Explore Nuclear

Objects from behind the fence

A closer look at some of the interesting things you might find on a nuclear site

Nuclear is an industry filled with fences and top level security. Getting close to incredible nuclear technology can be difficult. Sneak behind the metaphorical fence and explore a collection of unique objects and facilities you might encounter on different nuclear sites.

Nuclear Fuel Pellets & Rod

A worker holding a number of nuclear fuel pellets and a fuel rod cut open to reveal the internals.

Enriched Uranium

A worker holding an ingot of highly enriched uranium. Despite being radioactive, the main danger of handling uranium is actually due to it being a toxic metal.

Plutonium 238 pellet

A glowing orange pellet of radioactive plutonium decaying and thereby generating large amounts of energy in the form of heat and light

Windscale Fuel Rod

An inert dummy fuel rod of the type used in the Windscale reactors. The metal fins improve heat transfer away from the fuel.

Magnox Fuel Element

Magnox fuel came in several variants as reactor designs evolved. This design uses spiral heat fins to improve heat transfer. The protruding plates keep the fuel element centred in the fuel channel.

Nuclear Fuel Assembly

Museum display of a nuclear fuel assembly for a pressurised water reactor, also showing the distribution of control rods and fuel rods

Closeup of a fuel assembly containing hundreds of individual fuel rods. The tubes containing control rods can be seen in the gap between the fuel rods and the assembly head.

Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor Fuel Element

Unlike its Magnox predecessor, AGR fuel uses enriched uranium to increase power levels. The reactors were designed to be refuelled without shutting down.

View of a reactor control room. The reactor layout can be seen in the top left. Vast numbers of instruments inform operators about the state of the whole power station.

Control Rod Drive Mechanism

This cross-section of a control rod drive mechanism reveals the complex internals which control the position of the control rods during normal operation. The mechanism is capable of dropping the rods into the core in seconds for emergency shut-downs.

Nuclear Research Reactor

Cherenkov radiation causing a blue shine under water in a research nuclear reactor.

Reactor Pressure Vessel

The reactor pressure vessel of a pressurised water reactor. The vessel contains the reactor core and is built to withstand enormous pressures and temperatures.

Reactor Graphite

Graphite, typically in the form of blocks, is used as a moderator in some reactor types, such as Magnox and AGRs.

Graphite 'Pebble'

New reactor designs are looking at novel applications of graphite, such as the 'pebble bed'.

TRISO Cross-Section

TRISO is a pellet-type fuel which is being investigated for use in next generation 'Pebble-bed' reactors.

The SCRAM button initiates an emergency core shutdown sequence. Several post shutdown systems will continue cooling the core and maintaining control over reactivity.

Steam Generator Internals

Steam generators contain thousands of small tubes through which the reactor coolant flows. Water flows around the outside of the tubes and turns into steam.

Steam Generator

Steam generators are the interface between the primary and secondary circuits. Heat is transferred across the interface, away from the reactor core.

A series of large steam turbines is used to extract as much energy from the superheated steam as possible. The spinning turbines are directly connected to electrical generators.

Steam Turbine and Generator

Steam created in the Steam Generators is passed through turbines to rotate them. The spinning turbines are connected to generators which create electricity.

Spent Fuel Pool

A spent fuel pool can contain large amounts of spent nuclear fuel assemblies and other waste. The pool maintains temperature while the fuel's radioactivity drops over time.

Fuel Handling Facility

Spent fuel assemblies are highly radioactive due to the fission products they contain. The water in the pool acts as shielding while the fission products decay.

Gas Centrifuges

Cascade of gas centrifuges used to enrich uranium. The centrifuges have to spin at tens of thousands of rotations per minute to separate U-235 and U-238.

Uranium Dioxide (UO2) Powder

Uranium goes through many different forms and processes before it can be used as fuel in the reactor.

Yellowcake Powder

Yellowcake uranium is a solid form of uranium oxide produced from uranium ore. Yellowcake must be processed further before it is made into nuclear fuel.

Barrels of Yellowcake

Not all barrels marked as containing radioactive materials are filled with waste. These barrels are full of yellowcake powder which will be used to produce new fuel.

Vitrified Nuclear Waste

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

Radioactive waste it stored in many ways. Some Low Level Waste requires less shielding and containment and can be stored in standard barrels.

Intermediate Level Waste Drum

Lower activity waste is frequently encased in concrete and held inside steel drums. This keeps the waste secure and shielded.

Spent Nuclear Fuel Container

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.

Dry Storage Containers

Once the radiation levels of spent nuclear fuel has dropped far enough, they are typically transferred into heavily shielded containers. These safely contain and cool the assemblies and can be transported off-site.

Magnox Transport Flask

Transport flasks are built to withstand immense impacts and other serious hazards they might encounter as they are moved across the country.

Waste Package Transporter

Waste containers holding highly radioactive waste are very large and extremely heavy. Moving them requires specialised vehicles.

Crane above a Waste Repository

To avoid exposing people to radiation, the movement of waste packages is done via automated cranes in modern facilities. The facilities are heavily shielded.

Cooling Tower Internals

View of the inside of a cooling tower at a nuclear power plant. Here waste heat that couldn't be extracted is rejected into the atmosphere.

Glove Boxes are sealed containers which can be used to manually handle dangerous materials. They are used in many industries, including nuclear.

Surface Contamination Meter

To prevent the unwanted movement of radioactive contamination, portable surface contamination meters are used to monitor people and objects as they leave controlled areas.

Nuclear Fuel Pellets & Rod – United States Department of Energy – Public domain

Enriched Uranium – Unspecified – Public domain

Plutonium 238 Pellet – Department of Energy – Public domain

Dummy Fuel Rod – Science Museum Group – CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Magnox Fuel Element – Science Museum Group –CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Nuclear Fuel Assembly

Fuel Assembly – Free for Use

AGR Fuel Element – Science Museum Group – CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Control Room – Yovko Lambrev – Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported

Control Rod Drive Mechanism – Rama – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 France

Nuclear Research Reactor – Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Reactor Pressure Vessel

Reactor Graphite – Science Museum Group – CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Graphite ‘Pebble’ – Weirdmeister – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

TRISO Cross-Section – ENERGY.GOV – Public domain

SCRAM Button – Alan Levine – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Steam Generator Internals – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Public domain

Steam Generator – US DOE – Public domain

Steam Turbine – Siemens Pressebild – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Steam Turbine and Generator – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Public domain

Spent Fuel Pool – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Fuel Handling Facility – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Gas Centrifuge – U.S. Department of Energy – Public domain

Uranium Dioxide Powder – Chemolunatic – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

Yellowcake Powder – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Barrels of Yellowcake – IAEA Imagebank – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Vitrified Nuclear Waste – Science Museum Group – CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Waste Drums – D5481026 – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

ILW Drum – Science Museum Group – CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Spent Nuclear Fuel Container – Free for Use

Dry Storage Containers – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Public domain

Magnox Transport Flask – Science Museum Group – CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Waste Package Transporter – Matt Herod – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

Crane above a Waste Repository – Antti Leppänen – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Cooling Tower Internals – Free to Use

Glove Box – IAEA Imagebank – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Surface Contamination Meter – IAEA Imagebank – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

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