workers t ried t o make s ens e of t he unc ommon ne w w or ld of t he a t om t hr oug h c ommon la ng ua g e.

B y T homa s We lloc k, NR C H is t or ia n

Retrieved from "https://kanterella.com/w/index.php?title=ML21264A163&oldid=3746367"