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Which of the following material is good moderator? Why? |
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Answer» a. H2 b. D2 c. H2O d. D2O e. Beryllium f. Graphite. The functions of a good moderator are . a. It has to thermalise neutrons effectively. b. There should be only a minimum absorption of neutrons. c. It should not be toxic. d. It should not be inflammable. In case of Hydrogen (H2) though it is a effective sheatherer it cannot be used as a moderator because it is a gas and there is a lot of distance between atoms. A neutron cannot meet the nucleus in a definite manner. For D2 also the same problem as this is also gas and it cannot be used as a moderator. In case of H2O it is a good scatterer but is absorbs neutrons. Its moderation ratio is 72. So it cannot be used as a moderator. In case of D2O though it is not as effective scatterer as that of H2O it has minimum absorption of neutrons. It has a moderating ratio of 21000. This is an ideal moderator. In case of Beryllium it is a toxic material. Therefore cannot be used. Graphite absorbs neutrons and is inflammable and therefore cannot be used. So from the above statements the D2O is the good moderator material. |
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