GK
NUCLEAR SCIENCE
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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use Th-232 as fissile fuel.
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use fast neutrons for fission.
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use molten sodium as coolant.
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convert fertile material to fissile material.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Thorium (Th-232) is not itself fissile and so is not directly usable in a thermal neutron reactor. However, it is ‘fertile’ and upon absorbing a neutron will transmute to uranium-233 (U-233)a, which is an excellent fissile fuel materialb. In this regard it is similar to uranium-238 (which transmutes to plutonium-239).
Detailed explanation-2: -Breeder reactors are costly to build and operate. The capital costs per kilowatt of generating capacity of demonstration liquid sodium-cooled fast reactors have typically been more than twice those of water cooled reactors of comparable capacity.
Detailed explanation-3: -The two main, fertile, isotopes that are useful for this purpose are uranium-238 that will generate fissile plutonium and thorium-232 that will produce fissile uranium. Breeder reactors have a long history but have so far not proved successful commercially. However, a number of advanced designs use the concept.