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A reflector made of a light material like graphite or beryllium will also serve as a neutron moderator reducing neutron kinetic energy, while a heavy material like lead or lead-bismuth eutectic will have less effect on neutron velocity. In power reactors, a neutron reflector reduces the non-uniformity of the power distribution in the peripheral ...
Neutron reflectometry is most often made in specular reflection mode, where the angle of the incident beam is equal to the angle of the reflected beam. The reflection is usually described in terms of a momentum transfer vector , denoted q z {\displaystyle q_{z}} , which describes the change in momentum of a neutron after reflecting from the ...
The unbound neutron has a half-life of 10 minutes and 11 seconds. The release of neutrons from the nucleus requires exceeding the binding energy of the neutron, which is typically 7-9 MeV for most isotopes. Neutron sources generate free neutrons by a variety of nuclear reactions, including nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Whatever the source ...
k eff = 1, critical: the neutron density remains unchanged; and; k eff > 1, supercritical: the neutron density is increasing with time. In the case of a nuclear reactor, neutron flux and power density are proportional, hence during reactor start-up k eff > 1, during reactor operation k eff = 1 and k eff < 1 at reactor shutdown.
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.
The only nuclear reactor in the world with a movable reflector. Commissioned on February 10, 1984. BN-600 - a pool type sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor at the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station. It provides 560 MWe to the Middle Urals power grid. In operation since 1980. BN-800 - a sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor at the Beloyarsk Nuclear ...
The Energy Northwest nuclear power plant was back on the grid before summer’s higher demand for electricity. The plant produces about 10% of the electricity used in Washington state.
A modulated neutron initiator is a neutron source capable of producing a burst of neutrons on activation. It is a crucial part of some nuclear weapons, as its role is to "kick-start" the chain reaction at the optimal moment when the configuration is prompt critical. It is also known as an internal neutron initiator.