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单词 nuclear reactor
释义

nuclear reactor

SEE SYNONYMS FOR nuclear reactor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Physics.

an apparatus in which a nuclear-fission chain reaction can be initiated, sustained, and controlled, for generating heat or producing useful radiation.
Also called atomic pile, atomic reactor, chain reactor, chain-reacting pile, nuclear pile, pile .

Origin of nuclear reactor

First recorded in 1940–45

Words nearby nuclear reactor

nuclear physics, nuclear pore, nuclear power, nuclear radiation, nuclear reaction, nuclear reactor, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear RNA, nuclear spindle, nuclear stain, Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for nuclear reactor

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British Dictionary definitions for nuclear reactor

nuclear reactor

noun

a device in which a nuclear reaction is maintained and controlled for the production of nuclear energySometimes shortened to: reactor Former name: atomic pile See also fission reactor, fusion reactor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for nuclear reactor

nuclear reactor

A device in which the energy released by the fission of nuclei of uranium or another element is used to produce steam to run an electrical generator or other device.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Scientific definitions for nuclear reactor

nuclear reactor

A device used to generate power, in which nuclear fission takes place as a controlled chain reaction, producing heat energy that is generally used to drive turbines and provide electric power. Nuclear reactors are used as a source of power in large power grids and in submarines.

A Closer Look

A nuclear reactor uses a nuclear fission chain reaction to produce energy. The cylindrical core of a reactor consists of fuel rods containing pellets of fissionable material, usually uranium 235 or plutonium 239. These unstable isotopes readily split apart into smaller nuclei (in the fission reaction) when they absorb a neutron; they release large quantities of energy upon splitting, along with more neutrons that may be absorbed by the nuclei of other isotopes, causing a chain reaction. The neutrons are expelled from the fission reaction at very high speeds, and are not likely to be absorbed at such speeds. Moderators such as heavy water are therefore needed to slow the neutrons to a speed at which they are readily absorbed. The fuel rods contain enough fissionable material arranged in close enough proximity to start a self-sustaining chain reaction. To regulate the speed of the reaction, the fuel rods are interspersed with control rods made of a material (usually boron or cadmium) that absorbs some of the neutrons given off by the fuel. The deeper the control rods are inserted into the reactor core, the more the reaction is slowed down. If the control rods are fully inserted, the reaction stops. The chain reaction releases enormous amounts of heat, which is transferred through a closed loop of radioactive water to a separate, nonradioactive water system, creating pressurized steam. The steam drives turbines to turn electrical generators.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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更新时间:2024/9/21 22:41:19