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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida has restarted its small nuclear reactor after four years of dormancy while it was upgraded with the latest safety technology.
The reactor at UF does not create electricity. It runs with 10,000 times less power than the usual electricity-generating nuclear reactors.
Students previously controlled the reactor with no digital tools to help. Now, researchers can monitor, start and shut down parts of the training reactor with the newly installed equipment, including kill switches.
The reactor does not run constantly. When it's not being used metal plates are placed around the core to absorb any extra neutrons. These plates are removed when researchers conduct experiments.
The Gainesville Sun reports (http://bit.ly/1cpAGhx) that UF's is one of 31 reactors used for student training and research in the United States.
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Information from: The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, http://www.gainesvillesun.com
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