Pros And Cons Of Breeder Reactors
15 Jun 2010
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Pros And Cons Of Breeder Reactors Q&A
What are the pros and cons of breeder reactors?
I would really appreciate some help in the question. =)
Breeder reactors are very efficient in there use of fuel (produce less waste) and can be configured to produce more fissile materail then they consume and can reprocess spent fuel. They can use either uranium or the more plentiful THorium as fuel.
The downside is that breeders can be used to produce material for atomic bombs. After India obtained the "bomb" Jimmy Carter banned US operations of breeder reactors for reprocessing fuel. In essence making Uranium a consumable resource for the US.
Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, is part of the breeder reactor life cycle. Reprocessing spent fuel creates two product streams: uranium and plutonium. The fear was that it would be easier for "bad people" to steal the plutonium once it has been separated from the uranium. This was a central concept in past US nonproliferation policy. However, we have seen the spread of nuclear weapons to North Korea, Pakistan, India, etc without using reprocessing. Therefore, one might ask if reprocessing isn't such a bad idea (It minimizes waste). Actually, someone did. Ronald Reagan reversed Carter's ban on reprocessing (But didn't provide funding for startup), but US technology is so far behind, it is currently non economical.
Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is the best way to reuse the energy left over in uranium and plutonium. This also closes the fuel cycle and generates much less waste.
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Pros And Cons Of Breeder Reactors Videos
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What are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of the use of breeder reactors?
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