Kodak ran uranium-based research device for 31 years beneath Rochester lab

Kodak's equipment contained about 3.5 pounds of highly enriched uranium (Representational AP photo)

For most people, Kodak is a name associated with cameras and photographic film. But for 31 years, the American company had something far less familiar inside its research facility in Rochester, New York: a nuclear device containing highly enriched uranium.The machine began operating in 1975 and remained in use until 2006. Its existence attracted widespread attention only in 2012, years after it had shut down. Now, a report by Popular Mechanics, published on Wednesday, has revisited the unusual facility and explained why the equipment, despite using uranium, was not a self-sustaining nuclear reactor.The machine was about the size of a refrigerator and was kept in a secure underground laboratory.

According to the report, it was not being used to produce electricity or develop nuclear weapons. Kodak's scientists, however, used it to examine materials, identify unwanted substances in chemicals, and look inside objects without damaging them.The equipment was known as a californium neutron flux multiplier, or CFX, whose purpose was to produce a supply of neutrons, tiny particles found inside atoms, which scientists could use to study different materials.

What later drew attention was the uranium inside the machine. Highly enriched uranium can also be used in nuclear weapons, raising questions about why a photography company had access to it. However, the device had operated under government supervision, and its existence had been mentioned in scientific papers even though Kodak had not widely publicised it.

Why did Kodak need nuclear equipment?

Kodak's work involved more than making cameras and selling photographic film.

The company also carried out research into the materials and chemicals used in its products. Scientists needed to check what those materials contained and whether unwanted substances were present.The nuclear device helped them do this in two ways. The first was a process called neutron activation analysis. Scientists directed neutrons at a sample, causing some of its atoms to release signals in the form of gamma rays.

By measuring those signals, researchers could identify the elements present in the material. This allowed them to detect impurities.The second method, neutron radiography, helped scientists examine the inside of an object without cutting it open.This makes neutron imaging useful for examining certain lighter materials, including water and photographic film, that may not show up clearly in ordinary X-ray images.

Why was Kodak's machine different from a nuclear reactor?

The machine used two radioactive materials to produce the neutrons needed for its experiments. One was californium-252, a substance that naturally releases neutrons. The device contained only about 3.1 milligrams of it. These neutrons then travelled through 52 plates containing highly enriched uranium.When neutrons struck some of the uranium atoms, the atoms split and released more neutrons. This process is called nuclear fission.The arrangement allowed Kodak to produce a much larger supply of neutrons than californium alone could provide. According to the report, the number could increase by as much as 30 times.But the machine could not keep this process going by itself. It depended on californium to supply the neutrons needed to start and maintain the reactions, or the reaction would gradually stop.

How did the public find out about the device?

Kodak operated the machine for more than three decades. During that period, its californium source was replaced approximately every seven years so the equipment could continue functioning.The device was housed behind thick protective walls and operated under government-approved security arrangements. Although it was used for research, the company did not widely publicise its presence.The story reached a much larger audience in 2012, when information about the facility appeared in local news reports.According to an Associated Press report published in May 2012, Kodak's equipment contained about 3.5 pounds of highly enriched uranium.

The report also confirmed that the machine had been used for examining materials and producing images.By then, however, the device was no longer operating. Kodak had stopped using it in 2006, and the uranium was removed in 2007 during the dismantling process. The material was transferred to a federal facility under strict security arrangements.The former laboratory was later declared safe, although small amounts of radioactive isotopes had been activated in the concrete surrounding the equipment. The building has since been sold by Kodak.