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The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end , which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the back end , which are necessary to safely ...
Diagram of a W88 nuclear warhead, showing its variation of the Teller-Ulam design.On the top is an oblate primary, while at the bottom is a spherical secondary.. The outer casing (blue/purple) is that of a MIRV warhead reentry vehicle (very schematic) which would protect the warhead from the heat of the atmosphere after its launch into space.
W78 warheads are contained inside the MK12-A reentry vehicles of the LGM-30G Minuteman III. Drawing of the Mark 12A re-entry vehicle that houses the W78 warhead. The W78 is an American thermonuclear warhead with an estimated yield of 335–350 kilotonnes of TNT (1,400–1,460 TJ), deployed on the LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and housed in the Mark 12A reentry ...
The value of an egg-shaped primary lies apparently in the fact that a MIRV warhead is limited by the diameter of the primary—if an egg-shaped primary can be made to work properly, then the MIRV warhead can be made considerably smaller yet still deliver a high-yield explosion—a W88 warhead manages to yield up to 475 kt with a reentry vehicle ...
A cross-section diagram showing a W-49 nuclear warhead inside of its re-entry vehicle. The warhead and firing set are shown in red; the fuzing system is shown in green. Development began in mid-1956 with the need for a warhead for the then in development Thor, Atlas, Jupiter and Titan missiles.
Exploded diagram of the Mk21 reentry vehicle for the W87 [clarification needed]. The W87 is an American thermonuclear missile warhead formerly deployed on the LGM-118A Peacekeeper ("MX") ICBM. 50 MX missiles were built, each carrying up to 10 W87 warheads in multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV), and were deployed from 1986 to 2005.
The warhead will be used on the new AGM-181 LRSO cruise missile. [2] The first production unit is expected to be completed in 2027. [2] According to public descriptions of the program, the warhead will offer no increased military capability, only refurbishing and updating components, and increasing weapon safety and reliability. [7] [8]
The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses an isotope of thorium, 232 Th, as the fertile material. In the reactor, 232 Th is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233 U which is the nuclear fuel. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only trace amounts of fissile material (such as 231 Th