a nuclear reactor is a device for carrying out fission reaction at a diluted and

controlled rate.A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained

nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating
electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is
passed to a working fluid (water or gas), which runs through turbines that
power either ship's propellers or generators

reactor core-The core of the reactor contains all of the nuclear fuel and
generates all of the heat. It contains low-enriched uranium (<5% U-235),
control systems, and structural materials. The core can contain hundreds of
thousands of individual fuel pins.it consists of an assemblage of fuel
elements,control rods,coolant and moderator with diameter ranging from 5 to
15m

moderator-the main function of it is to reduce kinetic energy of fast moving

neutrons to slow moving neutron and this is done in a small
fraction of a second.the fission chain reaction in the nuclear reactor is
maintained by the slow neutrons.the moderator must have high
slowing power,high resistance to corrosion and high melting point for solid
and low melting point for liquid,chemical and radiation stability,
good thermal conductivity.heavey water,berilium and graphite are examples
of moderators

coolant-The coolant is the material that passes through the core,

transferring the heat from the fuel to a turbine. It could be water, heavywater, liquid sodium, helium, or something else. In the US fleet of power
reactors, water is the standard.coolants are used to remove intense heat
produced in the reactor and bring it out for utilization.liquid metals like Na
and K can also act as coolants..

controlrods- control rods serve the purpose of

a)for start up i.e to bring the reactor upto its normal operating level
b)to keep power production at steady state
c)for shutting the reactor under emergency conditions

d)to prevent the chain reaction from becoming violent and consequently
avoiding the damage of reactor
Control rods often stand vertically within the core. A control rod is removed
from or inserted into the central core of a nuclear reactor in order to control
the neutron flux increase or decrease the number of neutrons which will
split further uranium atoms. This in turn affects the thermal power of the
reactor, the amount of steam produced, and hence the electricity generated.
.boron or cadmium rods are mostly used control rods..

shielding-its purpose is to weaken the r-rays and other radiations coming

from the reactor,so there is no hazard to persons in immediate
vicinity.to prevent the effect,it is necessary to absorb them.it is necessary to
absorb them.so in a nuclear reactor ,there are two shields...
a)thermal shield.it is very close to core and consists of 50 to 60cm thick iron
or steel covering.
b)biological sheild.it is a layer of concrete,a few diameters thick and it
sorrounds the thermal sheild.
turbine-the steam at high pressure generated in the heat exchanger is used
to operate a steam turbine,which drives a generator to produce
electricity.