Editing Scram (section)

{{short description|Emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor}}
{{About|nuclear reactors}}

[[File:EBR-I - SCRAM button.jpg|thumb|SCRAM button at the [[Experimental Breeder Reactor I|Experimental Breeder Reactor&nbsp;I]] in Idaho. Sometimes the switch will have a flip cover to prevent inadvertent operation.]]

A '''scram''' or '''SCRAM''' is an emergency shutdown of a [[nuclear reactor]] effected by immediately terminating the [[Nuclear fission|fission]] reaction. It is also the name that is given to the manually operated [[kill switch]] that initiates the shutdown. In commercial reactor operations, this type of shutdown is often referred to as a "scram" at [[boiling water reactor]]s, a "reactor ''trip''" at [[pressurized water reactor]]s and "EPIS" at a [[CANDU reactor]]. In many cases, a scram is part of the routine shutdown procedure which serves to test the emergency shutdown system.