The Nuclear Ship Savannah / First Atomic Merchant Ship, One of the World's Safest Ships

by United States. Department of Commerce; United States. Maritime Administration; U.S. Atomic Energy Commission

SHORTER THAN A SAFE PERIOD

The reactor period is a measure of the rate of reactor power increase; the shorter the period the faster the rise. Ten neutron-measuring channels, covering the full range from source level to 150 percent of maximum power, measure neutron intensity (flux level) and its rate of change. These data are continuously transmitted to the reactor operator and the automatic control and safety system. Too fast a rate of change, or shorter than a safe period, will automatically “scram” the reactor.