Nuclear fuel
Videos
Nuclear fuel is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines. Heat is created when nuclear fuel undergoes nuclear fission.
Close-up of a replica of the core of the research reactor at the Institut Laue-Langevin
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) photo of unirradiated (fresh) fuel pellets.
NRC photo of fresh fuel pellets ready for assembly.
NRC photo of fresh fuel assemblies being inspected.
Plutonium-239
Videos
Plutonium-239 is an isotope of plutonium. Plutonium-239 is the primary fissile isotope used for the production of nuclear weapons, although uranium-235 is also used for that purpose. Plutonium-239 is also one of the three main isotopes demonstrated usable as fuel in thermal spectrum nuclear reactors, along with uranium-235 and uranium-233. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,110 years.
A 99.96% pure ring of plutonium