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Mechanical Engineering · Q88

Power Plant Engineering

Engineering and GATE · Mechanical Engineering · question 88

Q88

The secondary fuel used in nuclear power plants is

A.
U233 and Pu239
Answer
B.
U235 and Th232
C.
U235 and Pu238
D.
U233 and Pu238

Answer: Option A

Solution

Answer: Option A
Solution:
The three most relevant fissile isotopes are Uranium-233, Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239.
When the unstable nuclei of these atoms are hit by a slow-moving neutron, they split, creating two daughter nuclei and two or three more neutrons.
These neutrons then go on to split more nuclei.
This creates a self-sustaining chain reaction that is controlled in a nuclear reactor, or uncontrolled in a nuclear weapon.