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How is chain reaction controlled in a nuclear power plant? Chain reaction is controlled through using neutron absorbing materials as reactor control rods (of high neutron absorbing material), boron, and/or cadmium.
Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to generate power. The nuclei of uranium atoms, as well as the nuclei of other large atoms, can undergo nuclear fission naturally. The first nuclear fission reaction discovered involved uranium-235. Nuclear power plants use uranium-235 nucleus to undergo fission by hitting them with neutrons, as shown by the model in the following diagram. The figure represents the process of nuclear fission when a neutron strikes a uranium-235 nucleus.