Breeder Reactor
Definition and meaning of Breeder Reactor in chemistry.
A breeder reactor is a highly advanced type of nuclear power plant. Amazingly, it creates more usable nuclear fuel than it consumes while generating standard electricity. It achieves this by transforming useless heavy metals into brand new radioactive fuel.
In more detail
Normal nuclear power plants burn up their enriched uranium fuel and leave behind useless nuclear waste. A breeder reactor is specifically designed to recycle this useless material into fresh fuel. The reactor core blasts stable heavy metal atoms with high speed neutrons.
When a stable atom absorbs a flying neutron, it becomes highly unstable. The atom quickly undergoes radioactive decay and transforms into a completely new element. For example, useless uranium-238 absorbs a fast neutron and slowly turns into valuable plutonium-239.
The reactor produces heat for electricity while constantly replacing the fuel it just burned. To make this incredible process work, the neutrons must travel at extremely fast speeds. Most normal reactors use regular water to slow down neutrons, but breeder reactors cannot.
Instead, they often use liquid metals like molten sodium to keep the hot reactor cool. Students often mistakenly think these reactors create free energy out of thin air. However, they simply unlock the hidden energy inside heavy materials that normal reactors throw away.
Natural uranium rock is mostly made of the completely useless type of heavy uranium. Breeder reactors could theoretically power human cities for thousands of years using this leftover material.
Key facts
| Field | General Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Key Function | Produces more nuclear fuel than it uses |
| Primary Transformation | Uranium-238 turns into Plutonium-239 |
| Required Particle | Fast moving neutrons |
| Typical Coolant | Liquid sodium metal |
| Breeding Ratio | Greater than 1.0 |
A liquid-metal fast breeder reactor uses a small core of highly active plutonium fuel. Engineers surround this burning central core with a thick blanket of useless uranium-238 waste. Fast neutrons shoot out of the hot core and strike the heavy uranium blanket. The surrounding blanket absorbs these neutrons and transforms into fresh plutonium faster than the core burns it.
Frequently asked questions
How is a breeder reactor different from a normal nuclear plant?
A normal plant slowly burns up its fuel until it becomes useless waste. A breeder plant actually converts surrounding waste material into fresh usable fuel.
Why do breeder reactors often use liquid sodium instead of water?
Water naturally slows down flying neutrons. Breeder reactors need the neutrons to move very fast to successfully transform the surrounding metal.
Do breeder reactors create unlimited free energy?
No. They still consume physical matter to generate their heat and electricity. They are just much more efficient at using all of the mined uranium.