Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Nuclear reactor

Nuclear reactor

The heart of a nuclear power plant or nonpower reactor, in which nuclear fission may be initiated and controlled in a self-sustaining chain reaction to generate energy or produce useful radiation. Although there are many types of nuclear reactors, they all incorporate certain essential features, including the use of fissionable material as fuel, a moderator (such as water) to increase the likelihood of fission (unless reactor operation relies on fast neutrons), a reflector to conserve escaping neutrons, coolant provisions for heat removal, instruments for monitoring and controlling reactor operation, and protective devices (such as control rods and shielding).

This is auto-generated content. You can help to improve it.
0
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Synonym(s):
  • Blossary:
  • Industry/Domain: Energy
  • Category: Nuclear energy
  • Company:
  • Product:
  • Acronym-Abbreviation:
Collect to Blossary

Member comments

You have to log in to post to discussions.

Terms in the News

Featured Terms

Harry8L
  • 0

    Terms

  • 0

    Blossaries

  • 1

    Followers

Industry/Domain: Geography Category: Countries & Territories

Liancourt Rocks

Liancourt Rocks (also known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan) are a group of islets 215km from mainland Korea and 250kms from Japan. Their ...

Contributor

Featured blossaries

Tallest Skyscrapers

Category: Science   3 24 Terms

LOL Translated

Category: Languages   5 9 Terms