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Is light water reactors considered as safer than graphite moderated power reactors?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Yes
Light water reactors avoid graphite problems and are having more negative temperature coefficient of reactivity.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
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What raw materials is graphite made of?
Like diamonds, graphite is what's known as an allotrope of carbon. That means it is actually carbon, although it ocurs in a different form in nature. Graphite occurs naturally as an ore; it is considered by some to be a high form of coal, although this reference is uncommon as graphite is hard to light and makes a poor fuel source.
What is the most common coolant used in nuclear reactors?
The most common coolant used in nuclear reactors is water. There are light water reactors (using "regular" water), and the heavy water kind of reactor.
Fissionable fraction of fuel in a nuclear reactor?
In light water reactors the new fuel has about 4 to 5 percent U-235, which is the fissionable part, the rest being U-238. In some countries mixed oxide fuel is used (MOX) which contains some Plutonium as well as U-235, but the fissionable content is much the same. Heavy water or graphite reactors can use natural uranium, which contains 0.7 percent U-235.
What is used as an efficient moderator in a majority of reactors?
Light water (H2O) and heavy water (D2O)
What is fuel enrichment?
Natural uranium contains about 0.7 percent of uranium 235 which is fissile, the rest is uranium 238 which is not. Reactors that use graphite or heavy water moderators can operate with natural uranium, but light water reactors cannot because the water absorbs too many neutrons. Therefore the fuel for this type of reactor has to be enriched, which means the U 235 is increased to about 4 percent. This is done using the gaseous uranium hexafluoride, either by gaseous diffusion or by centrifuging which is the modern way to do it and uses much less power than diffusion.
How nuclear energy is used today?
Mostly in reactors fuelled by Uranium and moderated and cooled by light water (PWR and BWR types)
What are nuclear reactors called?
One type (model) of reactor is the CANDU, or Canada (CAN) dueterium-uranium (DU)reactor. Ther are also differences between fusion and fission reactors, fast and thermal reactors (the differences bing in the speed of the neutrons used to initiate the chain reaction, usually fission), light or heavy water cooled or moderated reactors, and many other distinctions.
Which one among the following is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors?
You don't give the examples, but the moderators used are 1. Heavy water 2. graphite 3. light water.
What is fuel enrichment - nuclear?
Natural uranium contains approx 0.7 percent U235, the rest U238. The 235 is the useful fissile isotope. Some reactors using graphite or heavy water can use natural uranium, but light water reactors need to have the U235 proportion increased to about 4 percent. this is called enrichment.
What are the two substances used as moderators in nuclear reactors?
Moderators contain materials that rapidly slow neutrons down to thermal speeds without absorbing a significant number of neutrons. A few of these are:carbon, usually in the form of graphiteheavy waterlight waterhydrocarbons, like oilsberyllium (usually too expensive)etc.
What is the color for graphite?
Light brown
Is graphite metallic or non metallic?
Graphite is not metallic it just "shines" when the light shines on it
What raw materials is graphite made of?
Like diamonds, graphite is what's known as an allotrope of carbon. That means it is actually carbon, although it ocurs in a different form in nature. Graphite occurs naturally as an ore; it is considered by some to be a high form of coal, although this reference is uncommon as graphite is hard to light and makes a poor fuel source.
What are the uses of carbon heavy water and concrete in the nuclear reactor?
Carbon in the form of graphite is used in some types of reactors as the moderator*.Heavy water is used in some types of reactors as the moderator*.Light water is used in some types of reactors as the moderator*.Light water is used in most current types of reactors as coolant and in the form of steam to drive the turbines.Liquid metals (Sodium, NaK, Mercury, etc.) are used in some types of reactors as coolant.Concrete, often borated concrete to absorb neutrons better, is used in reactors as radiation shielding.*Moderator: a material that slows highly energetic fission neutrons rapidly to thermal energies to prevent their capture by Uranium-238 and increase their chance of causing more fissions of Uranium-235 to keep the reactor running.
What is VVER-1000 type nuclear reactor?
light water moderated Soviet designed reactor
What is a light water reactor?
The nuclear fission reactors used in the United States for electric power production are classified as "light water reactors" in contrast to the "Heavy Water Reactors" used in Canada. Light water (ordinary water) is used as the moderator in U.S. reactors as well as the cooling agent and the means by which heat is removed to produce steam for turning the turbines of the electric generators.
Who invented the first nuclear reactor for electrical power?
This is usually credited to Eugene P. Wigner, Leo A. Ohlinger, Gale J. Young, and Alvin M. Weinberg in their US Patent #2,736,696 titled Reactor, applied for August 29, 1945 and granted February 28, 1956. While this patent applies specifically to a heavy water moderated, light water cooled type of power reactor and the vast majority of modern power reactors are derived the the later light water moderated, light water cooled type of power reactor designed by Hyman G. Rickover for the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus, this patent and its inventors have precedence over the work of Rickover. Weinberg specifically worked with Rickover and contributed greatly to the success of Rickover's work with nuclear power reactors.
