A.I.Savin - Atomic Bomb
Since 1945, the design bureau of plant number 92 under the leadership of A.I. Savin was attracted to work on the USSR nuclear project, having formed at the end of the year in the department of the chief designer (OGK). At the end of 1946, the plant was given the task of developing the first diffusion machines. WGCs had to perform calculations, develop machine drawings, make prototypes and stands for testing them, and begin mass production. The first delivery of devices was scheduled for 1948.
From the memories of A.I. Savina: “Creating an atomic bomb for a country that withstood an unprecedented moral and economic war and achieved Victory at the cost of tremendous effort and sacrifice was a new ordeal for the entire Soviet people. The main resources of the country during the creation of the first samples were not involved in the creation of the atomic bomb itself, but in obtaining large quantities of enriched uranium and plutonium. The technology of obtaining these materials required special equipment in huge quantities. It was created for the first time in world practice under conditions of extraordinary secrecy.
"There were no specialists in this field - scientists, engineers, designers, technologists, production workers, builders, installers and operators had to work, creating a completely new scientific and technical direction from scratch, while observing the strictest rules that prevent information leakage.”
In 1946, A.I. Savin completed higher education - on the job he graduated from the Bauman Institute.
To solve this complex scientific, technical and industrial problem, an institution with the widest powers was created under the USSR Council of Ministers - the 1st Main Directorate of the USSR Council of Ministers headed by B.L. Vannikov. As the head organization responsible for the scientific and technical side of the project, a special Laboratory of Measuring Instruments of the Academy of Sciences (LIPAN) was created under the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, headed by the scientific director of the atomic project I.V. Kurchatov.
One of the most difficult areas in obtaining materials for the atomic bomb was the separation of uranium-235 from natural uranium by gas diffusion. In 1945, Plant No. 92 was connected to the creation of an experimental multi-stage installation designed to study the basic physical processes in order to determine the feasibility of the practical implementation of a given main parameter - the enrichment factor and clarify the source data required for the detailed design of equipment and the plant as a whole. The start of the work showed that the creation and testing of the installation with full confirmation of the initial data would take considerable time, so it was decided that, based on the available data, in parallel with the creation of the experimental installation to develop a working draft of the diffusion plant. For this purpose, a Special Design Bureau was established at Plant No. 92. The director of the plant was appointed as its head, the chief designer of the plant, A.I. Savin So the artillery engineer had to master a completely new field of activity, however, not only him, but all the participants in this gigantic project.
In early 1946, A.I. Savin was introduced to the Scientific and Technical Council at the First General Directorate in the section on molecular methods for the separation of uranium isotopes. In order to accelerate the work and better organize them, a Special Design Bureau (OKBM, the future of OKBM) was created at the plant by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated March 1, 1947. AI was appointed chief designer in combination. Savin, remaining the chief designer of the plant number 92.
None of the OKB employees, including the chief designer, was an expert in the field of gas diffusion, they had to study gas dynamics, thermophysics, hydraulics on the move, aerodynamics engineers from aviation enterprises were involved in the work ... The work was conducted in close cooperation with the laboratory of I.K. Kikoin, business trips to Moscow and Gorky were commonplace.
One of the features of A.I. Savin was using his GISI method - generating ideas by cumulative intelligence. In the office of the chief designer, in the presence of a large number of interested parties, the board presented a problem, and then everyone actively participated in its analysis and resolution. Despite the difficult post-war time, with his card system, for several years, designers worked from morning until late evening.
The first samples of the pen were diffusion machines of low power OK-6, OK-7, OK-8 and OK-9. The results of the calculations were immediately issued to the designers, who sent the drawings to the workshop where the machines and the stand were manufactured for their testing. In late 1948 - early 1949. The OKB team was replenished with a large number of designers and calculators, which made it possible to create the first design group for carrying out thermal and hydraulic calculations. By this time, the prototype machines were tested and accepted by the selection committee.
From 1948 to 1950 the design bureau also carried out the calculation of the D-1 diffusion plant, which was staffed with machines developed here. The first diffusion machines arrived at the installation in early 1948. At the beginning of 1949, the D-1 diffusion plant for the production of weapons-grade uranium was commissioned.
On the instructions of academicians I.V. Kurchatova, I.K. Kikoina, A.P. Alexandrova, A.I. Alikhanov, the structure headed by A.I. Savina, developed a number of basic structures for industrial technologies for producing enriched uranium and plutonium, created a complex of equipment for the diffusion separation of uranium isotopes, which made it possible to create a production of weapons-grade uranium in the shortest possible time. In the framework of this project, A.I. Savin designed the most complicated system for unloading irradiated uranium blocks and a heavy water reactor (project OK-180). The merits of the designer were awarded two Stalin prizes.
Design Bureau of A.I. Savin also designed the most critical and complex system for unloading irradiated uranium cassette-type blocks of the first industrial nuclear reactor “A” for producing plutonium. In the spring of 1948, 78 discharge cassettes with hydromechanical drive were mounted on reactor “A”. Since 1948, A.I. Savin also participated in the development of an industrial uranium-graphite nuclear reactor (project OK-110) and the country's first industrial heavy-water reactor (project OK-180), which was completed on September 23, 1951.
After a successful test on August 29, 1949 at the Semipalatinsk test site of the first Soviet atomic bomb by the USSR Council of Ministers Decree of October 29, 1949 "On awarding and rewarding for outstanding scientific discoveries and technical advances in the use of atomic energy" for developing the unloading mechanism for plant "A", A.I.Savin was conferred the title of laureate of the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
And just two years later, the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of December 6, 1951 "On awarding and rewarding for outstanding scientific work in the field of the use of atomic energy, for creating new types of RDS products, advances in the production of plutonium and uranium-235 and developing the raw material base for nuclear industry ”for the development of diffusion machines and the development of their production A.I. Savin was awarded the Stalin Prize of the 1st degree. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin.
In 1951, A.I. Savina was transferred to KB-1 at the Third Main Directorate of the USSR Council of Ministers (creation of reactive guided weapons) deputy head of the design department, then he became deputy chief designer. In 1953, KB-1 was reorganized into SKB-41, in which A.I. Savin became deputy chief designer for anti-aircraft (OKB-41), and since February 1955 - deputy chief designer of SKB. At this stage of activity, he became one of the creators of the air-sea class of the Komet airborne guided weapons, as well as the K-10, K-22, K-5M, K-9 defense complexes. and others. The SKB team under his leadership made an enormous contribution to the creation of a unique, multi-echeloned Moscow air defense system.
In 1955, the candidacy of A.I. Savina was considered by the leadership of the First Main Directorate for the position of deputy chief designer of the newly created nuclear center NII 1011. In the 1950s, A.I.Savin attended the post-graduate course at KB-1 without a break from production, in 1959 he defended his thesis, and in 1965 - his doctoral thesis, becoming a doctor of technical sciences.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
