The global warming and low fossil fuel crisis has made nucle

The global warming and low fossil fuel crisis has made nuclear fission once again a more attractive option for power generation. Nuclear Fission uses fuels containing radioactive atoms such as uranium which undergo fission (which is spontaneous decay into smaller atomic weight atoms) and in doing so release energy. This energy is used to heat a coolant which is then used, like fossil fuel heating to produce electricity. Many fission reactors have the uranium as uranium oxide pellets in a zirconium alloy tube. Do you think that the zirconium alloy is a good choice for holding the uranium oxide to transfer heat to the coolant? Why or why not?

Solution

In addition of CO, CH_4, H₂O are made in a closely controlled manner to optimise gaseous reactions within the primary circuit. it is important in a coolant which does not produce excessive oxidation of graphite moderator since, in these reactor systems, moderators has structural role and defines the location of fuel within the reactor core.

zirconium alloys has following requirements:

1) adequate strength and ductility

2) compatibility with fuel

3) corrosion resistance to water

4) adequate thermal conductivity

In CANDU reactors, the inside surfaces of pressure tubes experience long term exposures to the hot pressurised lithiated coolant. Zircaloy and Zr 2.5Nb alloy has been used as pressure tube materials. To identify the effect of lithium on corrosion rates in dilute lithium hydroxide sollutions. Reactor components fabricated from zirconium alloys varyaccording to specific reactor design but generally consists of fuel pin components, fuel assembly hardware and cor structural components. Fuel pin components fabricated of zirconium alloysinclude the cladding, end plugs, bellows and plenium springs. fuel assembly hardware include control rod guide tubes, tie plates, instrumet timbles, expansion springs, spacer springs, spacer grids.

while nuclear fission, the element used for fission is uranium. after fission this uranium is divided into uranium oxide and

hence zirconium alloy is a good choice for holding the uranium oxide to transfer heat to coolant.