Explore Nuclear

The nuclear industry is made up of many different occupations and specialisms. You can learn about these using our ‘Workforce’ section.

A series of equipment is used to control the steam as energy is extracted from it. The steam eventually turns back into liquid water and is returned to the boilers.

High Level Waste can be stored in gigantic and extremely heavily shielded dry casks during storage or transport.

Workers observe instruments in the main control room.

Fuel rods and fuel assemblies can be enormous. They are typically up to 4 metres long.

Gamma radiation can be used to confirm the integrity of welds, metal components, or even buildings.

Nuclear propulsion is commonplace in military vessels such as submarines, aircraft carriers, and even ice breakers.

Advanced fuel technologies reimagine how nuclear fuel works and looks. A promising concept is the use of pebbles instead of rods.

Steam generators act as the interface between the primary and secondary cooling circuit, transferring heat away from the reactor.

Uranium takes its name from a planet in our solar system. Uranium was discovered in 1789 and named after the recently discovered planet Uranus.

Calder Hall was the world’s first full-scale nuclear power station when it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.

In December 1903, Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, and Henri Becquerel were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their joint research on radiation.

Our ‘Museum’ section lets you immerse yourself in the incredible moments and items that define the industry. 

Steam generators are stored on their side prior to installation.

Wilhelm Röntgen took the world’s first medical X-Ray on the 22nd of December 1895. Shown is his wife’s hand, wearing a ring.

Nuclear power stations make up less than 0.3% of the average annual dose to the public.

Our ‘3D Models / Simulations’ page lets you look inside the depths of a nuclear reactor and even take control of a complete power station.

Containment buildings prevent radioactive release, act as radiation shielding, and protect the reactor from external threats.

A nuclear submarine can remain submerged for months, limited only by the crew’s food supply and psychological endurance.

Two workers are moving a set of canisters which contain fuel elements. A reactor building can be seen in the background, along with several steam generators.

Atoms with the same number of protons but varying number of neutrons are known as isotopes.

Cherenkov radiation is crucial in astrophysics for studying high-energy cosmic phenomena. In high-energy cosmic ray events, particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere create secondary particles that emit Cherenkov radiation in air.

Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner are two of the four scientists credited with discovering fission in December of 1938.

Three Mile Island Unit 2 experienced a partial core meltdown on the 28th of March 1979.

Radioactive waste is often stabilised and encased to keep it secure. Vitrification involves embedding waste into glass.

Russia uses huge nuclear-powered ice breakers to navigate the Northern Sea Route.

This cross-sectional cut of a nuclear waste container reveals how spent nuclear fuel assemblies are stored. The wall of the container includes radiation absorbing material and the exterior is covered with heat fins.

The NS Savannah was the world’s first civilian ship powered by a nuclear reactor.

A number of uranium cubes produced during the Manhattan Project. 

A depleted and highly irradiated fuel unit is inspected for irradiation damage.