nuclear energy Large quantity of energy that is released in the form of heat; this occurs during a nuclear reaction (fission of atom nuclei). The heat is used to produce electricity.
fuel handling sequence Uranium is made into pellets, which are pressed into fuel bundles to be used in the reactor and then stored in cooling bays.
fuel bundle Fuel pencils that are grouped in parallel for introduction into the reactor.
nuclear reactor Tightly sealed area where fission of the fuel is carried out in a controlled manner to release heat.
nuclear generating station Plant that produces electricity from thermal energy generated by the fission of fuel atoms in a reactor.
carbon dioxide reactor Developed for the most part in Great Britain and France, it was replaced by the pressurized water reactor, which performs better and is less expensive.
heavy-water reactor The advantage of this type of reactor is that it does not require fuel enrichment; it is used mainly in Canada, Argentina and India.
pressurized-water reactor The most common type of reactor in the world; water from the coolant is kept under heavy pressure to prevent it from vaporizing.
boiling-water reactor In this second most common reactor, boiling occurs directly in the reactor core; it is used mainly in the United States, Sweden and Japan.