in nuclear reactors why only uranium233,uranium235,plutonium239 are used as fuels why not any other element?

Question

get information from fissile materials

Answer 1

Uranium 235 and Plutonium are considered fissile materials. What this means is that when they are exposed to a source of neutrons traveling at a certain speed, they have a high likelihood of capturing a neutron and then splitting or fissioning. When they fission, they themselves release around 2 or 3 neutrons, which is what sustains the chain reaction. All of the other elements and isotopes either do not capture neutrons well enough or else they do not produce enough neutrons when they fission to sustain a nuclear reaction.

Natural uranium, found in the earth, is over 99% Uranium 238 with trace quantities of Uranium 235, and other isotopes in small quantities. Enriched uranium comes from a process akin to finding gold by sifting through mud in a stream. They keep filtering out Uranium 238 until they have a high enough concentration of Uranium 235 to make fuel for a reactor. Most nuclear reactors use uranium that is enriched to between 3 and 5 % U235 and the rest U238.

Plutonium is one of the byproducts of nuclear reactions. It does not occur in nature. It is highly fissile and can also be used in nuclear reactors.

Nuclear bombs require a much greater rate of reaction than nuclear reactors, so they are made from either Uranium enriched to over 90% U235 or from Plutonium.

After the enrichment process, the leftover U238 is what they call depleted uranium, because it has been depleted of U235. It has no use for fission, however because of its unique metallurgic properties and extreme density (significantly denser than lead) they use it to make weapons such as the sabot rounds used by American tanks and A10 Warthogs.

Answer 2

By using the heaviest elements such as Uranium 235, Thorium 234 etc, more energy is released when fission occurs - this is due to the 'mass defect' (which you can look up on google.)

Uranium 238 isn't fissile (it cant undergo fission) and therefore Uranium 238 is often 'enriched' to make it into Plutonium 239, which is a fissile material.

Other elements are fissile but it is better to use the heaviest possible as this makes the process most efficient - and the nucleus of heavier elements is large, so it is easier to initiate the chain reaction required to produce alot of energy.

Answer 3

Most elements in common form are not radioactive, so fission or fusion are difficult to accomplish. The rest is a practical matter of cost. Nuclear waste does contain other elements due to the splitting of the uranium atom.

Answer 4

these uranium elements have a differnce in the neutron and r thus radioactive.most elements on earth r not radioactive

Answer 5

we are able to apply many forms of fuels .... yet in accordance to our convenience,we use U235 and U238.... particularly U235. the explanation why we use Uranium is its relatively great quantity interior the earth. additionally it relatively is a wealthy source of power.