Question

What is the fuel of an atomic pile?

Answer 1

Hint: You should know that nuclear energy is one of the most powerful alternative sources of energy in the carbon-constrained world. Now try to recall the concept of nuclear reactor and try to figure out the answer by yourself.

Complete step by step answer:
Basically a nuclear reactor, formerly known as an atomic pile, a device used to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Generally a nuclear reactor is much like a chemical reactor except that it is a vessel where atomic nuclei are broken; the reaction is generally called fission, when nuclei are formed, and the reaction is called fusion. You know just like chemical reactions, nuclear reactions can be exothermic or endothermic and like chemical reactions nuclear reactions can be chain reactions. So nuclear reactors are designed to sustain an ongoing chain reaction of fission that are filled with a specially designed, solid uranium fuel and surrounded by water, which facilitates the process.

Let us know the fuel used in the atomic pile!
As we already know most power reactors burn plutonium and uranium. Generally in the first cycle, we start out with natural uranium and a heavy water or graphite moderator. But slowly as power is produced, some of the neutrons are absorbed in U238 producing U239 which decays to NP239 which decays to Pu239. As a result at some point, additional fuel needs to be added to the core, normally a third to half the core. Therefore, the fresh fuel replaces the least reactive fuel and allows the plant to again achieve full power.

Therefore, Uranium is the fuel used in atomic piles.

Note: As we already know that uranium has the capacity to break down into other radioactive materials, for example like radium and even noble gases like radon. But we should know that radon can cause lung cancer but only in large concentrations.