The Natural Nuclear Reactor At Oklo: A Comparison With Modern Nuclear Reactors
Short summary:
A total of 16 reactor zones have been found in the primary location, and another reactor zone
identified about 20 km away (the Bangomb reactor). Current thinking is that a zone of
petroleum formation produced an oxygen-free zone because oxygen in groundwater would have
been removed by chemical reactions with the petroleum.
Long summary:
Uranium, which is fairly highly soluble
in oxygenated waters, is insoluble in anoxic waters, so the uranium precipitated out of solution as
it crossed the oxidation/reduction front near the petroleum deposits (Janeszek 1999). This is
what formed the reactor zones.
Since fission neutrons are produced with high energies, they must be slowed down (thermalized)
in a moderator in order to be effective at inducing fission. This moderator is typically normal
water, although graphite is also used, particularly in reactors intended for plutonium production.
Submerging the fuel in the moderator increases reactor efficiency (and decreases required fuel
loading) by reflecting escaping neutrons back into the core, allowing them to participate in the
fission process.
Source: www.physics.isu.edu
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