Nuclear Engineering & Science Center

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What does criticality mean?
    • Criticality means that the reactor is sustaining a constant fission chain reaction.
  2. What are alpha particles?
    • These are also referred to as alpha rays or alpha radiation. They are the first nuclear radiation to be discovered; they are heavier and slower compared to other types or radiation. The safety concern comes in if someone were to inhale, ingest or if a particle were to enter a wound because radioactive decay would then occur inside of the body and cells. Alpha radiation is not able to penetrate human skin. You can shield with a simple centimeter of plastic against alpha particles.
  3. What is beta radiation?
    • Beta radiation consists of free electrons and positrons moving at a velocity such that there is a significant change in properties. They are high-energy and high-speed electrons or positrons emitted by fission fragments. Beta radiation is hazardous because like alpha radiation it can cause ionization of living cells. However, Beta radiation has the capacity to pass through living cells. Beta particles can also spontaneously mutate into cancer when it comes into contact with DNA. Heavy clothing, thick cardboard or a think aluminum plate can protect you from beta particles.
  4. What are gamma particles?
    • Gamma particles are high-energy photons emitted by radioactive substances. There are other names for gamma particles such as X-ray, photos and light. Some of the lower energy forms are called ultraviolet rays, infrared rays and even radio waves!  A photon is one of the fundamental particles in nature and it plays a very important role in being involved in the interactions between electrons. Gamma rays travel at the speed of light and they can travel thousands of meters in air before spending their energy. Since the gamma radiation is very penetrating matter, it must be shielded by very dense materials, such as lead or uranium.
  5. What shields alpha, beta, and gamma particles?
    • You can shield with a simple centimeter of plastic against alpha particles. Heavy clothing, thick cardboard or a thin aluminum plate can protect you from beta particles. Gamma rays travel at the speed of light and they can travel thousands of meters in air before spending their energy. Since the gamma radiation is very penetrating matter, it must be shielded by very dense materials, such as lead or uranium.
  6. Is radiation dangerous?
    • Radiation has many uses, but it can be dangerous if it is not managed correctly. Radiation poisoning happens when a radioactive substance gives off particles that get into a person’s body and cause harm. Different radioactive substances have different characteristics.   If so, is it always dangerous? Radiation isn’t necessarily always dangerous. It depends on its strength, type and the length of exposure. The guiding principle of radiation safety is “ALARA”. ALARA stands for “as low as reasonably achievable”. This principle means that even if it is a small dose, if receiving that dose has no direct benefit, you should try to avoid it. To do this, you can use three basic protective measures in radiation safety: time, distance, and shielding.
  7. What is a nuclear reactor?
    • A Nuclear Reactor is a structure that is capable of initiating and maintaining nuclear reactions. It consists of fuel, metal cladding, the reflector, control rods, a moderator, reactor pressure vessel and structural materials. The core in the reactor includes nuclear fuel to generate heat. The reactor contains and controls nuclear chain reactions that produce heat through a physical process called fission. Fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy.
  8. What does TRIGA mean?
    • TRIGA stands for Training, Research and Isotope production and our reactor was designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.
  9. What is a training reactor?
    • A training reactor was designed to provide active learning about nuclear technologies. Students are allowed to get extensive on the job training and work to receive their Reactor Operators licenses which authorizes them to control equipment that affects the power of a reactor in a nuclear facility.
  10. What are some benefits of Nuclear Radiation?
    • Nuclear radiation is used safely for medical diagnosis and treatment, in common household products such as television, measurement gauges and smoke detectors, to produce electricity, and in basic scientific research, manufacturing, minerals exploration and agriculture. America’s digital economy and high standard of living would not be possible without radioactive material! 
  11. Are there other applications/uses of nuclear technology?
    • There are other uses of nuclear technology that are very beneficial such as in agriculture, medical and the space exploration fields. There are programs to improve food sustainability assisted by nuclear and related biotechnologies. Plant mutation breeding exposes plant seeds or cuttings of a given plant to radiation, such as gamma rays, to cause mutations. The irradiated material is then cultivated to generate more plants. In the medical field they use radioactive tracers to assess bodily functions and to detect, diagnose and treat disease. There are special cameras that can detect these radioactive tracers. In space exploration, there are many instruments used to detect radiation and determine the composition of the stars or another planet’s rocks, atmosphere, and soil, among many other things.
  12. Can you swim in the reactor pool?
    • The water is very purified. You could swim in it, however, it is not practical. The reactor pool water is city water that goes through a Reverse Osmosis system and it becomes ultra-purified and back into our pool. There is no radiation at the surface of the water. Only 6-8 feet of water is needed to shield the reactor. The reactor pool is over 30 feet deep.
  13. Can you drink the water from the reactor pool?
    • Drinking the water should not affect someone who maintains a healthy diet. However, there is no salt in the water so we do not recommend drinking the water on your next visit.
  14. What is a pulse?
    • A pulse is a controlled extraction of control rods that causes the reactor the reactor to go prompt super critical for a short amount of time. It allows us to do experiments at really high energies however we cannot sustain that energy for a really long time as it would destroy our reactor. We would use it for experiments such as for training and lab courses.
  15. Why is there a blue light at the bottom of the pool?
    • This is due to the phenomenon known as Cherenkov Radiation. It is when a charged particle, in this case an electron, travels through the medium (water) faster than light. These fast-moving particles excite the electrons of the water molecules, they absorb energy and release it as photons (light) as they return to equilibrium. The light you see has a shorter wavelength than usual, which is why it appears blue. 
  16. Why do some reactors have domes and some have smoke stacks?
    • They all have a dome of some sort as their containment building and so they can get rid of heat. The dome contains the reactor and the smoke stack is a way to have air get rid of the heat within confinement (steam and condensation). Our stack is tall so that gives enough draw so that it pulls the material out. 
  17. Why is there so much security around a reactor?
    • There is so much security around a reactor because so many people misunderstand the actual dangers of radiation and they are unafraid of things so keeping it out of the general public is in the best interest of everyone.
  18. Who invented reactors? When and why?
    • Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard invented the nuclear reactor in the 1940’s. He had always been interested in mathematics and physics, and got an engineer-mentor as he got older. Enrico Fermi was one of the most skilled and talented physicists of all time. Enrico is considered to have invented nuclear power, along with his colleagues at the University of Chicago in 1942, by successfully demonstrating the first controlled self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
  19. What do Nuclear Reactors do?
    • Nuclear reactors are used as research tools, as systems for producing radioactive isotopes, and most prominently as energy sources.
  20. Why does TAMU have 2 reactors? 
    • The Nuclear Engineering and Science Center houses a 1MW TRIGA Reactor and a 5W AGN Reactor. The AGN reactor will be for students to be trained and enable them to learn the components of a nuclear reactor and how to operate it and become a licensed operator. It will also be utilized for Engineering lab classes for students.  The much larger 1MW TRIGA reactor will remain for official Reactor Operations and  experiments for both internal and external customer irradiations.
  21. Can you see/feel/hear/taste radiation?
    • It is said that radiation has no color, no smell or taste, and that you will not feel it. However, this is not entirely true. Radiation is colorless, however, it has its own taste and its sensations. When working in the radioactive contamination zone, a metallic taste very soon appears in the mouth. Then the skin feels like you are in a bright sun.
  22. Are microwaves reactors too?
    • Do they work the same way? No they do not give off radioactivity they just give off heat. Microwave ovens use electromagnetic waves that penetrate food, causing water molecules to vibrate and generate heat within the food to cook it very quickly, according to the EPA. Microwaves do not make food radioactive. But it is important to make sure microwave oven doors are sealed properly to make sure the radiation stays in the oven itself.
  23. What color are neutrons?
    • At the surface of a neutron star, most light is emitted in the X-ray range. In the visible range, red is emitted at about the same as blue and the other colors, so it would appear white to human eyes. However, they don’t actually have a color because they are smaller than the wavelength of visible light. 
  24. What is the difference between radiation, radioactivity, and irradiate?
    • The difference between radioactivity and radiation is that radioactivity is the process by which certain elements release radiation whereas radiation is energy or “energetic particles” that are released by radioactive elements. Radioactivity is a “process” while “radiation” is a form of energy.Irradiate is to “expose” or “treat” with radiation.
  25. What is irradiation?
    • Irradiation refers to the conversion of an atom, molecule or substance into an ion or ions by removing one or more electrons through the radiation that is emitted. Reactor irradiation changes the properties of alloys and materials in the core, including the fuel and the zirconium alloy rod components.