Nuclear energy and radiation terminology · MLC-0119

Nuclear energy and radiation terms: S (46)

• Safe shutdown earthquakeIs the maximum earthquake potential for which certain structures, systems, and components, important to...
• SafeguardsThe use of material control and accounting programs to verify that all special nuclear material is properly...
• Safeguards informationA special category of sensitive unclassified information that must be protected. Safeguards information...
• Safety Conscious Work EnvironmentA working environment in which employees are encouraged to report safety concerns without fear of criticism...
• Safety injectionThe rapid insertion of a chemically soluble neutron poison (such as boric acid) into the reactor coolant...
• Safety limitA restriction or range placed upon important process variables that are necessary to reasonably protect the...
• Safety-relatedIn the regulatory arena, this term applies to systems, structures, components, procedures, and controls (of a...
• Safety-significantWhen used to qualify an object, such as a system, structure, component, or accident sequence, this term...
• SAFSTORA long-term storage condition for a permanently shutdown nuclear power plant. During SAFSTOR, radioactive...
• Scattered radiationRadiation that, during its passage through a substance, has been changed in direction. It may also have been...
• Scintillation detectorThe combination of phosphor, photomultiplier tube, and associated electronic circuits for counting light...
• ScramThe sudden shutting down of a nuclear reactor, usually by rapid insertion of control rods, either...
• Sealed sourceAny radioactive material or byproduct encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the...
• Secondary radiationRadiation originating as the result of absorption of other radiation in matter. It may be either...
• Secondary systemThe steam generator tubes, steam turbine, condenser, and associated pipes, pumps, and heaters used to convert...
• Seismic category IStructures, systems, and components that are designed and built to withstand the maximum potential earthquake...
• Sensitive unclassified nonsafeguards informationInformation that is generally not publicly available and that encompasses a wide variety of categories, such...
• Severe accidentA type of accident that may challenge safety systems at a level much higher than expected.
• Shallow-Dose EquivalentThe dose equivalent at a tissue depth of 0.007 centimeter (7 mg/cm^2), which applies to the external exposure...
• ShieldingAny material or obstruction that absorbs radiation and thus tends to protect personnel or materials from the...
• ShutdownA decrease in the rate of fission (and heat/energy production) in a reactor (usually by the insertion of...
• Shutdown marginThe instantaneous amount of reactivity by which the reactor is subcritical or would be subcritical from its...
• SievertThe international system (SI) unit for dose equivalent equal to 1 Joule/kilogram. 1 sievert = 100 rem. Named...
• Significance Determination ProcessThe process used by the NRC staff to evaluate inspection findings to determine their safety significance...
• Somatic effects of radiationEffects of radiation limited to the exposed individual, as distinguished from genetic effects, that may also...
• Source materialUranium or thorium, or any combination thereof, in any physical or chemical form, or ores that contain, by...
• Source termTypes and amounts of radioactive or hazardous material released to the environment following an accident.
• Special nuclear materialPlutonium, uranium-233, or uranium enriched in the isotopes uranium-233 or uranium-235. For additional...
• Spent (depleted or used) nuclear fuelNuclear reactor fuel that has been used to the extent that it can no longer effectively sustain a chain...
• Spent fuel poolAn underwater storage and cooling facility for spent (depleted) fuel assemblies that have been removed from a...
• Spent nuclear fuelNuclear reactor fuel that has been used to the extent that it can no longer effectively sustain a chain...
• Stable isotopeAn isotope that does not undergo radioactive decay.
• Standard Review PlanA document that provides guidance to the staff for reviewing an application to obtain an NRC license to...
• Standard Technical SpecificationsNRC staff guidance on model technical specifications for an operating license. (See also Technical...
• StartupAn increase in the rate of fission (and heat production) in a reactor (usually by the removal of control rods...
• Stay timeThe period during which personnel may remain in a restricted area in a reactor before accumulating some...
• Steam generatorThe heat exchanger used in some reactor designs to transfer heat from the primary (reactor coolant) system to...
• Stochastic effectsEffects that occur by chance, generally occurring without a threshold level of dose, whose probability is...
• Stress-intensity factorA characterization of the driving force for fracture at the tips of a crack.
• Subcritical massAn amount of fissionable material insufficient in quantity or of improper geometrical configuration to...
• SubcriticalityThe condition of a nuclear reactor system, in which nuclear fuel no longer sustains a fission chain reaction...
• Supercritical reactorA reactor in which the power level is increasing with time.
• SupercriticalityThe condition for increasing the level of operation of a reactor. The rate of fission neutron production...
• SuperheatingThe heating of a vapor, particularly steam, to a temperature much higher than the boiling point at the...
• Surface crackA crack that is open to the inside of a component and does not penetrate through it.
• Survey meterAny portable radiation detection instrument especially adapted for inspecting an area or individual to...

46 of 555 terms in Nuclear energy and radiation terminology (MLC-0119). Request the full dataset.