NUCLEAR REACTOR

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

(physics) any of several kinds of apparatus that maintain and control a nuclear reaction for the production of energy or artificial elements

Synonyms:

nuclear reactor; reactor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("nuclear reactor" is a kind of...):

apparatus; setup (equipment designed to serve a specific function)

Meronyms (parts of "nuclear reactor"):

control rod (a steel or aluminum rod that can be moved up or down to control the rate of the nuclear reaction)

core (the chamber of a nuclear reactor containing the fissile material where the reaction takes place)

moderator (any substance used to slow down neutrons in nuclear reactors)

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "nuclear reactor"):

atomic pile; atomic reactor; chain reactor; pile (a nuclear reactor that uses controlled nuclear fission to generate energy)

breeder reactor (a nuclear reactor that produces more fissile material than it burns)

fast reactor (nuclear reactor in which nuclear fissions are caused by fast neutrons because little or no moderator is used)

gas-cooled reactor (a nuclear reactor using gas as a coolant)

liquid metal reactor (a nuclear reactor using liquid metal as a coolant)

thermal reactor (a nuclear reactor in which nuclear fissions are caused by neutrons that are slowed down by a moderator)

fusion reactor; thermonuclear reactor (a nuclear reactor that uses controlled nuclear fusion to generate energy)

water-cooled reactor (nuclear reactor using water as a coolant)