S-50/POWER HOUSE AREACapable of generating variable frequency power, the Power House Area included more than 15 structures. S-50, a liquid thermal diffusion plant, was to serve as a feeder process to the electromagnetic plant, Y-12 and was originally powered with steam from the Power House Complex.
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HOUSING CAMPSDesign, construction and operations of a facility the size and magnitude of K-25 would require a massive labor force. As the site was rural and isolated, worker housing was an early and urgent priority.
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INSTRUCTIONSHover over any of the orange hotspots to reveal the name of the corresponding building along with a brief description. If you would like to see photos or learn more about a particular building, simply click the link that follows the brief description.
K-27Before construction was complete on the site's first gaseous diffusion building, K-25, design and construction of a second process building had begun. The need for more production capacity and the urgency to end the war drove the construction of K-27.
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COOLING SYSTEMSK-25 contained thousands of compressors driven by electric motors which generated vast amounts of heat that had to be removed to maintain the process gas at the proper temperature. To remove excess heat from the process gas stream, a dual cooling system was employed.
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K-25Constructed in less than two years (1943-1945), the four-story U-shaped structure became the center of operations for the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment using the gaseous diffusion method.
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K-1024Built in 1944, the K-1024 Maintenance Shop would address instrument repair and calibration for the gaseous diffusion process.
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K-1101In this case "air conditioning" did not involve providing cool air, but conditioned or treated air that was dry. The Air Conditioning Building or Dry Air Plant, K-1101, was located in the courtyard of the K-25 Building.
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K-1201K-1201, located in the K-25 Courtyard, contained five compressors to provide air to the process building and other parts of the site. Compressed air is a common industrial service utility and provides excellent driving force for tools – much better than electric.
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K-101In the four-story, concrete-block building, engineers would distill the UF6 to strip volatile impurities, creating a purer feed material. However, manufacturers produced a higher quality feed material than expected and the system was never operated.
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K-601K-601 was constructed near the "open" end of the "U" and the building had two distinct functions – eliminating pressure surges from process lines and equipment and removing and packaging depleted uranium or "tails" at the end of the enrichment process.
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K-1401Project engineers designed and constructed a Conditioning Building (K-1401) to clean and condition piping and equipment prior to installation in the K-25 Building.
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K-1008 (A-D)K-1008-A, B, and C were built in 1944-45 as change houses for the construction workers building the gaseous diffusion plant. K-1008-D was built in 1945 as Cafeteria #2. By 1948, the building was used as a lunch room and storage area.
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K-1002The original cafeteria building was erected between January and August 1944. In the middle of 1945, it was enlarged and redesigned.
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K-1003The dispensary was a one-story wood frame building on concrete piers with a hipped roof, and housed complete medical facilities for an industrial site.
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K-1004 (D)Scientists, chemists and technicians in the K-1004 (A-D) laboratories performed analyses on feed materials, chemicals and final product used in the uranium enrichment process.
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K-1004 (A-C)Scientists, chemists and technicians in the K-1004 (A-D) laboratories performed analyses on feed materials, chemicals and final product used in the uranium enrichment process.
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K-1001The two-story, four-wing administration building, K-1001, was built from 1943-45 and contained more than two acres of floor space. It was the main office building for the site.
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K-1021Construction of K-1021 began February 2, 1944 and was completed September 7, 1944, and was commissioned as an ambulance garage and fire house.
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K-1408Nitrogen was used to protect the interior of process equipment from contamination by moist air, as a pump sealant for purging equipment of process gas, and in certain instruments.
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K-1501The K-1501 Steam Plant provided steam for heating purposes, including space heating for employee comfort and heating of some process lines outside of cell housings.
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K-33A final process building was added to the K-25 Site cascade in October 1954. The K-33 Building surpassed K-25 in floor area with 2.8 million square feet.
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K-31K-31 was placed in service in series with K-29, K-27, and K-25 and contributed to the overall defense and commercial missions until shutdown of the K-25 site production facilities in 1985.
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K-29The K-29 Building was the third gaseous diffusion facility built on the K-25 site. Like K-27, K-29 extended K-25's enrichment stages to increase uranium enrichment capacity.
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K-1420Built in 1954, the Decontamination and Uranium Recovery Facility (K-1420) provided radiological decontamination, uranium recovery, and metal plating capabilities for the site.
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K-1037In December 1947, it was decided to move all barrier production to the K-25 Site. A former warehouse (K-1037), used during the construction of the K-25 Plant, was converted into the barrier production facility.
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Since the end of World War II, the K-25 Site has evolved and adapted to meet the nation's changing defense and energy needs. Take a tour of the site's ever-changing landscape – from pre-war farms to at-war production facilities to peace-time technology demonstration.
Click HERE to learn more about the historical events that led to the race to build the bomb.
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