*As atom is made up of a nucleus ( with protons and neutrons) and electrons revolving around the nucleus.
* The mass of the atom is concentrated in the nucleus. The number of protons (z) of an element. While the term atomic deals with 10^(-10)m, the term nuclear deals with 10^(-15)m.
* The voly of an atom is about 1015 orders of magnitude larger than the volume of a nucleus.it is the electrons that are responsible for the chemical behaviour of atoms, and which identify the various chemical elements.
*The total number of protons and neutrons , called nucleons is called the atomic number number (A).
*Atoms such as 1H,2H Whose nuclei contain the same number of protons but different number of neutrons (different A) are known as isotopes. Uranium,fir instance, has three isotopes occuring in nature -238,235U and 234 U.hydrogen has types of isotopes , protium, deuterium and tritium.
NUCLEAR FUELA good nuclear fuel is essential for sustainability of a nuclear power plant. A nuclear fuel is generally sustains a chain reaction, has a very high chance of fission when bombarded with neutrons, enabling it to compensate to unsuccessful fissions,has a reasonable half life and is available ins sustainable quantities.THE URANIUM-235 is a suitable candidate for a nuclear fuel, however it is not available in abundant quantities across the world.
TYPES OF FUEL Fissionable fuel consists of isotopes that are capable of undergoing nuclear fission . Typical fissionable materials:232 Th,233U,238Pu, 241pu.
Fertile material are isotopes that are non fissionable by neutrons,but can be converted into fissible isotopes (after neutron absorption and subsequent nuclear decay) ,Th-232 ( thorium) is a fertile isotopes ,th 232 cannot be fissioned by a fast moving neutron Th-232 cannot be fissioned by a fast moving neutron.
Th-232 is not capable neutrons produced by fission of 238 U have lower energies than original neutron. Upon capturing a neutron th-232 converts to U-233 which is fissionable. Typical fissible materials: 235U, 233Pu, 239,pu,241 Pu.
Fissible material are fissionable isotopes that are capable of undergoing nuclear fission . Typical fertile materials:238U,232Th.
NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT
1. To ensure that the nuclear reaction is sustainable ,a nuclear reactor uses such fuel that has a high probability of fission when bombarded by fast moving neutron. To ensure this ,a process called enrichment is carried out.
2. The process of increasing the concentration of one isotopes relative to another is called “enrichment”.
3. Natural occuring uranium contains 0.72% of the U-235 isotope.the remaining 99.28,% is the u-238which is fertile isotope
4. The radioactive half life for a given radioisotope is the time for half the radioactive nuclei in any sample to undergo radioactive deacy.after two lives ,there will be one fourth the original sample,after three half-lives one eighth the original sample ,and so forth.
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