GCSE (9-1): Physics: AQA: Nuclear reactors

• Nuclear reactor


  A piece of equipment in a nuclear power station in which nuclear fission or fusion takes place

  
• Nuclear fission reactor


  Used to power commercial nuclear power stations

  
• Nuclear fuel


  The uranium (or plutonium) isotopes that undergo nuclear fission

  
• Fuel rods


  Rods in the nuclear reactor that contain the fuel so that the neutrons released from fission will travel and cause fission in other rods

  
• Moderator


  Surrounds the fuel rods and slows the neutrons so that they are more readily absorbed by a nearby fuel rod

  
• Material used for the moderator


  Usually graphite
• Chain reaction


  When the neutrons released from a nucleus go on to cause the splitting of further nuclei

  
• Control rods


  Rods that stop neutrons from travelling between fuel rods by absorbing them in order to control the rate of the chain reaction

  
• Materials used for control rods


  Usually boron or cadmium

  
• Concrete shielding


  Used to contain the products of the fission reaction as they are radioactive and can be hazardous

  
• Coolant


  heated up by the energy released from the fission reactions and then used to boil water to turn it into steam

  
• Steam


  Used to drive the turbines in a power station

  
• Turbine


  a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam and is used to turn the generator in a power station

  
• Generator


  An electromagnetic device that produces electricity in a power station when it turned by the turbines