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Nuclear @ McMaster

How does the McMaster Nuclear Reactor work?

The McMaster Nuclear Reactor is a medium flux nuclear fission reactor with a light water moderator and an open pool design. To better understand what this means, it is necessary to first explore some of the basic concepts associated with nuclear fission and fission based reactors prior to undertaking a more in-depth examination of the components that make up a nuclear reactor. The following sections are intended to provide the non-specialist with an overview of the underlying principles of nuclear reactors in general and the McMaster Nuclear Reactor in particular.