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No, control rods in nuclear reactors are not made of graphite. The control rods have to be able to gather up the neutrons to shut the reactor down, so boron is often selected. Graphite is used in some reactors as a moderator, and a moderator slows down neutrons. The slower neutrons have a greater ability to undergo neutron capture to continue the chain.
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Which is or are used in nuclear reactors to absorb neutrons?
control rods
How is a chain reaction in a nuclear reactor controlled?
Nuclear reactors contain rods made of materials which will absorb neutrons. This reduced the cascade of neutrons which are responsible for the chain reaction.
What is a graphite reactor?
A reactor using graphite as the moderator. This has the advantage that natural non enriched uranium can be used. The first reactors built in the WW2 project to produce plutonium were graphite, these were at Hanford. The idea was taken up in the UK and in France and pressurized reactors using CO2 coolant were developed, though these are now all obsolete. The trouble with graphite is it has a limited lifespan in the reactor, gradually eroding and so losing mechanical integrity. It also is a possible fire hazard, as graphite is flammable at temperatures reachable during a nuclear accident (as evidenced by the Chernobyl accident), particularly in oxygen and hydrogen-rich environments found inside such sealed reactors. Nevertheless in the UK the advanced gas cooled reactor was developed which used enriched fuel and higher gas temperature. These were eventually made to work quite well, but turned out too expensive to build compared with the simpler PWR and BWR types which now predominate.
What control the chain reaction in a nuclear reactor?
The reason a nuclear chain reaction occurs is that one of the by products of a single reaction: the neutrons can start reactions of their own. So how do you stop a chain reaction? Stop these neutrons from causing any more reactions. This is done in nuclear reactors by placing control rods into the reactor core. These control rods are made of elements that can absorb the high energy neutrons without reacting themselves. Therefore, by moving these rods in and out of the reactor, the rate of reaction in a nuclear reactor can be easily controlled.
What is a nuclear reactor?
An assembly of fissile fuel (U-235 or PU-239) arranged in a geometric array. The assembly can be made to go critical such that a chain reaction starts which builds up a neutron flux inside the assembly. The chain reaction is controlled at a steady level using neutron absorbing control rods.The nuclear reactor can classified under:a thermal nuclear reactor, where the majority of fissions are caused by slow neutrons. In these reactors, the fast neutrons produced by fissions are slowed down with a moderator which can be graphite, heavy water or light water, anda fast nuclear reactor where the majority of fissions are caused by fast neutrons
What are the control rods in nuclear reactors made of?
Control rods are made of high neutron capture materials (e.g, Boron, Cadmium, and Gadolinium)
Is nuclear reactors man made?
Yes, they are man-made.
Where is synthetic elements made?
in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators
Which is or are used in nuclear reactors to absorb neutrons?
control rods
How many nuclear reactors were there in France in 1973?
In 1973 nuclear power in France was at a cross-roads. The earlier gas cooled graphite reactors (eight were built), similar to the magnox design in the UK, were clearly not adequate for future power demands, and decisions were made to follow the PWR route in future. I do not have details of when these eight reactors were shutdown, but they existed in 1973. There was also a small PWR at Chooz, of 310 MWe output, and there was a prototype fast reactor Phenix of 250 MWe. Superphenix came later. So the simple answer was ten reactors (that is power reactors, excluding small research reactors)
Fuel rods in nuclear reactors are made up of pellets of?
We usually find that uranium is used as fuel in nuclear reactors (though some use plutonium).
Is nuclear decay spontaneous or artificial?
Matter can be made to undergo nuclear decay in reactors, but it is a process that occurs spontaneously in nature.
What is nuclear reactors?
An assembly of fissile fuel (U-235 or PU-239) arranged in a geometric array. The assembly can be made to go critical such that a chain reaction starts which builds up a neutron flux inside the assembly. The chain reaction is controlled at a steady level using neutron absorbing control rods.The nuclear reactor can classified under:a thermal nuclear reactor, where the majority of fissions are caused by slow neutrons. In these reactors, the fast neutrons produced by fissions are slowed down with a moderator which can be graphite, heavy water or light water, anda fast nuclear reactor where the majority of fissions are caused by fast neutrons
When and how was nuclear energy first used?
During World War 2, and it was made by test reactors.
Who made the man-made element plutonium?
If it is man made, plutonium is prepared by human beings in nuclear reactors and recycling plants.
Are the nuclear reactors the same processes occurring in the sun and reactors?
No. The sun produces energy by fusion. It is joining hydrogen atoms into larger helium atoms, which releases energy. Man-made nuclear reactors produce energy by fission. They break large atoms into smaller atoms, which also releases energy.
After the US made 32000 nuclear bomb from fear of communisum how much nuclear waste was the US left with?
if the US did make 32000 nuclear weapons (it did not) they all can be dismantled and put into civillian nuclear reactors, where the fission process converts the plutonium into other (slightly weird) by producucts. If you are wondering about the amount of waste made by the original breeder reactors, just as much as a normal reactor.
