atomic pile

• Termo antigo para reator nuclear, designando o dispositivo que inicia e controla uma reação nuclear em cadeia sustentada. Foi amplamente usado em meados do século XX e depois substituído por «reator nuclear».

An early term for a nuclear reactor, referring to a device that initiates and controls a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The term was commonly used in the mid-20th century but has since been replaced by 'nuclear reactor'.

1. Early nuclear reactorC1formal

   An early type of nuclear reactor, consisting of a pile of graphite blocks and uranium, used to produce a controlled nuclear chain reaction.

   Pilha atômica

   • The first atomic pile was built under the stands of a football stadium.
   • Enrico Fermi's atomic pile achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
   • The atomic pile was a crucial step in the development of nuclear energy.