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What fuel is used in CANDU reactor?
Canada deuterium uranium
CANDU technology Canadian nuclear power reactors are CANDU reactors – heavy water reactors developed by Canadian scientists and engineers. CANDU stands for Canada deuterium uranium, because it uses deuterium oxide (heavy water) as a moderator and coolant and uses natural (not enriched) uranium as a fuel.
Why enriched uranium is not used in CANDU reactor?
The reason that the uranium does not need to be enriched is due to the heavy water moderator which doesn’t absorb as many neutrons as the commonly used light water does. In fact, heavy water as a moderator is 1700 times more efficient than light water!
Why can CANDU reactors use natural uranium?
CANDU replaces this “light” water with heavy water. Heavy water’s extra neutron decreases its ability to absorb excess neutrons, resulting in a better neutron economy. This allows CANDU to run on unenriched natural uranium, or uranium mixed with a wide variety of other materials such as plutonium and thorium.
Where are CANDU reactors used?
Canada has developed a unique nuclear reactor technology called CANDU and is one of roughly half a dozen countries that offer domestic-designed reactors to the open commercial market. In addition to Canada, CANDU reactors have been sold to India, Pakistan, Argentina, South Korea, Romania and China.
Has CANDU reactor ever melted down?
Core meltdown accidents of the type to be described here have never occurred in any commercial power reactor, although the sequence of events at Three Mile Island went partway along the path.
Can CANDU melt down?
As at all nuclear plants, spent Candu fuel rods are stored in on-site pools. For example, the Candu has far more potential to create explosive gases in a meltdown situation because its pressure tubes are made out of zirconium, which produces hydrogen when it overheats and reacts with steam.
Can a CANDU reactor meltdown?
Do Canada’s CANDU reactors have design flaws that could lead to a nuclear accident and release or radiation? Yes. All CANDU reactors have a design flaw that contributed to the explosion of the Chernobyl reactor, which in turn led to the depopulation of a 30km area around the reactor.
Can CANDU reactors meltdown?
Yes. All CANDU reactors have a design flaw that contributed to the explosion of the Chernobyl reactor, which in turn led to the depopulation of a 30km area around the reactor.
Do CANDU reactors produce plutonium?
CANDU reactors produce only half as much plutonium by discharged fuel mass as light-water reactors.
How is a CANDU reactor different from a light water reactor?
CANDU reactors use about 25 to 30\% less mined uranium than a comparable light water reactor (mostly because of the better use of neutrons in the reactor). In CANDU reactors, fuel in the form of uranium oxide powder is packed into pellets and placed in the fuel rods.
What is the history of the first CANDU reactor?
CANDU reactors were first developed in the late 1950s and 1960s by a partnership between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, Canadian General Electric, and other companies.
What is a CANada Deuterium Uranium reactor?
CANDU stands for CANada Deuterium Uranium, which reflects the key role of deuterium, or heavy water, which acts as the reactor’s neutron moderator, a unique trait of the CANDU. The reactors are also different from other reactors because they are designed to utilize natural uranium as a fuel (as opposed to enriched uranium).
How many CANDU reactors does the Bruce nuclear plant have?
The Bruce nuclear plant in Ontario uses 8 heavy water CANDU reactors, the most by any nuclear power plant in the world. CANDU reactor is a type of nuclear reactor which was developed in Canada, and is currently used in nuclear power plants for electrical generation in various countries around the world.