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Plutonium-238 (238 Pu or Pu-238) is a radioactive isotope of plutonium that has a half-life of 87.7 years.. Plutonium-238 is a very powerful alpha emitter; as alpha particles are easily blocked, this makes the plutonium-238 isotope suitable for usage in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and radioisotope heater units.
Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 87.74 years [12] and emits alpha particles. Pure 238 Pu for radioisotope thermoelectric generators that power some spacecraft is produced by neutron capture on neptunium-237 but plutonium from spent nuclear fuel can contain as much as a few percent 238 Pu, originating from 237 Np, alpha decay of 242 Cm, or (n,2n ...
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]
Plutonium recovered from LWR spent fuel, while not weapons grade, can be used to produce nuclear weapons at all levels of sophistication, [25] though in simple designs it may produce only a fizzle yield. [26] Weapons made with reactor-grade plutonium would require special cooling to keep them in storage and ready for use. [27]
The constant heat of the long-lived decaying plutonium-238 isotope in the RTG powers the Perseverance Rover, which landed on Mars after a 2020 launch. Plutonium-238 from ORNL will likely be a ...
Plutonium is made from uranium-238. 239 Pu is normally created in nuclear reactors by transmutation of individual atoms of one of the isotopes of uranium present in the fuel rods. Occasionally, when an atom of 238 U is exposed to neutron radiation, its nucleus will capture a neutron, changing it to 239 U.
plutonium-238: 87.7: 9.04–10.07: 9.5–9.9 [8] plutonium-239: 24,110: 10: 9.9 ... The probability for a neutron per cm travelled to hit a nucleus is proportional to ...
Watchdogs are raising new concerns about legacy contamination in Los Alamos, the birthplace of the atomic bomb and home to a renewed effort to manufacture key components for nuclear weapons. A ...