Subcritical reactor

<p>A subcritical reactor is a <a href="/facts/Nuclear_fission/LfkIylvm">nuclear fission</a> <a href="/facts/Nuclear_reactor/8xqjIbge">reactor</a> concept that produces fission without achieving <a href="/facts/Critical_mass/wRAnE21M">criticality</a>. Instead of sustaining a <a href="/facts/Chain_reaction/5UwHTKXS">chain reaction</a>, a subcritical reactor uses additional <a href="/facts/Neutron/oRCM1geb">neutrons</a> from an outside source. There are two general classes of such devices. One uses neutrons provided by a <a href="/facts/Nuclear_fusion/hP0gLDqj">nuclear fusion</a> machine, a concept known as a <a href="/facts/Nuclear_fusion%E2%80%93fission_hybrid/mcX3Gnzq">fusion–fission hybrid</a>. The other uses neutrons created through <a href="/facts/Spallation/k7AsUBbk">spallation</a> of heavy nuclei by charged particles such as protons accelerated by a <a href="/facts/Particle_accelerator/Pkuc08xC">particle accelerator</a>, a concept known as an accelerator-driven system (ADS) or <a href="/facts/Accelerator-driven_sub-critical_reactor/kk01FX1M">accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor</a>.
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Subcritical reactor open-in-new

Subcritical reactor