Nuclear reactor
Videos
A nuclear reactor is a device used to sustain a controlled fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for commercial electricity, marine propulsion, weapons production and research. Fissile nuclei
The Chicago Pile, the first artificial nuclear reactor, built in secrecy at the University of Chicago in 1942 during World War II as part of the US's Manhattan Project
Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn in their laboratory
NC State's PULSTAR Reactor is a 1 MW pool-type research reactor with 4% enriched, pin-type fuel consisting of UO2 pellets in zircaloy cladding
Treatment of the interior part of a VVER-1000 reactor frame at Atommash
Breeder reactor
Videos
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. These reactors can be fueled with more-commonly available isotopes of uranium and thorium, such as uranium
The Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station, site of the BN-600 and BN-800, the only two commercially operational breeder reactors as of 2026
Experimental Breeder Reactor II, which served as the prototype for the Integral Fast Reactor
The graphite core of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment
The Shippingport Reactor, used as a prototype light water breeder for five years beginning in August 1977