National Research Universal reactor46°3′15.53″N77°21′52.12″W / 46.0543139°N 77.3644778°W / 46.0543139; -77.3644778 The National Research Universal (NRU) reactor was a 135 MW nuclear research reactor built in the Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, one of Canada's national science facilities. It was a multipurpose science facility that served three main roles.Research reactorResearch reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.
Control rodControl rods are used in nuclear reactors to control the rate of fission of the nuclear fuel – uranium or plutonium. Their compositions include chemical elements such as boron, cadmium, silver, hafnium, or indium, that are capable of absorbing many neutrons without themselves decaying. These elements have different neutron capture cross sections for neutrons of various energies.
Neutron moderatorIn nuclear engineering, a neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the speed of fast neutrons, ideally without capturing any, leaving them as thermal neutrons with only minimal (thermal) kinetic energy. These thermal neutrons are immensely more susceptible than fast neutrons to propagate a nuclear chain reaction of uranium-235 or other fissileisotope by colliding with their atomic nucleus.
Atomic Energy of Canada LimitedAtomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL, Énergie atomique du Canada limitée, EACL) is a Canadian Crown corporation and the largest nuclear science and technology laboratory in Canada. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in the 1950s, and in October 2011 licensed this technology to Candu Energy.
NeutronSubatomic particle with no chargeA neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol n or n, that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938, the first self-sustaining nuclear reactor (Chicago Pile-1, 1942), and the first nuclear weapon (Trinity, 1945). Neutrons are found, together with a similar number of protons, in the nuclei of atoms.
ZEEPThe ZEEP (Zero Energy Experimental Pile) reactor was a nuclear reactor built at the Chalk River Laboratories near Chalk River, Ontario, Canada (which superseded the Montreal Laboratory for nuclear research in Canada). ZEEP first went critical at 15:45 on September 5, 1945. ZEEP was the first operational nuclear reactor outside the United States.
Chalk River LaboratoriesChalk River Laboratories (French: Laboratoires de Chalk River; also known as CRL, Chalk River Labs and formerly Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, CRNL) is a Canadian nuclear research facility in Deep River, about 180 km (110 mi) north-west of Ottawa. CRL is a site of significant research and development to support and advance nuclear technology, particularly CANDU reactor technology.Neutron economyNeutron economy is a measure of how efficiently a nuclear reactor uses the neutrons produced in fission to sustain a chain reaction. On average, a fission event releases about 2.5 neutrons, and a self-sustaining chain reaction needs at least one of them to trigger a further fission. The neutron economy of a reactor design is therefore a question of keeping neutron production balanced against neutron loss from absorption and leakage.
Heavy waterForm of waterNames IUPAC name(H2)WaterOther names Deuterium oxideWater-d2Dideuterium monoxideDeuterated waterIdentifiers CAS Number7789-20-03D model (JSmol)Interactive imageChEBICHEBI:41981ChEMBLChEMBL1232306ChemSpider23004ECHA InfoCard100.029.226EC Number232-148-9Gmelin Reference97 KEGGD03703MeSHDeuterium+OxidePubChemCID24602RTECS numberZC0230000UNIIJ65BV539M3CompTox Dashboard(EPA)DTXSID4051243InChIInChI=1S/H2O/h1H2/i/hD2Key: XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-ZSJDYOACSA-NSMILES[2H]O[2H]Properties Chemical formulaD2O Molar mass20.0276 g·mol Appearance Colorless liquid OdorOdorless Density1.107 g mL Melting point3.82 °C; 38.88 °F; 276.97 K Boiling point101.4 °C (214.5 °F; 374.5 K) Solubility in waterMiscible log P−1.38 Refractive index (nD)1.328 Viscosity1.25 mPa s (at 20 °C) Dipole moment1.87 D Hazards NFPA 704 (fire diamond) 100Related compounds Related compoundsDeuterium fluorideNitrogen trideuterideTetradeuteromethaneExcept where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).N ( ?)
AluminiumChemical element with atomic number 13 (Al)B↑Al↓Gamagnesium ← aluminium → silicon
National Research Council CanadaThe National Research Council Canada (NRC; French: Conseil national de recherches Canada) is the primary national agency of the Government of Canada dedicated to science and technology research and development. It is the largest federal research and development organization in Canada. The Minister of Industry is responsible for the NRC.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.