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Plutonium-239 is the primary fissile isotope used for the production of nuclear weapons, although uranium-235 is also used for that purpose. Plutonium-239 is also one of the three main isotopes demonstrated usable as fuel in thermal spectrum nuclear reactors, along with uranium-235 and uranium-233. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,110 years. [1]
Illustration of the concept of "critical mass" in respects to nuclear weapons design. The circles represent spheres of critical material (enriched uranium or plutonium), arrows represent neutron paths, and stars represent fission reactions. In the top frame, there is too little active material and so the fission reaction quickly ends.
Weapons-grade plutonium is defined as being predominantly Pu-239, typically about 93% Pu-239. [24] Pu-240 is produced when Pu-239 absorbs an additional neutron and fails to fission. Pu-240 and Pu-239 are not separated by reprocessing. Pu-240 has a high rate of spontaneous fission, which can cause a
The palladium forms an alloy with the fission tellurium. This alloy can separate from the glass. 107 Pd is the only long-living radioactive isotope among the fission products and its beta decay has a long half life and low energy, this allows industrial use of extracted palladium without isotope separation. [9]
The fission cross section for 239 Pu is 747.9 barns for thermal neutrons, while the activation cross section is 270.7 barns (the ratio approximates to 11 fissions for every 4 neutron captures). The higher plutonium isotopes are created when the uranium fuel is used for a long time.
Plutonium-241 (241 Pu or Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron.Like some other plutonium isotopes (especially 239 Pu), 241 Pu is fissile, with a neutron absorption cross section about one-third greater than that of 239 Pu, and a similar probability of fissioning on neutron absorption, around 73%.
Trace amounts of plutonium-238, plutonium-239, plutonium-240, and plutonium-244 can be found in nature. Small traces of plutonium-239, a few parts per trillion , and its decay products are naturally found in some concentrated ores of uranium, [ 54 ] such as the natural nuclear fission reactor in Oklo , Gabon . [ 55 ]
The first pure-fission bombs needed “tamper”, which was a dense metal surrounding the plutonium pit to keep it inertially confined for a millionth of a second. The tamper comprised two hemispheres that created a ball about as big as a bowling ball, with a soft ball-size pocket in the center where the plutonium pit goes.