Reactor Site Process

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-023214",
  "term": "Reactor Site Process",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "Once the fuel assemblies are fabricated, trucks transport them to the reactor sites. The fuel assemblies are stored onsite in fresh fuel storage bins until the reactor operators need them. At this stage, the uranium is only mildly radioactive, and essentially all radiation is contained within the metal tubes. Typically, reactor operators change out about one-third of the reactor core (40 to 90 fuel assemblies) every 12 to 24 months. The reactor core is a cylindrical arrangement of the fuel bundles that is about 12 feet in diameter and 14 feet tall and encased in a steel pressure vessel with walls that are several inches thick. The reactor core has essentially no moving parts except for a small number of control rods that are inserted to regulate the nuclear fission reaction. Placing the fuel assemblies next to each other and adding water initiates the nuclear reaction.",
  "references": [
    "Adapted from Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration at https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=nuclear_fuel_cycle"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/reactor-site-process/"
}