Such absorbent-lined tubes 2500 may be provided in all reflector tubes or in just some reflector tubes of a reactor. For example, in an embodiment graphite-lined tubes 2500 may be provided only in tubes that are adjacent the reactor core, such as the five tubes 2108 in 
Depending on the embodiment, the layer 2502 may be installed in the reactor so that it is core-facing or outside-facing. In another embodiment, the lined tubes 2500 may be rotatable about an axis, e.g., the vertical axis, to provide additional adjustment to the reactivity. By rotating the tubes 2500 in place around their center, vertical axis, given sides of the tubes 2500 may be moved between a core-facing position and an outside-facing position the reactivity can be tuned during operation. For example, the absorbant-lined tubes 2500 may be placed in one position during startup and then rotated as the operational conditions are met to maintain the reactor in criticality, modify thermal and/or power generation of the reactor and/or adjust the local neutron environment for components to extend its lifetime in the core. The rotation may also be used to shut down the reactor by rotating the drums so that the absorber is in the core-facing position. In this embodiment, one or more drive mechanisms are provided to rotate the drums.