How does U 238 become Pu 239?

By capturing a neutron, uranium-238 becomes uranium-239 that rapidly changes by beta radiation into neptunium-239. This neptunium is transformed then by beta radiation, after 3 days on average, into a new nucleus: plutonium-239. This radionuclide is fissile, like uranium-235.

What is the difference between plutonium 238 and 239?

Plutonium-239, the isotope found in the spent MOX fuel, is much more radioactive than the depleted Uranium-238 in the fuel. Plutonium emits alpha radiation, a highly ionizing form of radiation, rather than beta or gamma radiation. When alpha-emitters get inside cells, on the other hand, they are extremely hazardous.

How do you make plutonium-239?

Nuclear properties The fissioning of an atom of uranium-235 in the reactor of a nuclear power plant produces two to three neutrons, and these neutrons can be absorbed by uranium-238 to produce plutonium-239 and other isotopes. Plutonium-239 can also absorb neutrons and fission along with the uranium-235 in a reactor.

What does 238 mean plutonium-238?

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.

General
Isotope mass	238.049553 u
Spin	0
Decay modes
Decay mode	Decay energy (MeV)

Can plutonium-238 explode?

Supergrade plutonium, with less than 4\% of plutonium-240, is used in U.S. Navy weapons stored in proximity to ship and submarine crews, due to its lower radioactivity. The isotope plutonium-238 is not fissile but can undergo nuclear fission easily with fast neutrons as well as alpha decay.

Can you use plutonium for nuclear power?

Plutonium, both that routinely made in power reactors and that from dismantled nuclear weapons, is a valuable energy source when integrated into the nuclear fuel cycle. In a conventional nuclear reactor, one kilogram of Pu-239 can produce sufficient heat to generate nearly 8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

What does 239 mean in plutonium?

plutonium 239 – a highly fissionable isotope of plutonium that is used in atomic weapons and as a reactor fuel; produced by irradiating uranium 238 with slow electrons.

What is plutonium 238 used for?

What is it used for? Plutonium-238 generates significant heat through its radioactive decay process, which makes it useful as a heat source for sensitive electrical components in satellites, as a well as a power source (for example, battery power) for satellites. Plutonium-239 is used to make nuclear weapons.

What happens to U-238 in the nuclear reactor?

In nuclear power plants, the energy released by the controlled fission of uranium-235 is collected in the reactor and used to produce steam in a heat exchanger. However, if uranium-238 is bombarded with neutrons (from uranium-235, for example), it absorbs a neutron and is transformed into uranium-239.