The trip to visit the MIT nuclear reactor was one of the most exciting experiences I have had this year. The MIT reactor is only a 6 mW facility compared to ones legitimately used for electricity generation at 3000 mW.

The energy comes from the splitting of atoms if the element Uranium 235. Fission as a process is a chain reaction, where one neutron splits off from one atom, it whacks into another, causing another neutron to break off. This can be very dangerous if left unchecked, energy levels could overload and the akt could get too hot. Boron is used as a neutron capture element to prevent dangerous chain reaction that could cause the fuel to overheat. If the fuel does over heat, it cause the metal casing containing the fuel to become a catalyst and separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water around the fuel cell. This is a very dangerous thing that could cause an explosion to occur with that much heat and hydrogen in the containment room. Because of this reason all nuclear plants in the U.S. have a hydrogen valve somewhere in the containment room.

The experience walking inside the reactor and getting to see the inside of the containment room was slightly scary yet very exciting. After going through an airlock that keeps the inside pressure slightly lower we got to see the technology and means of research MIT students got to do with the reactor. And finally we had to pass two radiation tests to exit. The experience was incredibly exciting and certainly inspired me to want to work in the energy field in the future.

The trip to visit the MIT nuclear reactor was one of the most exciting experiences I have had this year. The MIT reactor is only a 6 mW facility compared to ones legitimately used for electricity generation at 3000 mW.

The energy comes from the splitting of atoms if the element Uranium 235. Fission as a process is a chain reaction, where one neutron splits off from one atom, it whacks into another, causing another neutron to break off. This can be very dangerous if left unchecked, energy levels could overload and the akt could get too hot. Boron is used as a neutron capture element to prevent dangerous chain reaction that could cause the fuel to overheat. If the fuel does over heat, it cause the metal casing containing the fuel to become a catalyst and separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water around the fuel cell. This is a very dangerous thing that could cause an explosion to occur with that much heat and hydrogen in the containment room. Because of this reason all nuclear plants in the U.S. have a hydrogen valve somewhere in the containment room.

The experience walking inside the reactor and getting to see the inside of the containment room was slightly scary yet very exciting. After going through an airlock that keeps the inside pressure slightly lower we got to see the technology and means of research MIT students got to do with the reactor. And finally we had to pass two radiation tests to exit. The experience was incredibly exciting and certainly inspired me to want to work in the energy field in the future.