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Plutonium-241 (241 Pu or Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron.Like some other plutonium isotopes (especially 239 Pu), 241 Pu is fissile, with a neutron absorption cross section about one-third greater than that of 239 Pu, and a similar probability of fissioning on neutron absorption, around 73%.
The "reactor-grade" plutonium produced by a regular LWR burnup cycle typically contains less than 60% Pu-239, with up to 30% parasitic Pu-240/Pu-242, and 10–15% fissile Pu-241. [127] It is unknown if a device using plutonium obtained from reprocessed civil nuclear waste can be detonated, however such a device could hypothetically fizzle and ...
The isotope 240 Pu has about the same thermal neutron capture cross section as 239 Pu (289.5 ± 1.4 vs. 269.3 ± 2.9 barns), [6] [7] but only a tiny thermal neutron fission cross section (0.064 barns). When the isotope 240 Pu captures a neutron, it is about 4500 times more likely to become plutonium-241 than to fission.
Plutonium-238 (238 Pu or Pu-238) is a radioactive isotope of plutonium that has a half-life of 87.7 years.. Plutonium-238 is a very powerful alpha emitter; as alpha particles are easily blocked, this makes the plutonium-238 isotope suitable for usage in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and radioisotope heater units.
In contrast, the generic civilian Pressurized water reactor, routinely does (typical for 2015 Generation II reactor) 45 GWd/tU of burnup, resulting in the purity of Pu-239 being 50.5%, alongside a Pu-240 content of 25.2%, [5] [6] The remaining portion includes much more of the heat generating Pu-238 and Pu-241 isotopes than are to be found in ...
When you breathe, air flows smoothly in and out of your nose, Ramakrishnan says. But when you sneeze, you expel air and change up that flow, forcing odorous particles in your nose or throat upward ...
Pu or Pu-239) is an isotope of plutonium. Plutonium-239 is the primary fissile isotope used for the production of nuclear weapons, although uranium-235 is also used for that purpose. Plutonium-239 is also one of the three main isotopes demonstrated usable as fuel in thermal spectrum nuclear reactors, along with uranium-235 and uranium-233.
Natural gas leaks happen nearly every day in the U.S. — and they can be deadly if they go undetected. A report from a group of Texas environmental nonprofits released in June found around 2,600 ...