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The nuclear reactor is built from a variety of materials, almost all of which are metals. In a pressurized water reactor, for example, a special steel alloy is used to build the reactor vessel, which is like a gigantic pressure cooker. It comes in two pieces, too, with both the vessel and the lid. The core goes inside the pressure vessel. It is the core that contains the fuel, which is enriched uranium in most cases. The fuel is welded shut inside tubes or plates. The outer material containing the fuel, the so-called cladding, is often zircaloy, an alloy with a high percentage of zirconium in it. The control rods are in there, too, and they are often made of boron. That's a brief rundown. Use links below to related questions and related posts.
What else can I help you with?
What are the sources of nuclear reactors?
Nuclear reactors are built. Therefore the source is the country that commissioned and built them.
Are there more fast breeder or thermal nuclear reactors?
Most nuclear reactors are thermal-neutron reactors. A few fast breeder reactors have been built, but not many.
Will thorium powered reactors be built?
Yes, thorium was used as a fertile material in nuclear reactors.
Why nuclear reactors are built in coastal region?
So that there is a constant supply of water to cool the reactors with.
How many nuclear reactors existed in 1934?
There were no operational nuclear reactors in 1934 as the first functioning nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, was not built until 1942 as part of the Manhattan Project.
Does nuclear reactors contain uranium-235?
It really depends on the nuclear reactor, but many are built to work specifically with that isotope.
What step was taken to insure the nuclear reactor was safe in chernobyl?
The RBMK reactors at Chernobyl were probably the most unsafe reactors ever designed and built. They should never have been built.
What process do nuclear reactors use?
Nuclear reactors use nuclear fission.
How many nuclear power plants do you have in the us that are active?
No new nuclear plants have been built in the US in the past 20 years. The Watts Bar plant was licenced in 1996, but had been built much earlier. The last plant actually built was the River Bend plant in Louisiana, which was licenced in 1986.
How are nuclear reactors used in nuclear reactors?
Nuclear reactors use controlled nuclear fission reactions to generate heat, which is then used to produce steam that drives turbines to generate electricity. The heat is produced in the reactor core where nuclear fuel rods containing uranium or plutonium undergo fission reactions. The reactor's cooling system helps regulate the temperature and prevent overheating.
Is nuclear power the way forward?
Yes, using new design inherently safe reactors. These can be built.
What nuclear reaction is currently used to produce nuclear energy in nuclear reactors?
We use nuclear fission in nuclear reactors to tap nuclear energy.
