Question

Can nuclear bombs be made from reactor-grade uranium? Explain

Answer 1

Uranium is one of the heaviest of all the naturally-occurring elements. Uranium is 18.7 times as dense as water. When a nucleus (92 protons + 143 neutrons) splits into fission in a chain reaction releases some energy in the form of heat. In this process burning of a uranium occurs in a nuclear reactor. In this nuclear chain reaction are used in bombs due to its high concentration, very dilute in reactors. U 235 high energy neutrons released from initial fission explosion only. The neutrons from fresh fissions are about million ties too energetic to produce chain reaction in low concentration reactor fuel. This is due to the mouse trap and ping-pong ball demonstration. In bomb core explosion U-235 concentration must be increased to in excess of 90% to produce enough immediate fissions to make an explosion possible. Less than a 20% concentration of U-235 and a nuclear explosion is absolutely impossible, no matter how much of the material is amassed. However, this is the reason that 20% "enriched" Uranium is defined as "weapon's grade". The 1-3% U-235, in reactor fuels cannot explode. Power plant reactors use a very dilute concentration of U-235 in their fuel, a level which can never cause a nuclear detonation. It’s not even weapon's grade. Power reactors cannot explode like a nuclear bomb.