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To reduce the concentration of Pu-240 in the plutonium produced, weapons program plutonium production reactors (e.g. B Reactor) irradiate the uranium for a far shorter time than is normal for a nuclear power reactor. More precisely, weapons-grade plutonium is obtained from uranium irradiated to a low burnup.
Taking radiographs of plutonium at these more intense conditions will provide more accurate data for computer simulations, he added. Building the accelerator is part of a larger effort to improve ...
Plutonium(IV) oxide, or plutonia, is a chemical compound with the formula Pu O 2. This high melting-point solid is a principal compound of plutonium . It can vary in color from yellow to olive green, depending on the particle size, temperature and method of production.
Conversely, blending plutonium with Pu-240 renders it less suitable for nuclear weapons. If the desired goal is not an atom bomb but running a nuclear power plant, the alternative to enrichment of uranium for use in a light-water reactor is the use of a neutron moderator with a lower neutron absorption cross section than protium.
FBRs usually use a mixed oxide fuel core of up to 20% plutonium dioxide (PuO 2) and at least 80% uranium dioxide (UO 2). Another fuel option is metal alloys, typically a blend of uranium, plutonium, and zirconium (used because it is "transparent" to neutrons). Enriched uranium can be used on its own.
Additionally, the formal +2 oxidation state of plutonium is known in the complex [K(2.2.2-cryptand)] [Pu II Cp″ 3], Cp″ = C 5 H 3 (SiMe 3) 2. [37] A +8 oxidation state is possible as well in the volatile tetroxide PuO 4. [38] Though it readily decomposes via a reduction mechanism similar to FeO 4, PuO 4 can be stabilized in alkaline ...
When 3% enriched LEU fuel is used, the spent fuel typically consists of roughly 1% U-235, 95% U-238, 1% plutonium and 3% fission products. Spent fuel and other high-level radioactive waste is extremely hazardous, although nuclear reactors produce orders of magnitude smaller volumes of waste compared to other power plants because of the high ...
U will inevitably be enriched slightly stronger than 235 U, which is a negligible effect in a once-through fuel cycle due to the low (55 ppm) share of 234 U in natural uranium but can become relevant after successive passes through an enrichment-burnup-reprocessing-enrichment cycle, depending on enrichment and burnup characteristics. 234