A machine or place where a controlled nuclear reaction makes energy.

plural of reactor

(nuclear physics, engineering) A nuclear reactor with no moderator, using fast neutrons directly in a controlled fission chain reaction without slowing them down; this allows for a much more compact reactor, and causes the reactor to use fissile material much more efficiently, and to generate larger quantities of high-energy neutrons which can be used for breeding more fissile material or producing other useful radioactive nuclides, but requires the use of highly-enriched uranium (at least 20% uranium-235) or other fuel containing a similarly high concentration of fissile material.

plural of fast reactor

plural of saturable reactor

plural of reactor scram

plural of fusion reactor

(theoretically), a thermonuclear reactor that relies on the controlled fusion of light elements into heavier elements, with the attendant release of enormous amounts of energy. In practice, satisfactory results have not yet been achieved.

plural of nuclear reactor

plural of chemical reactor