Which of the following statements about nuclear fuel are correct? 1. Spent fuel is highly radioactive. 2. Fuel has to be enriched. 3. Failure of the control system can lead to a meltdown. Select the answer using the code given below.
1, 2 and 3
Statement 1 is correct: nuclear spent fuel still contains highly radioactive fission products and unconverted fissile material, so it must be handled, cooled and stored/reprocessed under strict shielding for years.
Statement 2 is correct: natural uranium is only about 0.7% fissile U-235, so for most reactor designs the fuel must be enriched to raise the U-235 concentration before it can sustain an efficient chain reaction.
Statement 3 is correct: the control rods/control system regulate the rate of the chain reaction by absorbing neutrons; if this system fails, the reaction can run away, overheat the core and cause a meltdown, as seen historically in incidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Since all three statements are correct, the answer is 1, 2 and 3.
Important Questions from Scientific Developments
- The scientific study of dreams is called ______.
________ is the study of the microanatomy of cells, tissues and organs as seen through a microscope.
The phrase 'Survival of the fittest' as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection was coined by ______.
Which of the following is the study of insects and their relationship to humans, the environment, and other organisms?
Spider webs are made up of ______ a natural fibre made up of protein.
