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As the moderator (water) increases in temperature, it becomes less dense and slows down fewer neutrons, which results in a negative change of reactivity. This negative temperature coefficient acts to stabilize atomic power reactor operations.
Industry:Energy
A material, such as ordinary water, heavy water, or graphite, that is used in a reactor to slow down high-velocity neutrons, thus increasing the likelihood of fission.
Industry:Energy
A type of nuclear reactor fuel (often called “MOX” that contains plutonium oxide mixed with either natural or depleted uranium oxide, in ceramic pellet form. (This differs from conventional nuclear fuel, which is made of pure uranium oxide. ) Using plutonium reduces the amount of highly enriched uranium needed to produce a controlled reaction in commercial light-water reactors. However, plutonium exists only in trace amounts in nature and, therefore, must be produced by neutron irradiation of uranium-238 or obtained from other manufactured sources. As directed by Congress, the NRC regulates the fabrication of MOX fuel by DOE, a program that is intended to dispose of plutonium from international nuclear disarmament agreements. For further detail, see the Fact Sheet on Mixed Oxide Fuel and Frequently Asked Questions About Mixed Oxide Fuel.
Industry:Energy
One thousandth of a roentgen (R). 1mR = 10<sup>-3</sup> R = 0. 001 R.
Industry:Energy
Primarily, the sandy process waste material from a conventional uranium recovery facility. This naturally radioactive ore residue contains the radioactive decay products from the uranium chains (mainly the U-238 chain) and heavy metals. Although the milling process recovers about 93 percent of the uranium, the residues (known as “tailings” contain several naturally occurring radioactive elements, including uranium, thorium, radium, polonium, and radon. For further information, see Uranium Mill Tailings and the Backgrounder on Uranium Mill Tailings.
Industry:Energy
One millionth of a curie. That amount of radioactive material that disintegrates (decays) at the rate of 37 thousand atoms per second.
Industry:Energy
