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What can happen when a fission chain reaction gets out of control?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
A chain reaction has products or byproducts that cause the reaction to continue.
One example is a state of nuclear critical mass, in which an atom of u-235 decays to produce fast neutrons (along with other fission fragments), which crash into other u-235 atoms, which release more neutrons. The number of neutrons in the environment increases, and if this is not controlled, then there is a nuclear explosion. That is how an atomic bomb works.
Another example is a state of instability in snow on a mountain side. If snow begins to move at the top of the mountain, it pushes the snow below it to give way, this pushes the snow below it to give way in turn, going down the mountainside until the snow runs out or the mountain levels out. This is an avalanche.
Another example is a situation where the electric grid is overloaded to the point of instability. A failure in a transformer can cause a power surge that causes another failure, this causes other power surges in other places, resulting in other failures. This produces widespread power outage.
Chain reactions continue until some sort of equilibrium is attained, or until the unstable features of the situation have lost their energy. In human terms, the results are often destructive or at least dangerous.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIf you're asking scientifically:
A nuclear chain reaction (which is a continuous series of nuclear fission reactions) can only be controlled/stopped by a material that can absorb it.
Think about it- during fission a nucleus splits into two (or more) fragments and releases two thing- neutrons and energy. The neutrons collide with other nuclei creating a chain reaction. I suppose a chain reaction can also be controlled if you find a way to take the neutrons produced away from a fissionable substance that relies on chain reactions to sustain itself so that the the substance isn't sustained and the chain reaction never takes place. But I'm not sure how to do that. :)
I hope this help...
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThere are various ways that a chain reaction could get out of control. For example, a chain reaction of explosions could damage something it was not meant to.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThere are a few different things that could happen if chain reactions are not controlled. There could be explosions and deaths for example.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoYou stop a chain reaction by introducing a moderator to reduce the neutron flux.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThey will overheat and cause a meltdown which can release massive amount of radiation.
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How could you increase the rate of fission reactions?
Fission does not respond to changes in temperature and pressure like chemical reactions do. In a nuclear reactor, the fission chain reaction can be sped up by removing rods of cadmium, which absorb neutrons. These are in place to prevent the reaction from occurring too quickly. Remove them, and the chain reaction may proceed out of control.
Neutrons released in a fission reaction can strike other nuclei and cause?
A chain reaction
What is meant by chain reaction in nuclear reactor?
Basically a chain reaction (nuclear or chemical) is a self sustaining auto-catalytic reaction.In a nuclear reactor it is a neutron chain reaction, where each neutron released in every fission event can trigger another fission event. In a nuclear reactor the excess neutrons must be disposed of, which is the purpose of the control rods so that the reaction can be kept at some desired constant rate.
What type of reaction happens inside a nuclear plant?
A nuclear chain reaction nuclear fission
How can uranium 235 create electricity?
In physics and nuclear fission. A neutron is fired at a uranium-235 atom which then splits into daughter nuclei, the daughter nuclei releases more netrons which splits more and more uranium-235 atoms. This is called a chain reaction. The chain reaction releases heat which can then be used to turn a turbine which turns a generator and generates electricity. A moderator can be used to slow down neutrons and the chain reaction. When the neutrons are slowed down to the right speed, control/fuel rods absorbs the neutrons which slows down the reaction rate. This makes nuclear fission controllable, unlike nuclear fusion which is uncontrollable. Hope this helps
Does a chain reaction involve fission?
Yes, a chain reaction is all fission, just out-of-control fission. Usually, fission creates 2 neutrons per decay, but it is controlled by the fact that lots of neutrons get absorbed by U-238, which doesn't fission, unlike U-235, which does, and by the control rods, which also absorb lots of neutrons. But if these fail to contain the outbreak of neutrons, and the fail safes (which usually just drop the control rods totally into the reactor, stopping any chain reaction) fail, then an exponentially accelerating chain fission reaction can start, and once it starts, it's pretty much impossible to stop.
Brakes are to a car as control rods are to a nuclear-fission chain reaction - true or false?
true
When was fission reaction invented?
The first time a fission chain reaction was produced was in 1942
What term describes the reaction process in a fission reaction?
another name for nuclear fission is: E=MC squared
What particle is used to start nuclear fission?
In actuality, a spontaneous fission event begins a nuclear chain reaction. It kick starts a nuclear chain reaction. And a neutron from that fission will initiate another fission to continue and rev up that nuclear chain reaction.
How could you increase the rate of fission reactions?
Fission does not respond to changes in temperature and pressure like chemical reactions do. In a nuclear reactor, the fission chain reaction can be sped up by removing rods of cadmium, which absorb neutrons. These are in place to prevent the reaction from occurring too quickly. Remove them, and the chain reaction may proceed out of control.
What is it called when nuclear fission is repeated?
It is called nuclear chain fission reaction.
If For a sustainable fission reaction each fission must produce exactly how many additional fission reaction(s).?
To sustain a fission chain reaction, each fission reaction must result in one more fission reaction. And that one should result in one more, and so on.
What type of reaction happens in a nuclear power plant?
Nuclear fission
Is nuclear fission a chain reaction?
Not of itself, but it can be made to be.
Which describes what happens during a chain reaction?
Neutrons released during a fission reaction trigger other fission reactions.
How is a chain reactor controlled?
Since the continued chain reaction of a nuclear fission reactor depends upon at least one neutron from each fission being absorbed by another fissionable nucleus, the reaction can be controlled by using control rods of material which absorbs neutrons. Cadmium and boron are strong neutron absorbers and are the most common materials used in control rods. A typical neutron absorption reaction in boron is In the operation of a nuclear reactor, fuel assemblies are put into place and then the control rods are slowly lifted until a chain reaction can just be sustained. As the reaction proceeds, the number of uranium-235 nuclei decreases and fission by- products which absorb neutrons build up. To keep the chain reaction going, the control rods must be withdrawn further. At some point, the chain reaction cannot be maintained and the fuel must be replenished
