Talk:Nuclear chain reaction

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Seems that this article is extremely biased towards nuclear fission. What about nuclear fusion? 145.97.223.187 11:36, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Needs a discussion of chain-reaction timescales, to differentiate between prompt and delayed neutrons, and so between critical and prompt critical. Linuxlad 10:11, 26 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Yes yes yes! Removed text:
The rate of reactions will accelerate exponentially if left unmoderated.
which is highly misleading at least. The role of a neutron moderator is not really control, but I can see how someone might think that.
I've just added a very brief mention of prompt-criticality to critical mass. Do we need it here too? Should we perhaps have a separate article on supercriticality, with prompt critical redirecting to it? Andrewa 02:08, 29 Nov 2004 (UTC)
Eeek! The good news is there's already an article on prompt Criticality which I've now added to category:nuclear technology. The bad news is that I've also added a disputed tag to it...! And of course the capital "C" is wrong in the title. Andrewa 02:32, 29 Nov 2004 (UTC)

The part about natural chain reactions, don't the sun and other stars count?

Sustainable fusion is not a nuclear chain rection: in this case, the reactions occur randomly inside the plasma which is exposed to extreme pressure and temperature conditions. The fusion processes release energy which indirectly induces more fusion processes by heating the plasma, but this is very different from the exponential behaviour described in the article. --Philipum 08:09, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Spelling

Caesium is NOT archaic - but the standard UK spelling. Linuxlad

You are Right see Caesium Image:Gavel.gif

Scott 22:49, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Exponential increase

Hi,

is it really a good idea to define a nuclear chain reaction (in the introductory sentence) as always having an increasing reaction rate? In a fission reactor at normal operation, the reaction rate is controlled to be constant (k = 1), but it is still a chain reaction. 217.190.37.72 15:16, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] effective neutron multiplication factor k

I don't get it. Could someone rewrite it? --Gbleem 03:14, 13 June 2006 (UTC)