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By using excess fast neutrons to convert Uranium-238 in a breeding blanket surrounding the core into a mixture of Plutonium isotopes, which can be extracted and made into new fuel pellets. Breeder reactors do not contain a moderator to slow the neutrons to thermal speeds, therefore they must use highly enriched Uranium-235 fuel (20% to 95% aka weapons grade uranium) to maintain criticality. The reaction is as follows:
- U238 + n --> U239 : capture
- U239 --> Np239 + e- : beta decay, HL 23.5 minutes
- Np239 --> Pu239 + e- : beta decay, HL 2.33 days
- Pu239 + n --> Pu240 : capture
- Pu240 + n --> Pu241 : capture
- Pu241 + n --> Pu242 : capture
The longer the breeding blanket is kept in the reactor, the more of isotopes Pu240, Pu241, and Pu242 are produced and the less suitable the Plutonium is for use in weapons. Operated properly a breeder reactor converts weapons grade fuel to fuel unsuitable for use in weapons while converting much of the 99.3% of natural Uranium that is unsuitable for reactor fuel to mixed isotope Plutonium (and other transuranics), an excellent reactor fuel.
What else can I help you with?
What is produced from uranium-238 in a breeder reactor?
In a breeder reactor, uranium-238 absorbs a neutron and transmutes into plutonium-239, which is a fissile material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. This plutonium-239 can then be used as fuel in the reactor to produce energy.
Which Fuel is used in Fast Breeder Reactor?
Fast Breeder Reactors typically use a combination of plutonium-239 and uranium-238 as fuel. This type of reactor produces more fissile material than it consumes, making it an efficient way to generate nuclear power.
What part of the reactor contains nuclear fuel?
The nuclear fuel is typically contained in the reactor core, which is a central part of the nuclear reactor where the fission reaction takes place. The fuel rods, which contain the nuclear fuel pellets, are inserted into the reactor core during operation.
What are fuel cells in a neclear reactor?
Fuel cells in a nuclear reactor are the structural components where nuclear fission reactions occur, generating heat. This heat is used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity. The fuel cells contain the nuclear fuel (such as uranium) and control rods to regulate the nuclear reactions.
Can a nuclear reactor make more fuel than it uses?
Yes, a type of fast neutron (without a moderator) reactor called a breeder reactor can make plutonium fuel much faster than it consumes uranium fuel. If fueled with plutonium fuel instead of uranium fuel, it also makes more plutonium fuel than it consumes.But all other reactor types are unable to do this (even though they all make some plutonium during operation).Note: a slight variant of a breeder reactor sometimes called a burner reactor is designed to rapidly fission all actinides (elements from actinium up through all transuranics) to eliminate long lived isotopes from nuclear waste.
How are breeder reactors and nuclear reactor different?
The breeder reactor produce more fissile fuel than what is consumed while this is not the case for other nuclear reactors.
How are breeder reactors different from regular nuclear reactors?
A breeder reactor generates (in a way) new fuel, sometimes more fuel than it uses, by converting non-fissionable isotopes into fissionable isotopes, through neutron capture.
What is a type of reactor that produces electricity but in doing so creates new nuclear fuel?
A breeder reactor is a type of reactor that produces electricity while also creating new nuclear fuel. It achieves this by converting non-fissile isotopes into fissile fuel as it operates, effectively "breeding" its own fuel.
How does one use a breeder reactor?
It would be used as a more efficient version of a Nuclear Reactor. While a regular nuclear reactor requires almost a factor of 100 greater in fuel amounts, a Breeder reactor uses much less and produces less waste.
What is the working principle of thorium based fast breeder reactor?
thorium is breed to make uranium-233 fuel
What is produced from uranium-238 in a breeder reactor?
In a breeder reactor, uranium-238 absorbs a neutron and transmutes into plutonium-239, which is a fissile material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. This plutonium-239 can then be used as fuel in the reactor to produce energy.
Which Fuel is used in Fast Breeder Reactor?
Fast Breeder Reactors typically use a combination of plutonium-239 and uranium-238 as fuel. This type of reactor produces more fissile material than it consumes, making it an efficient way to generate nuclear power.
What is Thorium breeder reacter?
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.
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.
What part of the reactor contains nuclear fuel?
The nuclear fuel is typically contained in the reactor core, which is a central part of the nuclear reactor where the fission reaction takes place. The fuel rods, which contain the nuclear fuel pellets, are inserted into the reactor core during operation.
What part of the nuclear reactor is the fuel located in?
The nuclear fuel is found in the fuel rods. These fuel rods are formed into fuel bundles called fuel assemblies, and together they make up the reactor core.
