The red-and-white High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack — a pronounced part of the Brookhaven National Laboratory skyline for more than 70 years — is slated for demolition later this year.
The red-and-white High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack — a pronounced part of the Brookhaven National Laboratory skyline for more than 70 years — is slated for demolition later this year.

UPTON, N.Y. – EM is taking steps to demolish a distinctive red-and-white exhaust stack used for a small research reactor DOE shut down more than 20 years ago, pursuant to a Record of Decision signed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A prominent part of the Brookhaven National Laboratory skyline since 1949, the 320-foot-tall High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) stack is scheduled for demolition later this year. All exhaust streams have been disconnected from the stack.

The stack was initially constructed for the Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor, which was decommissioned in 2012.

Additional building exhaust systems were connected to the stack, including the HFBR, which operated from 1965 to 1996. The reactor provided a source of neutrons for multidisciplinary scientific research in materials science, chemistry, biology, and physics.

For over 70 years, the laboratory has played a lead role in DOE’s science and technology mission, and it continues to contribute to DOE missions in energy resources, environmental quality, and national security.