Table of Contents
- 1 How does a breeder reactor compare to a general nuclear reactor?
- 2 What are the similarities and differences between nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons?
- 3 What is the difference between a converter reactor and breeder reactor explain with reference to the breeding process?
- 4 How does nuclear fission relate to nuclear power nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons?
- 5 What are the advantages of a breeder reactor over a conventional nuclear fission reactor?
- 6 What are the advantages and disadvantages of breeder reactor?
- 7 What exactly does a breeder reactor breed?
- 8 What do breeder reactors do exactly?
How does a breeder reactor compare to a general nuclear reactor?
Whereas a conventional nuclear reactor can use only the readily fissionable but more scarce isotope uranium-235 for fuel, a breeder reactor employs either uranium-238 or thorium, of which sizable quantities are available. …
What are the similarities and differences between nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons?
In a nuclear weapon, all of the energy comes out in an instant. So a nuclear reactor can produce radioactive fission fragments continuously over a long period of time while a nuclear weapon produces them in one shot.
What are the two most common types of nuclear reactors?
Two of the most common reactors are pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and boiling water reactors (BWRs), both of which are light water reactors (LWR). Light water reactors use ordinary water to cool and heat the nuclear fuel. LWRs have historically been the most economical and common type of reactors.
What is the difference between a converter reactor and breeder reactor explain with reference to the breeding process?
The process of producing nuclear fuels is loosely called “breeding.” Logically, the term “breeder reactor” should be used to characterize those reactors which produce fuel nuclides of the same kind as those consumed, and “converter reactor” to characterize those which produce fuel nuclides different from those consumed …
How does nuclear fission relate to nuclear power nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons?
Inside a nuclear reactor, the fissions are slower and more spread out, and the resulting heat is used to boil water, to make steam, to turn turbines which generate electricity. However, the prime use of plutonium-239 and uranium-235, and the reason they were produced in the first place, is to make nuclear weapons.
What is the most common nuclear reactor?
Pressurised water reactor
Pressurised water reactor (PWR) This is the most common type, with about 300 operable reactors for power generation and several hundred more employed for naval propulsion.
What are the advantages of a breeder reactor over a conventional nuclear fission reactor?
A breeder reactor creates 30% more fuel than it consumes. After an initial introduction of enriched uranium, the reactor only needs infrequent addition of stable uranium, which is then converted into the fuel. It can generate much more energy than traditional coal power plants.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of breeder reactor?
Fast breeder reactors can convert more fertile material to fissile material and therefore, net fuel consumption is much less. As a matter of fact more fissile material could be produced than would be consumed by it (fast breeder reactor).
What are the advantages and disadvantages of breeder reactors?
Fast Breeder Reactor – Advantages and Disadvantages. 1. Heat developed per unit volume of core or per unit area of fuel surface is less. 2. Ease of control . 3. Greater inherent safety . Disadvantages:
What exactly does a breeder reactor breed?
A breeder reactor is a type of nuclear specifically designed to create more fissile material (nuclear fuel) than it consumes. Depending on the Breeding Ratio of a reactor, it can produce new fuel at a greater or lesser rate. The Breeding Ratio represents the number of new fissile atoms created for each fission event.
What do breeder reactors do exactly?
Breeder reactors are a type of nuclear reactor which produce more fissile materials than they consume. They are designed to extend the nuclear fuel supply for the generation of electricity, and have even been mistakenly called a potential renewable energy source.
How much uranium is needed in a breeder reactor?
The most promising type of breeder reactor is the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR), which operates by using liquid sodium as its coolant, and breeds plutonium from uranium-238. It works by using highly enriched uranium , between 15-20% uranium-235 content, surrounded or “blanketed” by natural uranium-238 in the reactor core. [3]