by Alexander. 7.5.19

Nuclear Reactor.

Not many people know this: a nuclear reactor produces electricity. Most of them are gone now because they are moving on to something new.

How a reactor is powered.

In the heart of the reactor is a big ball of fire called a core. And that’s very deep down. At the surface of the reactor there is something called control rods. The less of these inserted in the water will make it overheat if it is like that for very long. When all the control rods are in it keeps it at a good heat so it’s stable. When the reactor is not on, they check the surface to see if anything is damaged or not. If they don’t recognise that any control rods are damaged, it can overheat and cause damage to the actual core.

The control room is about one thousand feet away from the reactor. If the reactor overheats there will be a deadly nuclear explosion. And if the radiation cloud forms it can blow across from the wind to other places. When the reactor is well-cared, it will be well-cared to you.

And if an emengency happens in the control room, there is an emergency shut-off . But sometimes it will not work. If it doesn’t work, the reactor will explode. The control rods are made of uranium which are highly radioactive.

How a reactor stays on.

There is something called nuclear fuel, which powers the reactor. If this runs out they just refill it again. They have these good machines that do it all alone. But someone keeps an eye on it.

These nuclear reactors have something called reactor power that can be increased in the control room. If an explosion happens when the power is too high it will be a big explosion. It can destroy a town.