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The iodine pit, also called the iodine hole or xenon pit, is a temporary disabling of a nuclear reactor due to buildup of short-lived nuclear poisons in the reactor core. The main isotope responsible is 135 Xe, mainly produced by natural decay of 135 I. 135 I is a weak neutron absorber, while 135 Xe is the strongest
Xenon-135 (135 Xe) is an unstable isotope of xenon with a half-life of about 9.2 hours. 135 Xe is a fission product of uranium and it is the most powerful known neutron-absorbing nuclear poison (2 million barns; [1] up to 3 million barns [1] under reactor conditions [2]), with a significant effect on nuclear reactor operation.
Because 135 Xe is a potent nuclear poison with the largest cross section for thermal neutron absorption, the buildup of 135 Xe in the fuel inside a power reactor can lower the reactivity greatly. If a power reactor is shut down or left running at a low power level, then large amounts of 135 Xe can build up through decay of 135 I.
Iodine-135 is an isotope of iodine with a half-life of 6.6 hours. It is an important isotope from the viewpoint of nuclear reactor physics . It is produced in relatively large amounts as a fission product , and decays to xenon-135 , which is a nuclear poison with the largest known thermal neutron cross section , which is a cause of multiple ...
The overall yield of xenon-135 from fission is 6.3%, though most of this results from the radioactive decay of fission-produced tellurium-135 and iodine-135. Xe-135 exerts a significant effect on nuclear reactor operation . It is discharged to the atmosphere in small quantities by some nuclear power plants. [20]
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin's comments that Moscow's nuclear deterrent is on high alert have unleashed a wave of anxiety in Central Europe, with people rushing to buy iodine ...
Because 95% of the xenon-135 production is from iodine-135 decay, which has a 6- to 7-hour half-life, the production of xenon-135 remains constant; at this point, the xenon-135 concentration reaches a minimum. The concentration then increases to the equilibrium for the new power level in the same time, roughly 40 to 50 hours.
Fears of a potential nuclear conflict after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spark a huge interest in iodine tablets, which can protect the thyroid from radiation.