Glossary

Learn more about the technical terms used in the industry and necessary to understand how energy is generated in a nuclear power plant.

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There are currently 4 glosarioING in this directory beginning with the letter B.

Becquerel

Unit of activity; it is the activity of a certain amount of radioactive material that undergoes spontaneous atomic decay each second.

Beta particle

Positive or negative electron emitted during the decay of an atomic nucleus. It is represented by the symbol Î².

Biological effect

Changes caused by ionising radiation when it affects a live organism, for example, the human body. There are two kinds of effects: Deterministic (or non-stochastic). Those where a causal relationship exists between the dose and the effect. They are only evident when the dose reaches or exceeds a given value (called threshold level). Therefore, their severity depends on the dose received. Probabilistic (or stochastic). Those where the relationship between the dose and the effect is probabilistic. They lack a threshold dose and their severity does not depend linearly on the dose received.

Bundle

Packing with radioactive content as presented for transport or storage. This is a very broad term which does not specify whether it refers to drums, containers, etc., and is therefore widely used as a general term.