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Yes, it usually does. The new fuel is Plutonium (or sometimes Uranium-233 if Thorium was used in the blanket instead of Uranium).
It is possible to configure a Breeder to consume more fuel than it is given, this has been considered one way to destroy excess weapons grade Plutonium.
What else can I help you with?
In a breeder reactor a. Plutonium is converted into uranium or b. Uranium is converted into plutonium?
Uranium. A breeder reactor can use either Uranium, Plutonium, or mixed Transuranic elements for fuel. Depleted Uranium or Thorium is used as the breeding blanket. Periodically the breeding blanket is changed: the old one reprocessed to make new fuel.
What fuel is used in fast breeder reactor?
Mainly Plutonium fuel. They are usually started on highly enriched uranium (i.e., weapons grade) fuel, with a breeding blanket of depleted uranium surrounding the core. Over time the breeding blanket is periodically changed and the old one reprocessed to extract plutonium; which is used to make replacement fuel for the reactor (and sometimes others). So the reactor starts on uranium fuel and each time the fuel is replaced it transitions gradually to plutonium fuel. It is also possible to tune a breeder reactor to operate as a plutonium burner (without breeding new fuel). Such a reactor would burn plutonium only. This has been suggested as an effective means of disposing of the current "excess" of plutonium removed from retired nuclear weapons.
What does a breeder reactor produce?
Well, simply put, both are nuclear reactors. A breeder reactor is one which instead of losing it's neutron production to capture in moderators or shielding elements, absorbs most of the neutron production in the fuel specifically for the production of transuranic elements. Such reactors have been used since the 60's to facilitate in the production of fusion nuclear weapons, also known as hydrogen bombs, as these require large amounts of plutonium which can only be created in a breeder reactor. The U.N. has been discouraging the use of breeder reactors since the mid nineties and many worldwide have been shut down. This is in part due to their use in the proliferation of nuclear weapons and due to their inherent instability. There are literally dozens of types of nuclear reactors, breeders being only one. Others include pressurized water reactors, boiling water reactors, graphite moderated reactors, lead cooled reactors, or the more recent pebble bed reactors.
What type of nuclear reactor is used in Ontario to produce electricity?
This is the Candu type, which was uniquely developed in Canada to use heavy water moderator and natural uranium fuel
What are the examples of fissions?
The only example of nuclear fission in a naturally occurring material is of Uranium 235, which comprises 0.7 percent of natural uranium, the rest being Uranium 238 which is not fissile. To use U235 in a nuclear reactor it is usually enriched to about 4 percent first, though reactors have been designed to use natural uranium. These have to use graphite or heavy water as moderator, as normal water absorbs too many neutrons. During reactor operation some of the U238 absorbs a neutron and becomes Plutonium 239 which is also fissile, so this contributes to a proportion of the reactor power which increases as the fuel is used and the U235 diminishes.
In a breeder reactor a. Plutonium is converted into uranium or b. Uranium is converted into plutonium?
Uranium. A breeder reactor can use either Uranium, Plutonium, or mixed Transuranic elements for fuel. Depleted Uranium or Thorium is used as the breeding blanket. Periodically the breeding blanket is changed: the old one reprocessed to make new fuel.
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 happens in a breeder reactor?
A breeder reactor is a type of power reactor that operates without a moderator to slow the neutrons. This requires either Uranium fuel enriched to at least 20% Uranium-235 or Plutonium fuel to operate at critical without Uranium-238 in the core capturing the fast neutrons and stopping the chain reaction. Most breeder reactors use a liquid metal coolant (water is both coolant and moderator so it cannot be used) like liquid Sodium, NaK, or Mercury in their primary loop. The core of a breeder reactor is surrounded with a "breeding blanket" of either natural or depleted Uranium plates. The Uranium-238 in this blanket captures neutrons escaping the core and "breeds" Plutonium and other transuranic elements. Periodically plates of the "breeding blanket" are replaced and processed to extract the Plutonium and sometimes other transuranics to make new fuel for that reactor and other reactors. A well tuned breeder reactor can make several times the nuclear fuel it consumes in its lifetime.There was discussion some years back of using significantly detuned breeder reactors to rapidly destroy the excess of weapons grade Uranium and Plutonium resulting from dismantling of weapons retired due to treaty limits. Not much seems to have happened with that idea.
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 fuel is used in fast breeder reactor?
Mainly Plutonium fuel. They are usually started on highly enriched uranium (i.e., weapons grade) fuel, with a breeding blanket of depleted uranium surrounding the core. Over time the breeding blanket is periodically changed and the old one reprocessed to extract plutonium; which is used to make replacement fuel for the reactor (and sometimes others). So the reactor starts on uranium fuel and each time the fuel is replaced it transitions gradually to plutonium fuel. It is also possible to tune a breeder reactor to operate as a plutonium burner (without breeding new fuel). Such a reactor would burn plutonium only. This has been suggested as an effective means of disposing of the current "excess" of plutonium removed from retired nuclear weapons.
How does a breeder reactor breed nuclear fuel?
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 : captureU239 --> Np239 + e- : beta decay, HL 23.5 minutesNp239 --> Pu239 + e- : beta decay, HL 2.33 daysPu239 + n --> Pu240 : capturePu240 + n --> Pu241 : capturePu241 + n --> Pu242 : captureThe 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 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.
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.
Do Breeder reactor and nuclear reactor have similarities?
A breeder reactor is one type of nuclear reactor, but not a type that is in general commercial use at the present time
Why moderator is not use in bleeder reactor?
Moderators are not used in a breeder reactor because their primary purpose is to slow down neutrons to increase the likelihood of fission events in a thermal reactor. In a breeder reactor, fast neutrons are required to convert non-fissile uranium-238 into fissile plutonium-239, so using a moderator would hinder this process.
Why were breeder reactors developed?
Breeder reactors were developed to allow use of non-fissile or fertile fuel, such as uranium-238 and thorium-232, instead of fissile fuel, such as uranium-235 and plutonium-239. They do have fissile fuel in them, but they use its neutron flux to convert the non-fissile (fertile) fuel into fissile form, extending the lifespan of the core.
What fuel does a nuclear reactor use?
Uranium-235 in combination with Uranium-238, enriched from natural levels of about 0.7% U-235 to about 5% U-235. There are other configurations, but this is the most common.
