● Basic Concepts Guide

Nuclear Terms Glossary

Nuclear technology terms from fission to reactor safety, radiation dosemetry from fuel cycle to Z.

Nuclear Terms and Definitions 70 terms listed
Home Nuclear Safety

Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS)

Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS)

A multi-tiered safety system comprising high- and low-pressure active pumps and passive hydroaccumulators that floods the reactor core with borated water within seconds during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) to prevent fuel cladding overheating and meltdown.

Defense-in-Depth Principles →
Home Reactor Physics

Heavy Water (Deuterium Oxide)

Heavy Water (D2O)

A water molecule containing the deuterium isotope instead of ordinary hydrogen ($D_2O$). Because of its extremely low neutron absorption cross-section, it serves as an excellent moderator in reactors operating on natural, unenriched uranium (such as CANDU).

Examine Moderator Types →
Home Power Plants

NGS

Power Plant

The first nuclear power plant, which is built in Mersin province of Turkey, consists of 4 VVER-1200 types of VVER-1200 in 1200 MWe power.

Read More Guide →
Home Reactor Physics

Aktinitis

Home

15 radioactive heavy elements group, ranging from actinium to lawrentium in periodic table. Uranium is the main aculine of torium and plutonium nuclear fuel cycle.

Home Radiation Safety

ALARA Principle

Alara Principle

The core philosophy of radiation protection. The international ICRP standard mandating that all radiation exposures be kept 'As Low As Reasonably Achievable', taking into account economic and societal factors (Time, Distance, Shielding).

Read Protection Principles →
Home Nuclear Safety

Now Heat

Decay Heat

Thermal heat that continues to reveal the result of radioactive degradation of filament products while one of the reactor heart after the reaction of filament chaining.

Review Cooling Systems →
Home Engineering

Pressureifier

Pressurized Tags

In the pressure water reactors (PWR) steam-water balanced pressure tank, which keeps the water under the high pressure of about 150-160 atmosphere in order to prevent the boiling of the water in the primary circuit.

Review PWR Circuits →
Home radiation

Becquerel (Bq)

Becquerel

SI unit of radioactivity. In a radioactive substance, the degradation of a nucleus per second ($1\text{ degradation/sn}$) is defined as 1 Becquerel.

Read Units Directory →
Home Nuclear Safety

Emergency Boration System

Emergency Boration System

A redundant safety system that injects a boric acid solution rich in the neutron-absorbing Boron-10 isotope into the primary coolant, shutting down the fission chain reaction chemically and independently of mechanical control rods.

Examine Chemical Control →
Home Reactor Physics

Void Coefficient of Reactivity

Void Coefficient of Reactivity

The rate of change in reactivity caused by the formation of steam bubbles (voids) in the reactor coolant. In PWR and VVER reactors, this coefficient is strictly negative; boiling inherently slows down the fission chain reaction.

Inherent Safety Coefficients →
Home Engineering

Steam Generator

Steam Generator

A huge heat exchanger that produces clean steam that will turn the turbine by transferring the heat from the radioactive primary circuit water heated in the reactor’s heart.

See Steam Cycle →
Home Reactor Types

Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)

Salt Water Reactor (BWR)

A type of light-water reactor in which water boils directly inside the reactor core, and the resulting steam is routed straight to the turbine without requiring an intermediate steam generator in a single-loop cycle.

Read PWR vs BWR Differences →
C Reactor Types

CANDU Reactor

CANDU Reactor

A Canadian-designed pressurized heavy-water reactor moderated and cooled by heavy water ($D_2O$), capable of operating on natural unenriched uranium and refueled online without shutting down the plant.

Discover Fuel Types →
Home Nuclear Safety

Core Melting

Meltdown / Core Melt

In the case of completely depletion of reactor cooling water, there is now the scenario to reach excessive temperatures ($>2000^\circ\text{C}$).

Read Security Measures →
Home Nuclear Safety

Double Containment Building

Double Containment Build g

A dual-walled prestressed reinforced concrete dome enclosing the reactor. The inner containment withstands severe internal design pressures and radiation, while the 1.5-meter outer shell protects against large commercial aircraft crashes, earthquakes, and external explosions.

Reactor Building Cross-Section →
Home Reactor Physics

Chemical Shim

Chemical Shim

The operational practice in PWRs of dissolving boric acid in the primary coolant to compensate for excess reactivity throughout the fuel cycle, gradually diluting the boron concentration as fuel burns up.

PWR Coolant Loops →
Home Nuclear Safety

Defense

Defence-Depth

It predicts no nuclear security function to withstand a single equipment; physical barriers, multi-layer protection systems and security architecture consisting of independent emergency lines.

Read 5 Defense Layer →
Home Nuclear Safety

Natural Circulation

Home

A passive thermal-hydraulic mechanism where heat is removed from the reactor core without electric pumps, driven purely by density differences as hot water expands and rises while cooler water sinks.

Passive Cooling Systems →
Home Reactor Physics

Fertility Material

Fertile Material

Self-existing with thermal neutrons can not be made directly fiscal but a neutron cools, resulting in beta degradation, the substance that can turn into a fiscal is (Örn: Uranium-238 and Torium-232).

Review Torium Conversion →
Home Reactor Physics

Doppler Expansion

Doppler Broadening

The increase of thermal vibrations of uranium atoms as fuel heats and the rise of resonance neutralone capture ability; the basic physical safety mechanism that slows the reaction itself when the temperature increases.

Home Advanced Reactors

Ergished Salt Reactor (MSR)

Coede Salt Reactor

4. With high temperature of nuclear fuel dissolved in liquid fluoride or chloride salts, working in atmospheric pressure and no risk of pressure explosion 4. Generation advanced reactor type.

Learn MSR and Torium →
F Reactor Physics

Fisil Material

Fissile Material

Isotopes (Urn: U-235, U-233, Pu-239), which can self-esteem chaining filament response when any energy cools a neutral.

Review Fuel Guide →
F Reactor Physics

Tags

Nuclear Fission

The process of exposing a tremendous amount of heat energy and new neutrons by dividing two or more light weights as a result of a severe atom nucleus (e.g. U-235).

Read the Fix Guide →
F Reactor Physics

Fusion

Nuclear Fusion

Light atom cores (such asdium and tritium) combine under extreme high temperature and pressure, creating a heavier core and revealing energy (Solar’s energy generation principle).

Home Reactor Physics

Delayed Neutrons

Delayed Neutrons

Neutrons emitted seconds to minutes after fission following the beta decay of fission precursors (approx. 0.65% of all neutrons). This time delay is the fundamental physical phenomenon allowing nuclear reactors to be safely controlled by mechanical control rods.

Chain Reaction Control →
Home radiation

Gray (Gy)

Gray

The SI unit of radiation energy (Cooled Dose) that cools the substance or biological tissue. $1\text{ Gy} = 1\text{ Joule/kg}$ corresponds to energy transfer.

Learn Dose Units →
Home Advanced Reactors

Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR)

Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR)

A Generation IV reactor that operates without a neutron moderator, utilizing fast neutrons to breed fertile U-238 into fissile Plutonium-239 faster than it consumes fuel, multiplying uranium utilization efficiency by up to 60 times.

Advanced Reactor Technologies →
Home Nuclear Safety

Hydrogen Recombinator

Passive Autocatalytic Recombiner

In case of accident, the hydrogen gas that can accumulate in the reactor can be combined with oxygen with platin-paladium catalysts without electrical or operator intervention and passive safety equipment that converts into water.

Home Institutions

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The United Nations global intergovernmental forum that promotes peaceful nuclear technology, establishes international safety standards, and conducts non-proliferation safeguards inspections worldwide.

Global Nuclear Institutions →
Home Institutions

International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)

International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)

An independent scientific commission establishing global radiological protection recommendations, dose limits, and foundational safety guidelines (such as ALARA) against ionizing radiation hazards.

Dose Limits & Standards →
Home radiation

Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing Radiation

Electromagnetic waves (X and gamma rays) or particles (alpha, beta, neutron).

Read Radiation Guide →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Closed Fuel Cycle

Closed Fuel Cycle

The strategy of reconstructing nuclear fuel from the reactor with chemical processes and evaluating the uranium and plutonium in 96% rate and new fuel (MOX etc.).

Review Fuel Recycling →
Home Engineering

Capacity Factor

Capacity Factor

The ratio of the amount of electricity generated in reality in a certain time zone of a power plant can produce in the case of continuous operation in maximum power. This rate is above 90%.

Explore Capacity Factor →
Home Nuclear Safety

Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA)

Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA)

A design basis accident scenario in which a break or rupture in the primary coolant piping leads to a rapid loss of coolant inventory, automatically actuating Emergency Core Cooling Systems (ECCS) and passive hydroaccumulators.

Emergency Core Cooling Systems →
Home Health & Medicine

Cobalt-60

Cobalt-60

A synthetic radioactive isotope produced by neutron activation of Cobalt-59 in nuclear reactors, emitting penetrating high-energy gamma rays widely utilized in external beam radiation oncology, industrial radiography, and sterilization.

Nuclear Medicine and Industry →
Home Reactor Physics

Control Rods

Control Rods

Borones such as boron, cadmium orhafnium are manufactured from soft materials in a strong way, and sticks that manage reaction speed or shut down into the reactor core.

Home Nuclear Safety

Corsica

Corium

radioactive mixture in the lav consistency formed by combining nuclear fuel pellets, zirconia cases, control bars and reactor steel under extreme heat.

Home Nuclear Safety

Kor Holder

Core Catcher

If the reactor container is melted in extreme accidents, the cone safety structure, which cools with special coolant chemicals and prevents concrete foundation from puncture.

Read Akkuyu Kor Holder →
Home Reactor Physics

Criticality

Criticality ($k {eff} = 1$)

The situation in which filament reactions in the reactor nucleus are maintained at its own full balance. The number of lost/yutulan neutralone with the number of neutrons produced is equal.

Read Physical Details →
Home Reactor Physics

Xenon Poisoning (Xenon Pit)

Xenon Pit / Xenon-135

The buildup of Xenon-135 following reactor shutdown due to the decay of Iodine-135. With an enormous thermal neutron absorption cross section ($2.6\times 10^6\text{ barns}$), it introduces substantial negative reactivity, temporarily preventing immediate reactor restarts.

Examine Reactor Physics →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Dry Cask Storage

Dry Storage

Massive multi-layered steel and reinforced concrete containers engineered for the passive dry storage of spent nuclear fuel assemblies after an initial cooling period of 5-10 years in spent fuel pools, designed to endure earthquakes and extreme impacts.

Nuclear Waste Management →
Home Advanced Technologies

Small Modular Reactor (SMR)

Small Modular Reactor (SMR)

Electric power is generally produced in the factory, which is 300 MWe or below, and equipped with modular installed, passive security systems, new generation nuclear reactors.

Discover SMR Technology →
M Reactor Physics

Moderator

Moderator ( Launcher)

High-speed (fast) neutrons that are revealed as the result of the filament are multiply by the core of thermal (angle) neutron level, and the substance that allows to form new filaments (Front: light water, heavy water, graphite).

Read PWR and BWR Moderator →
M Nuclear Recycling

Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX)

Fuel (MOX)

A recycled nuclear fuel manufactured by blending plutonium dioxide ($PuO_2$) recovered from spent fuel reprocessing with depleted or natural uranium dioxide ($UO_2$), powering standard commercial thermal reactors.

Fuel Recycling Process →
Home Institutions

ND

Nuclear Regulatory Authority

Nuclear Regulation Authority. Independent official authority that controls the safety of nuclear energy, ionizing radiation and radioactive waste activities in Turkey.

Review Institutions Guide →
Home Reactor Physics

Negative Reactivity Coefficient

Negative Reactivity Feedback

Automatic inner safety feature, which prevents chaining reaction from spontaneous slowing and overheating of the reactor when the reactor temperature rises.

Home Reactor Physics

Neutron Cross Section (σ)

Neutron Cross Section ())

A quantitative measure of the probability that an atomic nucleus will interact with an incident neutron via fission, scattering, or capture at a given energy level. Measured in barns ($1\text{ barn} = 10^{-24}\text{ cm}^2$).

Read Neutron Interactions →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Deep Geological Repository (Onkalo)

Deep Geological Repository (Onkalo)

The world's first licensed permanent deep geological repository for high-level spent nuclear fuel in Finland. Fuel canisters encapsulated in corrosion-resistant copper are sealed 450 meters deep in stable crystalline bedrock using bentonite clay.

Deep Geological Storage →
Home Nuclear Safety

Passive Security Systems

Passive Safety Systems

Without the need for diesel generator, electrical pump or human intervention; emergency cooling systems working with nature laws such as gravity, natural circulation, pressure difference and evaporation.

Read Seismic Passive Systems →
Home Health & Medicine

Positron Emission Tomography (PET-CT)

Positron Tomography (PET-CT)

An advanced nuclear medicine imaging modality combining molecular metabolic activity and anatomical CT imaging by administering positron-emitting radiotracers such as Fluorine-18 (FDG) to detect malignancies at the cellular level.

Nuclear Medicine Applications →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Plutonium-239

Plutonium-239

Uranium-238 is an artificial isotop that consists of a neutral cooldown and can make filament. Approximately 1/3 of the electricity produced in nuclear power reactors is obtained from the filament of Pu-239, which occurs during operation.

Home Engineering

PWR (Pressure Water Reactor)

Pressurized Water Reactor

The most widely used power reactor type in the world. The primary water at the heart of the reactor is kept under high pressure, preventing boiling and transmits the heat secondary operation through steam generators.

Learn PWR and BWR Difference →
Home radiation

Radon Gas (Rn-222)

Radon Gas (Rn-222)

A naturally occurring, odorless, colorless radioactive noble gas generated from the decay chain of uranium and radium in bedrock and soil. It accounts for approximately half of the average human's annual natural background radiation dose.

Simulate Personal Dose →
Home Radiation Safety

Radiation Shielding

Radiation Shield g

Materials engineered to attenuate different types of ionizing radiation: paper/skin stops alpha particles; aluminum/plastic attenuates beta; dense lead, steel or heavy concrete attenuates gamma rays; hydrogenous water and boron capture neutrons.

Learn Shielding Principles →
Home Health & Medicine

Radiopharmaceutical

Radiopharmaceutical

In early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer in nuclear medicine applications (PET/SPECT) and medical drug compounds containing radioisotop, which are used for the purpose.

Read Nuclear Medicine Areas →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Yellowcake (U3O8)

Yellowcake (U3O8)

A concentrated coarse powder extracted from mined uranium ore via chemical leaching, containing 70% to 90% uranium oxides ($U_3O_8$). It represents the raw feedstock converted into UF6 gas for enrichment.

Uranium Production Stages →
Home Nuclear Safety

SCRAM

Safety Control Rod Axe Man / Rapid Shutdown

A abnormality, earthquake or emergency control rods are reduced in seconds to reactor heart with gravitational and spring mechanisms.

Review SCRAM Mechanism →
Home radiation

Home

sievert

The SI unit that measures the health effect of ionizing radiation on the human body and biological tissues. Generally used as spindle (mSv) or microcievert ($\mu\text{Sv}$).

Read Sievert and Gray Difference →
Home Institutions

Home

TENMAK (Energy, Nuclear & Mineral Research Agency)

Turkey Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Institute. R&D building roof research institution in areas of nuclear technology, clean energy, toryum and rare earth elements in Turkey.

Learn TENMAK Role →
Home Reactor Physics

Thermal Neutron

Thermal Neutron

A slowed-down neutron in thermal equilibrium with its surrounding moderator medium (kinetic energy approx. 0.025 eV, velocity ~2,200 m/s). It exhibits a dramatically higher cross section for inducing fission in U-235 compared to fast neutrons.

Neutron Energy and Fission →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Torium (Th-232)

Thorium-232

Natural radioactive element, which is 3-4 times more than uranium in nature, not only fiscal but can turn into fisil U-233 by cooling a neutralone. Turkey has rich torium beds.

Read Turkey Torium Guide →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Transmulation

Transmutation

Converting a chemical element or isototop into another element with nuclear reactions (such as a netron bomber). Long-life nuclear wastes are examined to be short-life isotops.

Home Nuclear Recycling

Depleted Uranium (DU)

Depleted Uranium (DU)

The byproduct remaining after uranium enrichment removes fissile U-235, consisting of over 99.7% U-238. It has lower specific activity than natural uranium ore and an exceptionally high physical density (~19.1 g/cm3).

Uranium Enrichment →
Home Institutions

TÜNAŞ

Turkish Nuclear Energy Inc.

The state-owned project company responsible for developing Türkiye's prospective second and third nuclear power plant sites in Sinop and Thrace, coordinating bilateral partnerships, and representing state equity.

Türkiye Nuclear Institutions →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Uranium Richization

Uranium Enrichmen Tags

The process of removing the sapyl U-235 isotop with only 0.7% of the natural uranium into 3% level required by power reactors.

Read Riching Steps →
Home Nuclear Recycling

Vitrification (Camping)

Home

High-level radioactive liquid wastes are dissolved in high temperature with borosilicate glass, insoluble and chemically inert solid glass block making technology.

Read Waste Insulation →
Home Advanced Reactors

Home

Water-Water Energetic Reactor

Russian design used in Akkuyu NGS series of compressed water reactor (VVER-1200). 3+ with double wall protection shell, cor gripper and passive heat relief systems The generation is a power plant.

Review VVER-1200 Safety →
Home Engineering

Burnup (MWd/tU)

Burnup (MWd/tU)

The total amount of thermal energy released per unit mass of initial heavy metal in a nuclear fuel assembly ($MWd/tU$), quantifying how efficiently nuclear fuel is consumed before discharge.

Fuel Cycle Efficiency →
Home Reactor Physics

Half Life

Half-Life ($T {1/2}$)

The time that the atom cores in a radioactive material are broken by half of the half of the atom cores, which is not turned into other cores.

Read Radiation Basics →
Home Engineering

Zirconium Fuel Case

Zirconium Claddin g

Uranium fuel pellets surrounding, the ability to cool neutron is extremely low, corrosion and high pressure resistant zirconia alloy sealed tube (the 2 barrier of nuclear defense).

Review Fuel Bars →

There is no nuclear term matching with your search.

You can write a different term or abbreviation or choose from the letter tabs.