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How are nuclear reactors different from breeder reactors?

Most nuclear reactors, in general, are designed and built to produce usable energy. The energy helps supply public demand for electricity, or provide propulsion for a combat vessel at sea, especially submarines. Some nuclear reactors are built for research only, to learn more about nuclear power and about better ways to utilize it. Nuclear reactors do not emit atmospheric contaminants like other energy-making processes do. They are not like combustion engines, and require no oxygen to burn for their function. Breeder reactors are a different story indeed. They do produce usable energy, but in too many cases their design purpose is to "breed" more fissionable material during the reaction process.


Are nuclear reactors dangerous?

Yes, but there are risks associated with every type of power plant. Its simply a matter of understanding those risks and dealing with them. In the case of nuclear reactors, we design whats known as "defense in depth", so that any hypothetical failure, or sequence of failures, including some improbable failures, can be handled.


What were some of the uses for the first nuclear reactor?

The very first nuclear reactor was Chicago Pile 1. It was built for research and scientific use. The first nuclear reactor outside of a university was built (at Hanford, Washington) primarily to yield plutonium for the atomic bomb destined for Nagasaki, Japan. Nuclear reactors were built primarily for electrical generation beginning in about 1951.


Is there a substitute for uranium for nuclear reactors?

Only plutonium! Is that any better?Actually all the transuranics can make suitable fuel for nuclear reactors, especially Americium. The Integral Fast Breeder(IFB) reactor was designed to reprocess Uranium and all the transuranics produced into fuel rods onsite, leaving only the short lived fission products as waste, which would only require storage for a couple centuries (not hundreds of thousands of years as current waste with the transuranics still in it does). Some of these fission products have industrial and/or medical uses and would be worth separating from the waste.


How are nuclear reactors kept safe?

There are many safety procedures put in place to keep a nuclear reactor safe, first of all control rods are used inside the reactor to stop the fission reaction running out of control and melting the reactor core, constant water(coolant) is kept pumping around the reactor cool and to help soak up some of the neutrons and x-ray scans are used to check that there are no natural cracks inside the reactor.

Related Questions

Can you direct me to a website with a list of all the nuclear power plants in the world?

I have put a link to the Wikipedia page, "List of nuclear reactors," below. It seems to be pretty good, and includes some reactors that are not in nuclear plants, such as research reactors.


What is about nuclear reactors that evokes hope in some and dread in others?

nuclear reactors that evokes dread


Why is plutonium in a nuclear power sation?

Plutonium is used in nuclear power stations as a fuel in some types of reactors, like fast breeder reactors. It can undergo fission to produce energy. Additionally, plutonium can be created as a byproduct in nuclear reactors, which can then be reprocessed and reused as fuel.


What are some things that contain plutonium?

Plutonium can be found in nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons, and in some smoke detectors. It is also present in some medical devices used for cancer treatment and in research laboratories for scientific experiments.


How many reactors usually work in nuclear power plants?

Most plants have two reactors but some have more


Does plutonium use for fuel nuclear?

Yes, plutonium is used as a fuel in nuclear reactors, specifically in certain types of reactors like fast breeder reactors and some types of advanced reactors. Plutonium-239, which is produced from uranium-238 in nuclear reactors, is a key fuel component due to its ability to sustain fission reactions.


Where are the nuclear reactors located in the us?

Nuclear reactors in the US are located in various states across the country. Some states with a high concentration of nuclear reactors include Illinois, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. These reactors are typically situated near bodies of water for cooling purposes.


What are some good things plutonium is used for?

Applications of plutonium: * explosive in nuclear weapons * nuclear fuel in nuclear power reactors * the isotope 238Pu is used as energy source in spacecrafts or other applications (radioisotope thermoelectric generators); the chemical form is plutonium dioxide. * radioisotopic heating sources * neutron generator, as Pu-Be source


Does liquid sodium is used as a coolant in nuclear reactors?

Yes, liquid sodium is used as a coolant in some types of nuclear reactors, known as sodium-cooled fast reactors. These reactors use liquid sodium to transfer heat away from the reactor core, which helps generate electricity. Sodium's high heat capacity and low neutron absorption make it an effective coolant for these types of reactors.


Fuel rods in nuclear reactors are made up of pellets of?

We usually find that uranium is used as fuel in nuclear reactors (though some use plutonium).


What are facts about the element californium?

Some of the uses for californium are: help starts nuclear reactors....!


What two metals are used as nuclear fules?

Two common metals used as nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium. Uranium is the most widely used fuel in nuclear reactors, while plutonium is used as a fuel in some types of reactors, such as fast breeder reactors.