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Fantastic information on how nuclear reactors actually work and are fueled and maintained
World Nuclear Association ^ | September, 2011 | http://world-nuclear.org/

Posted on 12/02/2011 10:08:30 AM PST by lefty-lie-spy

Nuclear reactors are powered by fuel containing fissile material. The fission process releases large amounts of useful energy and for this reason the fissioning components – U-235 and/or Pu- 239 – must be held in a robust physical form capable of enduring high operating temperatures and an intense radiation environment. Fuel structures need to maintain their shape and integrity over a period of several years within the reactor core, thereby preventing the leakage of fission products into the reactor coolant.

The standard fuel form comprises a column of ceramic pellets of uranium oxide, clad and sealed into zirconium alloy tubes. For light water reactor (LWR) fuel, the uranium is enriched to various levels up to about 4.8% U-235. Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) fuel is usually unenriched natural uranium (0.7% U-235), although slightly-enriched uranium is also used.

The fabrication of fuel structures – called assemblies or bundles – is the last stage of the front end of the nuclear cycle shown in Figure 1. The process for uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication is essentially the same – notwithstanding some specific features associated with handling the plutonium component.

(Excerpt) Read more at world-nuclear.org ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Technical; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: energy; fukushima; nuclear; science
I live in Tokyo, so have been following the Fukushima situation daily. I was looking for more information on nuclear fuel loading and technical information regarding the operation and science behind nuclear energy and the amazing physics and history behind it. This is one of the best technical write-ups I've read on how nuclear fuel works and how it powers nuclear reactors. There is some really fantastic information here that all you physics enthusiasts should appreciate as much as I did.
1 posted on 12/02/2011 10:08:36 AM PST by lefty-lie-spy
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To: lefty-lie-spy

Mark


2 posted on 12/02/2011 10:13:43 AM PST by Former Proud Canadian (Obamanomics-We don't need your stinking tar sands oil, or the jobs that go with it.)
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To: lefty-lie-spy
The Worlds Nuclear Reactors
3 posted on 12/02/2011 10:21:30 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper (1/3/2012-Iowa 1/10-Newt Hampshire 1/21-South Carolina 1/31-Florida)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Thank you. I’ve seen this too. My knowledge of nuclear physics has grown 1000 times from what I used to know before our Fukushima incident. I was particularly interested in radioactivity of pellets and fuel bundles before fission and decay takes place, and what physical processes and nuclide creation occurs during a meltdown, and this information has been the best I’ve found in months. If you know of any similar scientific articles or papers, I would love to read them.


4 posted on 12/02/2011 10:30:52 AM PST by lefty-lie-spy (Stay metal. For the Horde \m/("_")\m/ - via iPhone from Tokyo.)
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To: lefty-lie-spy

Thank you.

Bookmarked for my Physics classes.


5 posted on 12/02/2011 10:33:29 AM PST by Mrs.Z
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To: lefty-lie-spy

Read later


6 posted on 12/02/2011 10:59:09 AM PST by truthguy (Good intentions are not enough.)
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To: lefty-lie-spy
Most people would be surprised at how simple a nuclear power plant it- or a nuclear bomb.

For a bomb, you just take a sufficient amount of fissionable material and slam it together...and Kablooey.

For a nuclear reactor you have enough of this material in rods that are close enough together that they heat each other up. It is separated by carbon rods that prevent this process. The carbon rods are raised and lowered between the nuclear rods to increase or decrease the heat, making steam that turns a regular steam turbine.

In a ‘scram’ the carbon rods are lowered quickly to cut off the reaction.

The safety problems come from trying to get too much efficiency. A nuclear plant could be 100% safe if the material was NEVER close enough to heat up too much. But you would lose efficiency and not get all the heat you could.

There is a company in Texas that is making nuclear reactors small enough to power a small city. It comes in a fully contained box that you bury- when 20 years are up the fuel is spent and they dig up and replace the entire box.

7 posted on 12/02/2011 11:02:50 AM PST by Mr. K (Physically unable to profreed <--- oops, see?)
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