France's Gravelines nuclear power plant, the largest in Western Europe, was fully shut down on Monday after a "massive and unpredictable" swarm of jellyfish clogged its cooling system pumps, forcing…
Nuclear reactor works with a human controlled chain reaction by keeping bar of radioactive material close enough to have a chain reaction. If you increase the distances or block the neutrons between the fuel bar, you only get moderately radioactive material, not the kind of stuff I want to work near off, but not the kind of stuff releasing enough energy to need a heavy cooling chain.
Typically this is done with carbon rods going between the fuel rods. However, in case of emergency boron can be added to the water to block the neutron.
Obligatory while I have experience in nuclear sciences, I never worked in a power plant, so my answer might not be fully accurate
Nuclear reactor works with a human controlled chain reaction by keeping bar of radioactive material close enough to have a chain reaction. If you increase the distances or block the neutrons between the fuel bar, you only get moderately radioactive material, not the kind of stuff I want to work near off, but not the kind of stuff releasing enough energy to need a heavy cooling chain.
Typically this is done with carbon rods going between the fuel rods. However, in case of emergency boron can be added to the water to block the neutron.
Obligatory while I have experience in nuclear sciences, I never worked in a power plant, so my answer might not be fully accurate
You’re close enough. The reaction requires slow neutrons though, remember?