Check us out at www.tutorvista.com A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate, control, and sustain a nuclear chain reaction. The most common use of nuclear reactors is for the generation of electrical power (see Nuclear power) and for the power in some ships (see Nuclear marine propulsion). This is usually accomplished by methods that involve using heat from the nuclear reaction to power steam turbines. There are also other less common uses as discussed below. Most nuclear reactors use a chain reaction to induce a controlled rate of nuclear fission in fissile material, releasing both energy and free neutrons. A reactor consists of an assembly of nuclear fuel (a reactor core), usually surrounded by a neutron moderator such as regular water, heavy water, graphite, or zirconium hydride, and fitted with mechanisms such as control rods that control the rate of the reaction. 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. The physics of nuclear fission has several quirks that affect the design and behavior of nuclear reactors. This article presents a general overview of the physics of nuclear reactors and their behavior.
Dr. Jacopo Buongiorno of MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering talks to Adam about nuclear fission. Using MIT’s nuclear reactor, Buongiorno and his research group investigate methods for improving the output and safety of these highly productive energy generators. While controversy still surrounds the use of nuclear reactors as powerplants — due in large part to widely publicized accidents at Chernobyl (Ukraine) and Three Mile Island (US) — nuclear energy provides an answer to humankind’s rapidly growing energy needs. As Buongiorno explains, nuclear fission has other applications outside of energy generation, such as microscopic scanning and understanding of small molecules. Join Adam as he learns how nuclear fission works, as well as the safety measures that allow nuclear accidents to be quickly contained. [05:42]
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