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This particle is the nucleus of an atom. And today we will learn about some
concepts and technologies based on the nucleus, these are nuclear fission and
nuclear reactors.
History
It all started with the discovery of the nucleus in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford
and the discovery of the neutron by James Chadwick in 1932. And after that,
nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman. It
laid a foundation of concepts related to nuclear energy and nuclear bombs.
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Fission is the process of splitting down a heavier nucleus into multiple
smaller nuclei with an instant release of a huge amount of energy. The heavier
nucleus is also called the parent nucleus and the smaller nuclei are also called
daughter nuclei.
Most of the time, the parent nucleus splits into only two daughter nuclei.
Splitting of a nucleus in more than two nuclei is very rare. After fission, the
combined mass of these split fragments tends to be less than the mass of the
parent nucleus. The mass difference makes up nuclear energy.
Nuclear Reactor
A Nuclear Reactor is a system that accommodates and controls nuclear chain
reactions. Nuclear reactors are useful for various purposes such as electricity
generation, marine propulsion, and production of radioisotopes for medical
use. We will focus on electricity-generating reactors.
3. Control Rods: Control rods control the rate of fission in the reactor core and
made up of neutron absorbing material. When the fission rate increases,
control rods push deeper into the reactor.
And when the fission rate decreases, the control rods pull back. Control rods
can form up of elements like Boron, Silver, Indium, and Cadmium.
4. Coolant: Coolant circulates around the reactor core in multiple (usually 2-3)
loops. The coolant absorbs the heat from the nuclear fission occurring in the
core and transfers it to the turbine. The most commonly used coolant is water.
Other used coolants are Carbon Dioxide, air, liquid Sodium, etc.
5. Containment: Containment is a very thick structure which covers the core
and separates it from the environment. It forms up by high-density, steel-
reinforced concrete. It contains harmful radiations within the system.
There are many types of nuclear reactors based on various factors such as the
use of moderator material, coolant material, technology, etc. One thing
common between these reactors is that they all work on the basis of nuclear
fission.
We can classify fission reactors into two classes based on the energy of
bombarding neutrons, these are thermal reactors and fast neutron reactors.
Thermal Reactors
Thermal Reactors use thermal or slowed down neutrons to induce
nuclear fission.
Almost all the power reactors are thermal reactors because they are
comparatively easy to build and operate.
Thermal Reactors can sustain chain reaction on enriched fissile
material (2-5% enriched) due to slow-moving electrons. Slow-
moving neutrons provide a high probability of fission.
Fast Neutron Reactors
Fast Neutron Reactors use fast-moving neutrons to induce nuclear fission
in the fuel.
Only Breeder Reactors operate on fast neutrons and they are not much in
use because they are relatively hard to build and operate.
Sustainment of chain reaction requires Highly enriched fissile (at least 20%
enriched) material.
In a Fast Neutron Reactor (FNR), the fast neutrons sustain the chain
reaction.
In other reactors, slow neutrons are necessary. These moderators slow
down the neutrons.
Fast Neutron Reactors do not need a moderator.
Liquid metal is the coolant of all the FNRs in use.
Water is not a useful coolant because it also acts as a moderator.
Enriched fuel is necessary for Fast Neutron Reactors which makes them
non-feasible.
The only advantage of Fast Neutron Reactors is that they release less toxic
waste.
We can also classify the reactors on the basis of coolant and moderator used
into two major types. These are:
1. Light Water Reactors (LWR)
2. Heavy Water Reactors(HWR)
Gas-Cooled Reactors
BWR, LWR, HWR & PWR are inoperable at high temperatures. So,
their thermal efficiency reduces with an increase in temperature.
In Gas-Cooled Reactors, the coolant is a gas.
The gas can be Helium or Carbon Dioxide.
Mostly, the moderator is graphite and rarely it is heavy water.
Another name for them is High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
(HTGRs).
An HTGR can provide thermal efficiency by up to 50%.
An HTGR finds application in other fields such as water
desalination, oil refineries, etc.
Gas is not an efficient coolant, so an HTGR needs a highly efficient
back-up coolant.
Fast Neutron Reactors
In a Fast Neutron Reactor (FNR), the fast neutrons sustain the
chain reaction.
In other reactors, slow neutrons are necessary. These moderators
slow down the neutrons.
Fast Neutron Reactors do not need a moderator.
Liquid metal is the coolant of all the FNRs in use.
Water is not a useful coolant because it also acts as a moderator.
Enriched fuel is necessary for Fast Neutron Reactors which makes
them non-feasible.
The only advantage of Fast Neutron Reactors is that they release less
toxic waste.
Thorium Reactors
It aims to achieve the Thorium fuel cycle.
Thorium is more abundantly available than Uranium.
Thorium is not a fissile material, but it can produce U-233. U-233 is
a fissile material
Both U-233 and Th-232 are fuel at the initial stage. After that, Th-
232 can take care of the fuel cycle.
Thorium reactors are smaller in size.
Thorium reactors produce less radioactive waste and reduce the risk
of a nuclear meltdown.
Also, another way to classify Nuclear Reactors based on their generation.
PWR: 68.3%
BWR: 20.1%
PHWR: 6.5%
Others: 5.1%
Conclusion
In this article, we first learned about the concept of nuclear fission. After that,
we studied Nuclear Reactors, basic components of nuclear reactors.
Along with that, we also learned about the different types of nuclear reactors
based on different criteria, their advantages, disadvantages, and their
percentage in nuclear power production. Lastly, we came to know that
Pressurized Water Reactors are the most widely used nuclear reactors.