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They call it "cooling" but it is not thermal cooling it is radiological "cooling" by decay of highly radioactive short half life isotopes. This reduces the radioactivity of the spent fuel and makes it easier to handle and process.

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Q: Why is fuel when it is removed from the reactor left to cool before being handled further?
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If the control rods in a nuclear reactor are removed would the condition be supercritical or subcritical?

If the control rods in a nuclear reactor were somehow to be instantly "jerked" out of the reactor, the reactor would go supercritical. If they were pulled at a normal rate and all of the control rods were pulled out, the reactor would start up and heat up and would end up running far too hot. Any one of several safety systems would shut the reactor down before this could happen. If the safety systems were disabled, the reactor would overheat and a meltdown may occur.


What is a used fuel in nuclear power plants?

The used fuel in a nuclear power plant is the nuclear fuel being discharged from the nuclear reactor after being irradiated during reactor operation. It is usually composed of trans-uranium heavy elements, a wide variety of fission products (that resulted from the nuclear fission processes in the nuclear reactor) and products of radioactive decay (produced before and after fuel discharge from the nuclear reactor).


How long does it take a nuclear reactor to cool?

The time it takes to cool a nuclear reactor down varies. If a reactor has been running at nearly full power and is shut down, it takes several days to even weeks to cool it down. The size of the reactor and the "aggressiveness" of a cooling system will affect the cooldown time as well as the power levels at which the reactor was operating at before shutdown. If a reactor has been operating for some time at high power and is shut down, fission in the core stops (as it does in any shutdown). But fission products in the core are at a high level because the reactor was operating at high power. These fission products will continue to decay for some time. The decaying fission products will be creating a lot of residual heat for this extended period, too.


What are their advantages and disadvantages of Nuclear and Breeder Reactors?

You can't compare and contrast nuclear reactors and breeder reactors, any more than you can compare a lion with a mammal. A lion is one example of many mammals; a breeder reactor is just one example of many types of nuclear reactor.


What is done with the Pu 239 from a fast breeder reactor?

The idea is to use it for nuclear fuel in other reactors, this is why it is called a breeder process. Uranium-238 which is not fissile is converted to Pu-239 in the breeder reactor, but of course there is a chemical separation process to go through before the Pu is available.

Related questions

If the control rods in a nuclear reactor are removed would the condition be supercritical or subcritical?

If the control rods in a nuclear reactor were somehow to be instantly "jerked" out of the reactor, the reactor would go supercritical. If they were pulled at a normal rate and all of the control rods were pulled out, the reactor would start up and heat up and would end up running far too hot. Any one of several safety systems would shut the reactor down before this could happen. If the safety systems were disabled, the reactor would overheat and a meltdown may occur.


What is a Nuclear reactor moisture separator?

This is used in the nuclear reactor that is known as Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) in which heat produced by the nuclear fission in the nuclear fuel allows the light water reactor coolant to boil. Then, the nuclear reactor moisture separator is used to increase the dryness of the produced steam before it goes to the reactor steam turbines.


What is meant by the term 'de-waxing' and why is it done before staining tissues?

it is a petrochemical plant process where heavy waxes are removed from crude oils and reformed products prior to further treatment


What happens to nuclear energy before it is used?

Nuclear energy is released as heat in the fuel of a nuclear reactor, but only when the reactor has been brought to criticality and the chain reaction started. At that point the heat must be used, it can't be stored and used later. Before criticality is established, the reactor is shutdown and producing no nuclear heat from fission, so you could regard it as having potential nuclear energy in that state


What is a used fuel in nuclear power plants?

The used fuel in a nuclear power plant is the nuclear fuel being discharged from the nuclear reactor after being irradiated during reactor operation. It is usually composed of trans-uranium heavy elements, a wide variety of fission products (that resulted from the nuclear fission processes in the nuclear reactor) and products of radioactive decay (produced before and after fuel discharge from the nuclear reactor).


Why are blogs being removed from the internet?

They are not being removed! There are more now then ever before.


How long does it take a nuclear reactor to cool?

The time it takes to cool a nuclear reactor down varies. If a reactor has been running at nearly full power and is shut down, it takes several days to even weeks to cool it down. The size of the reactor and the "aggressiveness" of a cooling system will affect the cooldown time as well as the power levels at which the reactor was operating at before shutdown. If a reactor has been operating for some time at high power and is shut down, fission in the core stops (as it does in any shutdown). But fission products in the core are at a high level because the reactor was operating at high power. These fission products will continue to decay for some time. The decaying fission products will be creating a lot of residual heat for this extended period, too.


What are their advantages and disadvantages of Nuclear and Breeder Reactors?

You can't compare and contrast nuclear reactors and breeder reactors, any more than you can compare a lion with a mammal. A lion is one example of many mammals; a breeder reactor is just one example of many types of nuclear reactor.


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Before lymph nodes are removed, a small amount of tissue is usually removed. A biopsy will be performed on it to check for the presence of abnormal cells.


What was used as a table tennis bat before the rubber paddle?

Long handled vellum battledores, short handled vellum battledores, plain wooden rackets, sandpaper covered rackets and cork-faced rackets.


What elements are made by a nuclear fission reaction?

The only element needed to start nuclear fission is Uranium-235, which is very slightly radioactive but when made into fuel rods and before any use in a reactor can be handled without danger.


How old do baby mice have to be before you can touch or move them?

I'm dealing with my own.I have already handled them they are still the same.