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Conventional nuclear power plants use critical mass in a way that is similar to how a fission bomb uses it, in a chain reaction. There are some very important differences, however.
In a nuclear power plant, the reaction is controlled by a set of systems that moderate the amount and speed of neutrons, the temperature of the fuel, and so on. These prevent the reactor from getting too hot and melting down. This is not easy, but also not terribly hard.
In the bomb, there is no provision for ongoing control of the chain reaction. Instead, there is a design that causes the critical mass to undergo the chain reaction while staying at critical mass for the process. This is really hard to do because as soon as the whole heats up a bit, it wants to fly apart, destroying the integrity of the critical mass. The design problems associated with maintaining critical mass were difficult enough that they were secret for a long time.
In other words, in order for a critical mass to blow up as a bomb, it really has to be designed to be a bomb. And though a nuclear reactor can melt down and be very destructive in the process, and though the waste storage can be breached and be very destructive as a result, the nuclear explosion of a nuclear reactor is quite likely impossible. Explosions and meltdowns have happened, but the explosions are from steam or chemicals, rather than nuclear critical mass.
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What if Cuban missile crisis had ended in nuclear war?
No one would be able to ask this question, or systems such as this wouldn't exist to ask the question.
What led to the signing of the limited nuclear test ban treaty?
To be able to monitor unconditionally all nuclear tests. If nuclear tests are allowed freely, no third party would have rights to observe and provide expertise, no error reporting available, no standard recollection of facts, no responsibility recorded.Read more: Why_is_the_nuclear_test_ban_treaty_important
Why did they invent the nuclear bomb?
The nuclear bomb was invented when it became known that Nazi Germany was actively experimenting with nuclear material to build a possible bomb. Albert Eienstein urged President Roosvelt via a letter signed by him that he the president seriously commence a project to build a nuclear bomb. The project was code named "Manhattan Project". Eventually, some of the same scientist that were in Germany were brought to US where with their help the first bomb was tested. I believe the site is known as Trinity, New Mexico.besides this facts, Einstein left Germany when he saw the military type regime in schools on time not to fall in the hands of the nazi.Leo Szilard invented the nuclear reactor and nuclear bomb in London in 1933, shortly after the neutron was discovered as an improved source of neutrons for experiments. He was also very aware of their potential destructive effects. He was not able to build either at the time because of lack of a suitable material.Otto Frisch discovered that Uranium-235 fissioned when hit by a neutron, producing an excess of neutrons in Berlin in 1938. This was the first material found that made Szilard's invention practical, but it is a very rare isotope and expensive to concentrate.Szilard wrote the letter to FDR in 1942, but had Einstein sign it because his name and reputation were well known. Had Szilard signed it himself FDR might not have seen the significance and done nothing!Enrico Fermi built the first nuclear reactor in Chicago, IL in 1942. It had a peak operating power of half a watt.Los Alamos labs built the first nuclear bomb in Los Alamos, NM in 1945. It was tested at Trinity site, NM on July 16, 1945 with a yield of about 20KTons of TNT.
Will a dead body explode in two days?
yes once your dead you go into decay and eventually your body will explode Edit: A body can explode when the gases that are formed during decay can't find a way out. If that happens the belly will swell until the pressure causes an explosion.
Should US still make nuclear missiles?
Yes. The nuclear arsenal of the United States is made so that it must be refurbished every three months or the nuclear warheads will not work. This is done by design so that if a weapon ever comes up missing, after a short time it will become just a large semi-radioactive paperweight. Other than that, If we did not continue to make nuclear weapons, Other countries who do still have nuclear weapons would be able to attack us with no worries about being hit themselves. Our threat of nuking other countries is what keeps our country safe from nuclear attack.
Is containment the cure the to nuclear radiation in chernobyl?
yes if we build a dome around the nuclear reactor we may be able to contain the radiation but we will not be able to clean up the radiation left over already.
Difference between breeder reactors and nuclear reactors?
The nuclear reactor is different from the breeder reactor because it generates energy through fission. Historically, in order to be called a breeder, a reactor must be specifically designed to create more fissile material than it consumes. this is what I've looked up and been able to find
Do nuclear reactors have critical mass?
We know that critical mass can be achieved in a nuclear reactor. If it could not, we'd not be able to get a chain reaction and generate heat to generate power. Reactors don't have critical mass when the control rods are in, but pull the rods, start the reactor up and away you go!
Why is the moderator important in a nuclear reactor?
The moderator is used to slow down the neutrons present in the core of the reactor. Normally the neutrons produced as the nuclear fuel (e.g. uranium) is fissioned are travelling too fast to produce a sustained chain reaction. Some examples of moderators are cadmium, heavy water and graphite.
What date did the first fusion generator operate?
The first work on nuclear fusion was performed in 1933 by Ernest Rutherford. The first nuclear fusion "reactor" was built in 1947 by teams in the UK and USSR. To this day no nuclear fusion "reactor" has been able to produce more energy than had to be put into it to get the reaction started, despite many different experiments on many different designs.
What precautions should be taken before the nuclear disaster?
People living within the nearest periphery of a nuclear plant, should be taught about the precautions to be taken against the impending risk from the nuclear reactors of the plants. By this way, Japan was able to minimize loss of human lives during their recent nuclear reactor emission. Using of masks, going underground to evade poisonous gases,spraying chemicals to neutralize the effect of nuclear reactor emissions are few of the steps generally undertaken during an eventuality.
Are your eyes able to explode?
Anything is able to explode if you blow it up.
Why can nuclear fission not be used in cars as it reduces carbon emissions?
It is a matter of cost and safety. Large scale nuclear reactors have backup systems to prevent meltdowns of the reactors and containment structures, to prevent catastrophic failures in the reactor from releasing large quantities of radiation into the area. Such safety measures would not be possible in a car. In addition, to get critical mass in a reactor small enough to fit under the hood of a car, the uranium would have to be highly enriched, almost to bomb grade. People would be able to make bombs from the fuel for nuclear powered cars. However, if you live in an area where nuclear power is used to produce electricity, if you were to buy a Chevy Volt or some other electric car, then you will be able to use nuclear power to get you round.
Why it is impossible for a nuclear power plant to become a nuclear bomb?
In order for fissile material to become a nuclear bomb, a sufficient amount of it must be assembled to exceed critical mass, and must be "held" there for a short period to allow the chain reaction to build sufficiently. By using conventional explosives to drive subcritical masses of nuclear material (like uranium or plutonium) together in an instant to achieve critical mass and cause the material to become supercritical, we can get a nuclear blast. Anything less will create a "dud" with no blast but only a release of some energy and the forcing apart of the nuclear material. If nuclear material is concentrated and critical mass is achieved, nuclear fission will occur and a chain reaction will build. But the energy released will be so great that it will attempt to force the nuclear material apart and stop the reaction. In a nuclear reactor, we achieve criticality and build a chain, but it is not able to go "run away" and behave like a nuclear weapon. Any "accident" or even a "catastrophe" at a reactor plant will only allow the melting of core material and the release of radiation. No blast will occur because there is no "force" to keep a critical mass of material together for a sufficient period to allow the chain to build to a high enough level to get that blast.
Is dark bull the best Beyblade?
no because it is not able to explode
What are the dangers from a nuclear power accident?
The worst case scenario for dangers of Nuclear Power is a Meltdown. A Meltdown occurs when the core of the nuclear reactor reaches unstable temperatures usually related to a severe failure of the reactors cooling system. The effects of a nuclear meltdown depends on the safety features designed into the reactor, newer reactors SHOULD be designed to make a meltdown highly unlikely and should be able to contain one should it happen. The worst documented nuclear meltdown is probably Chernobyl, in April of 1986 reactor number 4 suffered a catastrophic power increase, leading to explosions in the reactor core. This expelled large amounts of radioactive fuel and core materials into the atmosphere and ignited the combustible graphite moderator which increased the emissions of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. The radiation levels in the worst hit areas of the reactor building have been estimated to be 5.6 roentgens per second (R/s), which is equivalent to more then 20,000 roentgens per hour. A lethal dose is around 500 roentgens over 5 hours, so in some cases unprotected workers received a fatal dose within minutes.
Limitation for Control rod in absorbing neutrons?
Control rods are designed usually to be effectively 'black' which means they absorb all incident slow neutrons, by having enough boron or other material in them to do this. The nuclear physics effect that this has on the reactor will then depend on the geometry of the arrangement, ie how many rods are provided in what sort of array and in how many places in the reactor compared with the array of fuel assemblies. This is decided by the nuclear design of the reactor, there are now adequate physics design programs to calculate what is required for a particular reactor. For safety the control rod capacity must be enough to always be able to shutdown the reactor and hold it down with an adequate margin, whatever the reactor state, which varies with refuelling and burnup when neutron absorbing fission products are taken into account. So it is quite a complicated calculation but one that can be done with certainty.
