Mainly, U-235 and Pu-239
The most common uranium isotope found in nature is Uranium-238. This particular isotope is mostly used in nuclear weapons and as the fuel supply for nuclear power.
Plutonium is used as nuclear fuel for nuclear reactors to produce electric energy; also plutonium is indispensable for nuclear weapons. The isotope Pu 238 is used as heat source. Also Pu-Be is a neutrons source.
Nuclear fuel is the fuel used to produce nuclear energy.
Uranium is usually the element of choice for nuclear fuel. We also like to recover the uranium-235 isotope for fuel if we can. Some reactors use mostly U-235 for fuel, and some use a bit of U-235 in with U-238 for fuel.
Yes, this isotope is very fissionable and is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.
Fuel used in a nuclear reactor is uranium, the active isotope is uranium 235 which is fissile.
Uranium 235
It varies but the most common is the isotope, urainium-235
The most common uranium isotope found in nature is Uranium-238. This particular isotope is mostly used in nuclear weapons and as the fuel supply for nuclear power.
Certain fissionable materials, usually a uranium or plutonium isotope.
235U with a 5% enrichment of 238U is generally used to fuel a controlled nuclear chain reaction. In a navy nuclear application, such as a submarine, a higher enrichment of 238U is used, around 20%.
Applications of plutonium include:explosive in nuclear weaponsnuclear fuel in nuclear power reactorsthe isotope 238Pu is used as fuel in radioisotope thermoelectric generators used in spacecraft or other applicationsneutron generator, as Pu-Be source
Applications of plutonium include:explosive in nuclear weaponsnuclear fuel in nuclear power reactorsthe isotope 238Pu is used as fuel in radioisotope thermoelectric generators used in spacecraft or other applicationsneutron generator, as Pu-Be source
The question should not be, what element, but what isotope. Several easily fissible isotopes are used, such as Uranium-235. But note that the element Uranium as such is not usable - only that specific isotope.
In this type of nuclear reactor the fertile isotope thorium-232 is transformed in the fissile isotope uranium-233 and this act as a nuclear fuel.
For example plutonium is a nuclear fuel; also the isotope 233U.
For the nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons the isotope plutonium-239 is important.