control rod
Nuclear reaction dampener
A control rod is a rod of neutron-absorbing material inserted into a nuclear reactor core to regulate the fission reaction.
Withdrawing the rods allows more neutrons to split atoms, increasing power output; inserting them absorbs neutrons and slows or stops the reaction.
Control rods are the primary means of managing reactor power and enabling emergency shutdown.
Uncharged nuclear particle
- absorberThing that takes in
- reactor coreCentral fission zone
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- chain reactionSelf-sustaining causal sequence
reactivity · boron · cadmium · uranium · plutonium · moderator · scram · shutdown
Forced rapid system halt
- scramDepart hastily, informally
- fail-safeAutomatic harm prevention mechanism
- neutron absorptionNucleus incorporates uncharged particle
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
backup systems · redundancy · safety margin · accident prevention · defense in depth
Energy delivered per time
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- fine-tuningSmall precise optimization adjustments
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- throttlePower flow controller
neutron
Uncharged nuclear particle
- absorberThing that takes in
- reactor coreCentral fission zone
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
chain reaction · reactivity · boron · cadmium · uranium · plutonium · moderator · scram · shutdown · subcritical
emergency shutdown
Forced rapid system halt
- scramDepart hastily, informally
- fail-safeAutomatic harm prevention mechanism
- neutron absorptionNucleus incorporates uncharged particle
containment · backup systems · redundancy · safety margin · accident prevention · defense in depth
power output
Energy delivered per time
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- fine-tuningSmall precise optimization adjustments
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- rodsdowel, pushrod, pole, shaft, axle
- Nuclearnuclear reactor, atomic bomb, nuclear energy, atomic bombs, uranium
- helicopter partsrotor, tail rotor, rotor blade, blades, rotor blades
- nuclear physicsnuclear energy, fission, nuclear fission, neutron, proton
- nuclear technologynuclear reactor, reactor, reactor core, reactor cores, fission reactor
- neutron absorbersboron, cadmium, hafnium, gadolinium, europium
control, rod, controller, controlled, controlling, controls, uncontrolled, controllers, remote control