B Reactor may be Hanford’s most famous reactor, but another reactor is receiving its due. 

T Plant, responsible for separating plutonium from irradiated fuel rods, is being documented by the Historic American Engineering Record, or HAER, for inclusion in the Library of Congress. 

This recognition ensures the preservation of T Plant’s story alongside other engineering marvels that shaped America’s history.

“T Plant is no less historic than B Reactor,” said Colleen French, U.S. Department of Energy’s National Park Program manager. “They are two big characters in the same important story. Like B Reactor, T Plant needs to be evaluated for National Historic Landmark status and could someday be included in updates to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park when Hanford’s cleanup mission is complete.”

Established in 1969 by the National Park Service, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Library of Congress, the HAER documents historic sites and structures related to engineering and industry.

From steel bridges and railroads to facilities and structures, the HAER provides a detailed account of America’s historic engineering feats through large-format photography, final drawings and other information. These records are preserved in the Library of Congress and complement similar programs focused on architecture and landscapes.

T Plant’s role

Once uranium fuel rods were irradiated inside the B Reactor, they were taken by rail to T Plant to be dissolved in a series of chemical baths, resulting in the extraction of a tiny bit of plutonium.

Three of these plants were built to support Hanford’s World War II-era mission. T Plant came online first, becoming the world’s first full-scale reprocessing canyon and producing the plutonium sent to a top-secret site in Los Alamos, New Mexico, for use in testing and weapons.

DOE Hanford’s National Park Program requested the completion of the HAER process, including specialized photography.

The documentation process for the HAER requires measured drawings that illustrate the structure’s functions and systems, detailed historical reports and large-format black-and-white photographs using film.

Specialized photography

DOE hired Harley Cowan, a Portland, Oregon-based photographer and architect who has made significant contributions to architectural heritage documentation and preservation through large-format black-and-white photography.

“While visually striking, this method is chosen for its high resolution and archival stability,” Cowan said. “The clarity and depth of detail captures images beyond what conventional photography can offer. It ensures the documentation of a structure’s engineering can be preserved.”

 An expert in his field, Cowan has completed work included in the Historic American Buildings Survey Collection at the Library of Congress, and he has been recognized with numerous accolades. He was inducted into the Atomic Photographers Guild in 2019 for his documentation of the B Reactor and the Manhattan Project.

Cowan spent a week in May capturing the nuances of T Plant using a Sinar camera, which is known for its high-quality formatting. The process of large-format photography is like that of the early 1900s, though the equipment is better. Cowan uses a large, tripod-mounted camera with a dark cloth, or hood, to block out light. He focuses the image with a ground glass screen that displays the scene upside down and manually sets exposure times.

“It’s not as easy as ‘point and shoot,’” said Cowan. “Architectural photographs are a science.”

To see some of his photographs documenting other Manhattan Project sites, go to: harleycowan.com/manhattan-project.