What is Scram?
A '''scram''' or '''SCRAM''' is a quick shutdown of a [[nuclear]] reactor. It is done in an [[emergency]] (a dangerous situation). A scram is performed by quickly inserting all of the [[control rod]]s, or, if this fails, injecting [[boric acid]] into the reactor. A reactor that has been shut down still requires cooling due to [[Radioactive decay|decay]] heat. If the cooling system fails, the core can still [[Nuclear meltdown|melt down]] even if the reactor has been shut down. This has happened during several [[nuclear accident]]s, including [[Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile Island]] and [[Fukushima nuclear disaster|Fukushima]]. The [[RBMK]] reactors used in the [[Soviet Union]] had graphite-tipped control rods, a design flaw which caused the reactivity to increase for a moment when the reactor was scrammed. This design flaw contributed to the [[Chernobyl disaster]]. ==Related pages== * [[Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant]] [[Category:Nuclear energy]] {{sci-stub}}