Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The shutdown margin for nuclear reactors (that is, when the reactor is considered to be safely in a shutdown state) is usually defined either in terms of reactivity or dollars. For reactivity, this is calculated in units of delta-k/k, where k is equal to the criticality of the reactor (essentially, how fast and controlled the nuclear fission ...
The following apply for the nuclear reaction: a + b ↔ R → c. in the centre of mass frame, where a and b are the initial species about to collide, c is the final species, and R is the resonant state.
A reactor protection system (RPS) is a set of nuclear safety and security components in a nuclear power plant designed to safely shut down the reactor and prevent the release of radioactive materials. The system can "trip" automatically (initiating a scram), or it can be tripped by the operators. Trips occur when the parameters meet or exceed ...
Passive nuclear safety is a design approach for safety features, implemented in a nuclear reactor, that does not require any active intervention on the part of the operator or electrical/electronic feedback in order to bring the reactor to a safe shutdown state, in the event of a particular type of emergency (usually overheating resulting from a loss of coolant or loss of coolant flow).
The mere fact that an assembly is supercritical does not guarantee that it contains any free neutrons at all. At least one neutron is required to "strike" a chain reaction, and if the spontaneous fission rate is sufficiently low it may take a long time (in 235 U reactors, as long as many minutes) before a chance neutron encounter starts a chain reaction even if the reactor is supercritical.
This risk analysis allows decision making of any changes within a nuclear power plant in accordance with legislation, safety margins, and performance strategies. A 2003 study commissioned by the European Commission remarked that "core damage frequencies of 5 × 10 −5 [per reactor-year] are a common result" or in other words, one core damage ...
SCRAM button at the Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho. Sometimes the switch will have a flip cover to prevent inadvertent operation. A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor effected by immediately terminating the fission reaction.
A flawed shutdown system then caused a power surge that led to the explosion and destruction of reactor 4. The iodine pit effect has to be taken in account for reactor designs. High values of power density , leading to high production rates of fission products and therefore higher iodine concentrations, require higher amount and enrichment of ...