nuclear reactor — Physics. reactor (def. 4). Also called nuclear pile. [1940 45] * * * Device that can initiate and control a self sustaining series of nuclear fission reactions. Neutrons released in one fission reaction may strike other heavy nuclei, causing them … Universalium
Nuclear reactor physics — See also: Critical mass Nuclear reactor physics is the branch of science that deals with the study and application of chain reaction to induce controlled rate of fission for energy in reactors. Most nuclear reactors use a chain reaction to induce … Wikipedia
Critical mass — This article is about nuclear fission reactions. For other uses, see Critical mass (disambiguation). As part of a re creation of a 1945 criticality accident, a plutonium pit is surrounded by blocks of neutron reflective tungsten carbide. The… … Wikipedia
Shutdown (nuclear reactor) — In a nuclear reactor, shutdown refers to the state of the reactor when it is subcritical by at least a margin defined in the reactor s technical specifications. Further requirements for being shut down may include having the reactor control key… … Wikipedia
Nuclear chain reaction — A possible nuclear fission chain reaction. 1. A uranium 235 atom absorbs a neutron, and fissions into two new atoms (fission fragments), releasing three new neutrons and a large amount of binding energy. 2. One of those neutrons is absorbed by an … Wikipedia
Neutron economy — is defined as the ratio of an adjoint weighted average of the excess neutron production divided by an adjoint weighted average of the fission production. The distribution of neutron energies in a nuclear reactor differs from the fission neutron… … Wikipedia
Nuclear reactor — Core of CROCUS, a small nuclear reactor used for research at the EPFL in Switzerland This article is a subarticle of Nuclear power. A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are… … Wikipedia
Nuclear fuel cycle — The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which… … Wikipedia
Prompt neutron — In nuclear engineering, a prompt neutron is a neutron immediately emitted by a nuclear fission event, as opposed to a delayed neutron decay which can occur within the same context, emitted by one of the fission products anytime from a few… … Wikipedia
Delayed neutron — In nuclear engineering, a delayed neutron is a neutron emitted after a nuclear fission event by one of the fission products anytime from a few milliseconds to a few minutes later, similar to a prompt neutron decay which can occur within the same… … Wikipedia
Nuclear reactor technology — This article is a subarticle of Nuclear power .A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a… … Wikipedia