Research reactors have a variety of designs and most are sodium-cooled and use low-enriched fuel which generates less decay heat and contains less enriched radionuclides than power reactors. Many advanced reactor designs require higher enriched fuels between 5-20% U-235 which would allow them to be smaller and more powerful but currently there is no assured domestic fuel source. Existing reactors can use downblended or recycled fuel in the short term but a long-term strategy is needed to develop new fuels and commercialize advanced reactors for carbon-free energy.

1. Increased Source Information of Used
Reactors
Research reactors have a wider array of designs than power reactors. Most are sodium-cooled
and use fuel.Their used fuel generates less decay heat and their radionuclides are less
enriched than that of power reactors. NRC staff has established a safety framework for new
reactor design applications using mechanistic models to evaluate source terms.
Many advanced reactor designs need fuel, which is enriched from 5% to 20% U-235. It
allows them to be smaller and produce more power for a given volume of fuel.But the
currently has no assured source. As a result, it could take a long time to develop these new
fuels and to commercialize them for carbon-free energy.Until then, existing nuclear power
plants can use by downblending it or recycling it from other used fuel. But that is not a viable
long-term strategy. Relying on another country's would not revitalize nuclear manufacturing
capabilities, and shipping it from abroad creates security, logistical and licensing issues that
are unique.
Uranium isotope that can sustain a chain reaction under reactor conditions, liberating energy
by splitting into two smaller nuclei and releasing neutrons. The reactions are controlled and
efficient for power production, but they require the right conditions to be sustained.Each
atom of uranium-235 contains 92 protons and 143 neutrons, for a total atomic mass of 235
units. This makes it heavier than the chemically identical U-238, whose nuclei have a mass of
238 units. This difference in mass can be exploited by different enrichment processes.One
process forces uranium hexafluoride gas under pressure through a series of fast spinning
cylinders -- centrifuges. The centrifuges separate out the hexafluoride molecules that have
more U-235 and leave a less enriched product behind. The process can be repeated several
times, increasing the proportion of U-235.
National labs have restarted production of rare actinide isotopes to meet a growing demand
from chemists. Those isotopes are used in research to create new nuclear drugs to treat cancer
and other diseases.Following the lanthanide elements, the actinide element series extends to
lawrencium (atomic number 103). They are not found naturally and must be produced
synthetically in particle accelerators or neutron bombardment reactors.Uranium and
plutonium are used in nuclear weapons and power plants, while thorium is employed in gas
mantles for nuclear reactors and americium is utilized in smoke detectors. A better
understanding of the behavior and properties of these materials is essential to their safer use.
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A typical element has several different isotopes, each with its own unique signature. The
isotope of carbon known as carbon-14, for instance, is used to determine the age of artifacts
and other organic materials. Its isotopic fingerprint also helps us understand our atmosphere
and make better use of water resources.All elements have stable isotopes, but some naturally
occurring nuclides are unstable and radioactive. When this happens, the neutrons that
comprise their nuclei lose energy and emit radiation as alpha, beta and gamma particles. The
energy from these particles can be captured and transformed into electricity by nuclear
reactors or particle accelerators (linear accelerators, cyclotrons). The Isotope Program
provides the priority isotopes needed for basic research, commerce, medical diagnostics and
treatment, oil and gas exploration, and national security.