A nuclear reactor is essentially just a metal barrel with a bunch of neutrons whizzing about and causing some metal to fission and release even more neutrons, right? So how does the addition of a non-metal such as boron or a metal like cadmium into steel prevent the atoms within the control rods from destabilized as well? Is it something to do with the molecular structures of the resulting alloys?
In: Physics
It’s like shooting cannonballs at a target in an empty field vs in a forest. The control rods go between the fuel rods. Fission still is undergoing in each fuel rod, but there aren’t as many neutrons flying around between rods.
Yes at an atomic level, those alloys can absorb extra neutrons.
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