New Post (162) : Role of Moderator in a nuclear reactor
Never too late to get an education.
A nuclear reactor containing only fuel elements would be unusable because a chain reaction could probably not be sustained within it. The reason is that nuclear fission occurs best with neutrons that move at relatively modest speeds, called thermal neutrons. But the neutrons released from fission reactions tend to be moving very rapidly, at about 1/15 the speed of light. In order to maintain a chain reaction, therefore, it is necessary to introduce some material that will slow down the neutrons released during fission. Such a material is known as a moderator.
The most common moderators are substances of low atomic weight such as heavy water (deuterium oxide) or graphite. Hydrides (binary compounds containing hydrogen), hydrocarbons, and beryllium and beryllium oxide have also been used as moderators in certain specialized kinds of reactors.
Think of a nuclear reactor as “a nuclear bomb on a leash”.
The wisdom of building a nuclear reactor in populated areas is “questionable”.
Any of many circumstance(s) can cause the “leash” to snap. (as we are seeing)
We can't do without nuclear power. (it has to be a part of the mix)
Just need to be --- sensible about siting /location and strict about operator training (for worst case scenarios).
The proposed standards for stress tests and the stress tests to follow are a movement in the right direction
Life goes on. Has to.
Charlie Brown
