Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)- A type of power producing reactor which boils water directly in the core to be sent to a turbine to generate electricity.

Beam Port- a tube which carries particles from the core of the Reactor to an experiment outside of the reactor shielding.

Beta Particle- A high speed electron, especially one given off during radioactive decay.

Chain Reaction- A nuclear reaction consisting of a self sustaining series of fissions in which the average number of neutrons produced exceeds the number absorbed or lost.

Console- The panel hosing the controls and displays for the electrical, mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic components of the UWNR.

Control Element- A device used to control the power level of nuclear reactors by absorbing neutrons and therefore control the chain reaction taking place inside the reactor.

Demineralizer- The component of the UWNR responsible for removing any minerals present in the reactor pool or primary cooling loop of the reactor.

Fission- A nuclear reaction in which a nucleus is split into fragments, usually two pieces of comparable mass, accompanied by a release of energy.

Fission Fragment- A direct product of fission, a fission fragment, also known as fission daughter, is usually radioactive.

Fuel- The fissionable material used in a nuclear reactor. It is contained in sealed fuel rods within the reactor core.

Fusion- A nuclear reaction in which light nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei and with the simultaneous release of energy.

Gamma Ray- Electromagnetic radiation (light) emitted by radioactive decay and having a large amount of energy.

Heat Exchanger- A device used to transfer heat from a flowing fluid on one side of a barrier to a different or separate flowing fluid on the other side.

Irradiate- To expose to or treat with radiation.

Neutron- A neutral, or uncharged, particle which is stable when contained in the nucleus. It combines with protons, which are positively charged subatomic particles, to form the nucleus of nearly any given atom.

Nucleus- The positively charged central region of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons and containing almost all of the mass of the atom.

Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)- A type of power producing reactor which keeps the water surrounding the core under pressure. When the pressurized water is heated by the reactor, it is sent to a heat exchanger and it boils water that is kept at a lower pressure. This steam is then sent to a turbine to generate electricity.

Proton- A positively charged subatomic particle which resides in the nucleus. It can usually be found with neutrons, the other major component of a nucleus.

Radiation- Subatomic particles or high energy light waves emitted by unstable nuclei.

Radiation counters- Machines used to detect and count the energy of the radiation given off by a given object.

Radioactive- The property of an object pertaining to the amount of radiation it gives off. An object is considered highly radioactive if it gives off a large amount of radiation in a given time.

Radioactivity- The emission of radiation, either from unstable nuclei or from a nuclear reaction such as fission.

Reactor- A device which produces controlled amounts of heat and radiation by nuclear fission, although research is being done to use nuclear fusion in a reactor instead.

Reactor Core- The center of a nuclear reactor, it contains the fuel which runs the reactor and the control elements.

Subcritical- A condition in which a reactor is not producing enough neutrons to sustain a chain reaction. If a reactor is in a subcritical state, it is either going down in power level or is shut down.

Thermal Column- A part of the reactor that can be used to produce low energy or thermal neutrons for special irradiation experiments.

Uranium- A heavy metallic element which is naturally radioactive. It can be processed for use in research, nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons. It has an atomic mass of 92, which means it has 92 protons and 92 electrons.

Uranium-235- A naturally occurring isotope of Uranium containing 143 neutrons and capable of sustaining a chain reaction.

Uranium-236- An isotope which occurs when Uranium-235 absorbs a neutron. It is the isotope which directly fissions to produce energy, fission fragments, neutrons, and radiation

Uranium-238- An isotope of Uranium which occurs naturally and contains 146 neutrons in its nucleus. It does not fission directly but can be irradiated with neutrons to become a fissionable isotope of plutonium.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Is there a word or phrase on the tour that you did not understand and was not in this glossary? Please notify me at reactor@engr.wisc.edu. Thank you.