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Protactinium-233 occurs as a result of the decay of thorium-233 as part of the chain of events necessary to produce uranium-233 by neutron irradiation of thorium-232. It is an undesired intermediate product in thorium-based nuclear reactors , and is therefore removed from the active zone of the reactor during the breeding process.
The most stable isotope is 231 Pa with a half-life of 32,760 years, 233 Pa with a half-life of 26.967 days, and 230 Pa with a half-life of 17.4 days. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives less than 1.6 days, and the majority of these have half-lives less than 1.8 seconds.
Protactinium-233 has a half-life of 27 days and beta decays into uranium-233; some proposed molten salt reactor designs attempt to physically isolate the protactinium from further neutron capture before beta decay can occur. Uranium-233 usually fissions on neutron absorption but sometimes retains the neutron, becoming uranium-234.
Radioactive isotope table "lists ALL radioactive nuclei with a half-life greater than 1000 years", incorporated in the list above. The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear physics properties F.G. Kondev et al. 2021 Chinese Phys. C 45 030001. The PDF of this article lists the half-lives of all known radioactives nuclides.
As the longest-lived radioactive isotope ruthenium-106 has a half-life of only 373.59 days, it has been suggested that the ruthenium and palladium in PUREX raffinate should be used as a source of the metals after allowing the radioactive isotopes to decay. [4] [5] After ten half life cycles have passed over 99.96% of any radioisotope is stable ...
Uranium-233 (233 U or U-233) is a fissile isotope of uranium that is bred from thorium-232 as part of the thorium fuel cycle. Uranium-233 was investigated for use in nuclear weapons and as a reactor fuel. [2] It has been used successfully in experimental nuclear reactors and has been proposed for much wider use as a nuclear fuel.
Pa and 233 U. [17] On a closed cycle, 233 U and 231 Pa can be reprocessed. 231 Pa is also considered an excellent burnable poison absorber in light water reactors. [23] Another challenge associated with the thorium fuel cycle is the comparatively long interval over which 232 Th breeds to 233 U. The half-life of 233 Pa
Uranium is a silvery white, weakly radioactive metal. It has a Mohs hardness of 6, sufficient to scratch glass and roughly equal to that of titanium , rhodium , manganese and niobium . It is malleable , ductile , slightly paramagnetic , strongly electropositive and a poor electrical conductor .