Graphite-moderated reactor

"Graphite reactor" directs here. For the graphite reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, see <a href="/facts/X-10_Graphite_Reactor/xRUpAetD">X-10 Graphite Reactor</a>.
A graphite-moderated reactor is a <a href="/facts/Nuclear_reactor/8xqjIbge">nuclear reactor</a> that uses <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbon</a> as a <a href="/facts/Neutron_moderator/1qa6YvDD">neutron moderator</a>, which allows natural <a href="/facts/Uranium/n2sGWBzU">uranium</a> to be used as <a href="/facts/Nuclear_fuel/8RhAomlJ">nuclear fuel</a>.
The first artificial nuclear reactor, the <a href="/facts/Chicago_Pile-1/YCHuT9Mm">Chicago Pile-1</a>, used <a href="/facts/Nuclear_graphite/oH05cyQh">nuclear graphite</a> as a moderator. Graphite-moderated reactors were involved in two of the best-known nuclear disasters: an untested graphite annealing process contributed to the <a href="/facts/Windscale_fire/GexlAEcm">Windscale fire</a> (but the graphite itself did not catch fire), while a graphite fire during the <a href="/facts/Chernobyl_disaster/mNj9JHyf">Chernobyl disaster</a> contributed to the spread of radioactive material.

Graphite-moderated reactor open-in-new

Graphite-moderated reactor