neutron moderation
NOO-tron mod-er-AY-shun
/ˈnjuːtrɒn ˌmɒdəˈreɪʃən/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
Dictionary meaning
The slowing of fast neutrons released by fission to thermal (slow) energies by passing them through a moderator material such as water, heavy water, or graphite; slow neutrons are much more likely to cause fission in uranium-235, making moderation essential to sustaining a chain reaction in most reactor designs
History and origin
Latin neutrum (neither) for the electrically neutral particle, discovered by James Chadwick in 1932; moderation from Latin moderare (to restrain)
Examples
- Light water reactors rely on ordinary water for neutron moderation and also as coolant.
- A loss of neutron moderation in a graphite-moderated reactor was a key factor in the Chernobyl disaster.
Spelled 'neutron moderation' in both; 'thermalisation' vs 'thermalization'
Synonyms: neutron thermalisation, neutron slowing-down
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