College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison
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University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor Tour
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Control Elements
The reactor is controlled by
four safety blades and one transient control rod. The scrammable safety blades are held up by magnets,
energized by a current. The magnets are attached to a motor-operated drive, which controls the height
of the rods. The neutron
absorbing section of the blade is made from standard boral. Boral is a material that loves to absorbs neutrons.
The transient control rod is held up by pneumatic (air) pressure
and its position can be adjusted by a drive mechanism similar to the other
control elements. The transient control
rod is borated graphite contained in a 1-1/4 inch diameter aluminum tube
located inside the core where one fuel pins would have been located.
The next stop in the tour- the demineralizer
This is how the fission process works.
To the fuel.
Back to the reactor.