![]() Fission is useful as a power source because some materials, called nuclear fuels, both generate neutrons as part of the fission process and also undergo triggered fission when impacted by a free neutron. Nuclear fission produces energy for nuclear power and to drive explosion of nuclear weapons. Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction and can release substantial amounts of useful energy both as gamma rays and as kinetic energy of the fragments ( heating the bulk material where fission takes place). The by-products include free neutrons, photons usually in the form gamma rays, and other nuclear fragments such as beta particles and alpha particles. Hence, fission is a form of elemental transmutation. Nuclear fission-also known as atomic fission-is a process in nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei as fission products, and usually some by-product particles. The particular elements and number of neutrons produced by each single fission event are random. A thermal (slow-moving) neutron is absorbed by the nucleus of a uranium-235 atom, which in turn splits into fast-moving lighter elements (fission products) and free neutrons. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on by hpeavey12.An induced nuclear fission event. ![]() I would recommend this tour to any person interested in sciences because it was exciting to see how a prestigious lab works. Also I did not know how much radiation I would get going on the tour. ![]() Before going on the tour I expected the reactor to be huge but it is not. When leaving the tour we had to make sure we were at safe levels to leave and return back to the lobby. It was not noticeable but I felt like a was a little light headed on the tour. Before entering the room we had to go into an air tight chamber which would decrease the pressure to match the pressure in the reactors room. Cell phones, backpacks were not allowed on the tour. People who have previously undergone radiation therapy are not advised to go on the tour. Before we left the lobby we needed to keep a little stick that would measure how much radiation we would experience on the tour. A lot of the space in the room was used for storage. When we were on the tour the room the reactor was large but the place where the reaction takes place is very small. ~Control room observes the room reactor is in ~The basement has a nutron detector used for medical purposes ![]() ~Capable of performing up to 3 in core experiments at the same time for the fights neuron fluxes ~Rector is very small (2ft tall, 1ft width) ~Uses very heavy water for neutron reflection ~Two loop cooling systems to moderate the cooling tower ~Tank type – light water to cool and moderate It is the second largest academic research reactor in the United States. The system operates 24/7 with a 6MW terminal power. The MIT reactor was constructed in 1958 and was upgraded in 1975.The reactor is 2 ft tall and 1 ft in width. Fission can happen to any element for example carbon and oxygen can undergo fission. Fission uses uranium 235, doesn’t burn, and doesn’t release CO2 into the environment. Not to get confused with fusion, fission is when atoms are split into two parts. To understand how the reactor works it is important to understand what fission is. Then we were able to go and see the reactor in person. First we sat through a lecture about the history of the reactor to get a little background information before seeing it in person. Shatz, a MIT alumni took our class to see the reactor in person. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a nuclear reactor laboratory on campus which is used for research, experiments, and educational purposed.
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