20 Terms
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Nuclear energy
Nuclear binding energy is the energy required to split a nucleus of an atom into its component parts. The component parts are neutrons and protons, which are collectively called nucleons. The binding energy of nuclei is always a positive number, since all nuclei require net energy to separate them into individual protons and neutrons.
Industry: Energy
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Nuclear energy
Stay time
Energy; Nuclear energy
The period during which personnel may remain in a restricted area in a reactor before accumulating some permissible occupational dose.
Spent fuel pool
Energy; Nuclear energy
An underwater storage and cooling facility for spent (depleted) fuel assemblies that have been removed from a reactor.
Shutdown
Energy; Nuclear energy
A decrease in the rate of fission (and heat/energy production) in a reactor (usually by the insertion of control rods into the core).
Radionuclide
Energy; Nuclear energy
An unstable isotope of an element that decays or disintegrates spontaneously, thereby emitting radiation. Approximately 5,000 natural and artificial radioisotopes have been identified.
Shutdown margin
Energy; Nuclear energy
The instantaneous amount of reactivity by which the reactor is subcritical or would be subcritical from its present condition assuming all full-length rod cluster assemblies (shutdown and control) ...
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Energy; Nuclear energy
The Federal agency responsible for leading the unified national effort to secure the U. S. Against those who seek to disrupt the American way of life. DHS is also responsible for preparing for and ...
Transient
Energy; Nuclear energy
A change in the reactor coolant system temperature, pressure, or both, attributed to a change in the reactor's power output. Transients can be caused by (1) adding or removing neutron poisons, (2) ...
