Question by Chris: What would happen if we used high energy neutrons in fission reactors?
I’m not %100 sure about this but isn’t nuclear waste created when the neutrons that are sustaining the fission reaction get absorbed by the fission fuel instead of smashing them apart? If so then couldn’t high energy neutrons produced by an external source be used to make sure that %99 of the time the neutrons won’t get absorbed because there energies are too high?
Best answer:
Answer by mcguiver
High energy neutrons are used in fast reactors. If you are interested you should look at some of the next generation (Gen IV) nuclear reactor designs. You might be particularly interested in the liquid metal cooled fast reactors and the sodium cooled fast reactors. There are some fast reactors that have been build and some are still running. Currently they are not considered to be economical, but research is continuing and who knows, maybe one day it will be.
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