- The first ever nuclear reactor was called Chicago Pile-1 and was created as a proof of concept during research for the Manhattan Project in 1942 (pictured right). It was built under an abandoned Squash court at the University of Chicago.
- While its first reaction only lasted 4.5 minutes and ran at 0.5 watts, it proved the power of a nuclear reaction could be harnessed
- The first nuclear reactor to produce power was called EBR-1 and was built in 1951. It was sited in Idaho, and while it only put out 400 kilowatts (400000), at the time it was a monumental achievement.
- The first commercial nuclear reactor to produce power on the electrical guild was built in Windscale, England. Called Calder Hall, it output 49 megawatts (49,000,000 watts).
- There are currently around 450 operational reactors in the world, 92 of which are currently operating in the U.S. (the most out of every country).
A nuclear reaction works by first conglomerating a large amount of a radioactive material (usually uranium in reactors). The unstable uranium atoms release neutrons, which split other uranium atoms, releasing more neutrons and vast quantities of energy. This reaction is controlled by neutron moderators (like graphite and water) and neutron absorbers (like boron and cadmium). Neutron moderators slow down neutrons, making it easier for them to collide with other uranium atoms, while neutron absorbers -as the name suggests- absorb neutrons to slow down reactions.
A typical nuclear reactor generates power in a similar way to how other conventional power plants generate electricity. The nuclear reaction inside the reactor core heats water, turning it to steam, which then spins a turbine connected to a generator. There are reactors that use other substances like liquid metal or salts, but these are mostly experimental units not yet implemented for large scale use.
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