What is the difference between thermal reactor and fast reactor?
In thermal reactors, the fission chain reaction is sustained by the thermal neutrons that have energy of 0.025eV and velocity of 2.2km/s. In fast reactors, the chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons that have energy of 1 – 10MeV and velocity of around 50,000km/s.
What is a thermal reactor what is a fast reactor?
Fast reactors are a class of advanced nuclear reactors that have some key advantages over traditional reactors in safety, sustainability, and waste. Your average thermal neutron moves around at about 2200 m/s while a fast neutron might be cruising well above 9 million m/s, which is about 3% of the speed of light.
What is meant by thermal reactor?
1. thermal reactor – a nuclear reactor in which nuclear fissions are caused by neutrons that are slowed down by a moderator. nuclear reactor, reactor – (physics) any of several kinds of apparatus that maintain and control a nuclear reaction for the production of energy or artificial elements.
What are the two types of reactors?
There are two basic types: the pressurized-water reactor (PWR) and the boiling-water reactor (BWR).
Which moderator is used in FBR?
FBRs normally use liquid metal, such as sodium, as the coolant at low pressure. High temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), not yet in commercial operation, offer an alternative to conventional designs. They use graphite as the moderator and helium as the coolant.
Which coolant is used in fast breeder reactor?
sodium
A liquid metal fast breeder reactor is so named because during conversion of the fertile material into fissile material use is made of high-energy (“fast”) neutrons and the coolant employed is sodium, which remains in the liquid state (“liquid metal”) at the prevailing high working temperatures.
Which is India’s first reactor?
Apsara
India’s and Asia’s first nuclear reactor, Apsara reached criticality at 3:45 p.m on 4 August 1956 and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Nehru on 20 January 1957.
How many fast reactors are there?
There are 12 experimental fast reactors and six commercial size prototypes with outputs from 250 – 1200 MW that have been constructed or are in operation. The Russian Federation currently operates the most powerful commercial fast reactor, the BN-600 in Beloyarsk, and is constructing the BN-800.
What is thermal reactor used for?
Most nuclear power plant reactors are thermal reactors and use a neutron moderator to slow neutrons until they approach the average kinetic energy of the surrounding particles, that is, to reduce the speed of the neutrons to low-velocity, thermal neutrons.
How does a thermal reactor work?
The main job of a reactor is to house and control nuclear fission—a process where atoms split and release energy. The heat created by fission turns the water into steam, which spins a turbine to produce carbon-free electricity.
Which reactor is moderator less reactor and why?
A fast reactor uses no moderator, but relies on fission produced by unmoderated fast neutrons to sustain the chain reaction.
What are different types of reactors?
Main types of nuclear reactor
- Pressurised water reactor (PWR)
- Boiling water reactor (BWR)
- Advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR)
- Light water graphite-moderated reactor (LWGR)
- Fast neutron reactor (FNR)
- Nuclear power plants in commercial operation or operable.
What is a fast nuclear reactor?
A fast-neutron reactor ( FNR) or simply a fast reactor is a category of nuclear reactor in which the fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons (carrying energies of 5 MeV or greater), as opposed to thermal neutrons used in thermal-neutron reactors.
How are breeder reactors different?
Answer Wiki. They’re both nuclear reactors, with one critical difference; a “regular” reactor uses up Uranium 235 and a bit of plutonium (in MOX fuel ), and a breeder reactor is designed to create more fuel as it also produces power.
What are the types of nuclear power?
Nuclear reactors use a controlled chain reaction to produce electricity. As a source of energy, nuclear energy provides a safer alternative, for the production of energy for large-scale consumption. There are two different types of nuclear energy; nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
What is a breeder reactor?
A breeder reactor is a type of nuclear specifically designed to create more fissile material (nuclear fuel) than it consumes. Depending on the Breeding Ratio of a reactor, it can produce new fuel at a greater or lesser rate. The Breeding Ratio represents the number of new fissile atoms created for each fission event.