Nuclear Reactor:
A nuclear reactor is a device designed to maintain a self-sustained fission chain reaction in a controlled manner for producing power.
Principle:
Controlled fission chain reaction is the principle of nuclear reactor.
Main Components of a Nuclear Reaction:
The Core:
The core of the reactor contains all of the nuclear fuel and generates all of the heat.It contains low enriched uranium(15% of uranium-235),control systems and structural materials.The core can contain thousands of individual fuel pins(thin rods about 1 meter long and 2cm in diameter).Usually graphite is used as moderator to slow down the fast neutrons produced in fission events.To maintain a steady rate of chain reaction,controlled rods of boron or cadmium are used as effective neutron absorbers.
In a new reactor with new fuel,neutron sources are needed to get the reaction going.Usually this is beryllium mixed with polonium,radium or other alpha emitter.Alpha particles from the decay cause a release of neutrons from the beryllium as it turns to carbon-12.Restarting a reactor with some used fuel may not require this,as there may be enough neutrons to achieve critically when control rods are removed.
The Coolent:
The coolent is the material that passes through the core,tranfering the heat from the fuel to a turbine.It could be water,heavy water,liquid sodium,helium or something else which is suitable.
The Turbine:
It transfers the heat from the coolent to electricity.
The Containment:
It is the structure that seperates the reactor from the environment.These are usually dome-shaped,made of high density steel reinforced concrete.
Writer:-Syed Jaffar Abbas
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