Why are breeder reactors dangerous?

Breeder reactors are more dangerous than conventional reactors, because: (1) they produce more plutonium-239, with half-life of 24,000 years, which can be used to make nuclear weapons; (2) they use as a coolant liquid sodium, which is a very dangerous metal: e.g. it explodes when it comes into contact with water.

What is the advantage of using a breeder reactor rather than a burner nuclear reactor?

Some fast breeder reactors can generate up to 30 percent more fuel than they use. Creating extra fuel in nuclear reactors, however, is not without its concerns: One is that the plutonium produced can be removed and used in nuclear weapons.

What are some advantages of breeder reactors?

As stated earlier, the breeder reactor produces more fissionable material than it consumes. This means that for every neutron absorbed by an atom of fissionable material, more than one of the freed neutrons must be absorbed in an atom of fertile material to create more than one new atom of fissionable material.

What are the advantages of breeder reactors?

Are breeder reactors real?

Breeder reactors are a type of nuclear reactor which produce more fissile materials than they consume. They are designed to extend the nuclear fuel supply for the generation of electricity, and have even been mistakenly called a potential renewable energy source.

Do breeder reactors reduce nuclear waste?

The volume of waste they generate would be reduced by a factor of about 100 as well. While there is a huge reduction in the volume of waste from a breeder reactor, the activity of the waste is about the same as that produced by a light-water reactor.

What is breeding in nuclear reactor?

Ordinary motors need to be filled with fuel to produce energy. Nuclear Energy has a remarkable property: some nuclear reactors are designed to produce more fuel than it consumes. This extraordinary technique is known as ‘breeding’.