Admin Can a nuclear reactor explode like a nuclear bomb?
It’s obvious now that it’s impossible for a nuclear reactor to explode like an atomic bomb. However, other accidents can occur in the nuclear reactor and lead to explosions. One example is hydrogen explosion where hydrogen build-up in the reactor core causes a hydrogen explosion.
Can a nuclear reactor go supercritical?
When a reactor is starting up, the neutron population is increased slowly in a controlled manner, so that more neutrons are produced than are lost, and the nuclear reactor becomes supercritical. This allows the neutron population to increase and more power to be produced.
Is nuclear propulsion possible?
There are multiple types of nuclear propulsion that could be used in space technology. With nuclear electric propulsion, thermal energy from a nuclear reactor is turned into electric energy that powers whatever type of electrical thruster or propulsion tech that a spacecraft uses.
Can a nuclear reactor be turned off?
During the power operation of a nuclear power plant, a self-sustaining chain reaction occurs in the reactor core. To shut down a nuclear power plant, the reactor must be brought into a permanently uncritical state (subcriticality) and the heat that continuous to generate must be discharged safely.
What is super criticality?
The condition for increasing the level of operation of a reactor. The rate of fission neutron production exceeds all neutron losses, and the overall neutron population increases.
Can you drink water from a nuclear reactor?
Just because heavy water isn’t radioactive doesn’t mean it’s completely safe to drink. If you ingested enough heavy water, the biochemical reactions in your cells would be affected by the difference in the mass of the hydrogen atoms and how well they form hydrogen bonds.
Can a nuclear reactor work in space?
Radioisotope power sources have been an important source of energy in space since 1961. Nuclear fission reactors for space have been used mainly by Russia, but new and more powerful designs are under development in both the USA and Russia. Plutonium-238 is a vital power source for deep space missions.