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The CROCUS Reactor - An Educational and Interactive Model for Everyone!

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Bonus... 600+! / Part I - Reactor Core

500+ a few days ago... and already 600+ now! A huge thank you to everyone! 🚀😊

It's definitely time to dive into the final details of the reactor core.♥️

🔎 Absorber rods: inserted into dedicated guide tubes within the core lattice, these two rods allow controlling the reactor's power... which is why they are also called control rods
  • Composition: they contain boron carbide, with the isotope boron-10 being highly effective at absorbing thermal neutrons.
  • Operation: they are inserted vertically from the top at specific axial positions, allowing for more or less absorption to regulate the fission chain reaction.

Keep sharing the project! 📡✨ Every share brings us closer to the next milestone of 1'000 supporters!

📝 Special thanks to the nuclear societies (Nuklearforum, American Nuclear Society, etc.) for spreading the word about the model! Your support is making a big difference.

Stay tuned for more insights on another part of the model coming soon! 🎉🧱



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Bonus 400+ / Part I - Reactor Core

400 supporters! – To 1'000, and beyond! 🚀🙏

It's time for the next step of our journey into the core of CROCUS.♥️

🔎 Neutron detectors: placed outside the core but still close to the fuel, they measure the variation in neutron population, which relates to the rate of fission events and directly corresponds to reactor power!

They are two types:
  • Compensated ionization chambers (yellow): these two large detectors are coated with boron-10. Neutron interactions with boron release charges that generate a measurable electronic current.
  • Fission chambers (black): operating similarly, but using uranium-235 as the neutron converter, these two chambers serve as power monitors (they are calibrated), and are crucial for reactor safety systems (details coming soon).

"Voting is good, but sharing is better." Share the project, and let's make that multiplication factor work its magic! ☢📡✨

Next up: control systems! 😃




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Bonus 300+ / Part I - Reactor Core

300 supporters achieved – thank you all! 💪🙏

Let’s continue our journey into the core of CROCUS.♥️

🔎 Core structures: they hold the fuel rods securely in place, arranged in a precise configuration that we will explore further shortly.

They consist of:
  • Grids: the rods fit into holes at the top (superior grid) and the bottom (inferior grid),
  • Base plate: the rods rest on this sturdy aluminum plate.

Please keep sharing on all platforms! 📡✨ More insights on the core soon! 😊

PS: I just saw that one of my students shared the project on Reddit r/legoideas, thanks a lot! 😃




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Bonus 200+ / Part I - Reactor Core

200 supporters already – thank you all so much! 🙏🚀

Let’s explore the heart of CROCUS: the reactor core.

🔎 Uranium fuel: this is where the fission reaction happens. CROCUS uses uranium, with the fissile portion being the uranium-235 isotope (and not 238, or else).

There are two fuel zones:
  • Inner rods: uranium dioxide, enriched to 2% U-235 (yellow),
  • Outer rods: metallic uranium, enriched to 1% U-235 (red).

Let’s keep it going! Stay tuned for more updates on the core soon! 😊




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100+


Thank you all for your support! 😃🙏

It's only the beginning, let’s keep it going! Please continue sharing with your friends, colleagues, and anyone who might appreciate this project. Together, we can make the CROCUS reactor a real LEGO set! 🚀 📡

Also, please let me know in the comments if you would like to see something special about it! 💡


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