"Commercial-sized nuclear reactors don't depend on the neutron population alone to reach criticality, because they have other interventions like temperature and control rod settings," Hutchinson said.

In an immaculate control room at the Watts Bar nuclear ... water in the core, and neutrons go about the business of splitting uranium atoms, life comes to a new nuclear reactor — the first ...

Nuclear fuel produces heat from fission while a moderator like water prevents it from melting down both by cooling the reactor and slowing down neutrons. Control rods further slow down the ...

It is generally recognized that long term development of nuclear power as part of the world's future energy mix will require fast reactor technology with a closed fuel cycle. The fast neutron spectrum ...

Nuclear reactors change their chemical composition ... so they pulled out the control rods, which also soaked up neutrons. This actually increased the reaction rate by obliterating the xenon ...

Most new nuclear fission reactors being built today are of the light water reactor (LWR) type, which use water for neutron moderation into thermal neutrons as well as neutron capture. While ...

And in the longer term, scientists say training people to run neutron generators helps to familiarize and speed up the future of nuclear fusion. Phoenix’s small reactor uses an age-old idea ...

But with the earthquake and tsunami striking Japan late last week and setting off crisis situations at several nuclear reactors ... The control rods absorb neutrons before they can reach the ...