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A number of different materials can be used to fuel a reactor, but most commonly uranium is used. Uranium is abundant, and can be found in many places around the world, including in the oceans. Other fuels, such as plutonium and thorium, can also be used.
What is the material of a reactor?
The reactor pressure vessel is made up of quenched and tempered Mn-Mo-Ni low-alloy steel [12]. These pressure vessels are very big, hence the main constraint for the material is its cost. Continuous exposure to radiation makes the RPV brittle resulting in a decrease of fracture toughness.
What type element is most commonly used in a nuclear reactor?
Uranium is the fuel most widely used by nuclear plants for nuclear fission. Uranium is considered a nonrenewable energy source, even though it is a common metal found in rocks worldwide. Nuclear power plants use a certain kind of uranium, referred to as U-235, for fuel because its atoms are easily split apart.
Which metal is used in nuclear project?
The metal used for the tubes depends on the design of the reactor. Stainless steel was used in the past, but most reactors now use a zirconium alloy which, in addition to being highly corrosion-resistant, has low neutron absorption. The tubes containing the fuel pellets are sealed: these tubes are called fuel rods.
Is used as coolant in the nuclear reactor?
A substance circulated through a nuclear reactor to remove or transfer heat. The most commonly used coolant in the United States is water. Other coolants include heavy water, air, carbon dioxide, helium, liquid sodium, and a sodium-potassium alloy.
Why is the reactor filled with graphite?
What does graphite do in Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors? The graphite bricks act as a moderator. They reduce the speed of neutrons and allow a nuclear reaction to be sustained.
Is thorium used in nuclear reactors?
Thorium is more abundant in nature than uranium. It is fertile rather than fissile, and can only be used as a fuel in conjunction with a fissile material such as recycled plutonium. Thorium fuels can breed fissile uranium-233 to be used in various kinds of nuclear reactors.
How many fuel rods are in a nuclear reactor?
Depending on the reactor type, each fuel assembly has about 179 to 264 fuel rods. A typical reactor core holds 121 to 193 fuel assemblies.
What are moderators in nuclear reactors?
A material, such as ordinary water, heavy water, or graphite, that is used in a reactor to slow down high-velocity neutrons, thus increasing the likelihood of fission.
What kind of water is used in nuclear reactor?
Heavy water is used in certain types of nuclear reactors, where it acts as a neutron moderator to slow down neutrons so that they are more likely to react with the fissile uranium-235 than with uranium-238, which captures neutrons without fissioning. The CANDU reactor uses this design.
