🎉 Hey future physicist! Let's dive deep into nuclear science and touch upon some philosophical bits too. 🎉

• U-235 and U-238 in fuel rods undergo changes in the reactor.
  • 🍎 Example: Think of uranium like an apple pie; as it gets baked (reacts), it changes!
• U-235 during fission splits into pairs of elements with smaller atomic numbers.
  • 🌟 Like breaking a chocolate bar into smaller pieces.
• U-238 absorbs a neutron to become plutonium-239.
• Some U-235 becomes U-236 with a long half-life.
• Problem Alert! These processes turn the rods into a mix (or cocktail) of chemical elements. 🍹
  • Real-life scenario: It's like mixing different flavors in your drink; over time, the original taste is lost.

• Elements like krypton, barium, molybdenum form. They’re neutron-rich and decay via beta-minus emission.
  • Decay time: From hours to tens of years.
  • 🚧 Safety First: This calls for medium-term safe storage.
• Fission of U-235 can distort the container. Too much distortion? Risk of jamming.
  • Solution: Limit the fission in each rod, then recycle the remaining U-235.
• Plutonium-239 forms - it has its pros and cons.
  • 👍 Pros: Can generate more power in a different reactor - the fast-breeder reactor.
  • 👎 Cons: Not yet economically friendly.
• Quick Fact: Fast-breeder reactors create their own fuel! 🛢️

• Fuel rods are super active! 🌡️
  • Initial storage: Underwater for about 5-10 years, then treated to make fresh rods.
• Cerenkov radiation: The magical blue light in underwater storage.
  • What's happening? High-speed particles slowing down and getting absorbed in water.
• After removing very active elements, the remaining waste remains active for eons!
  • Storing solutions: Surface drums or underground vaults like old mines.
• Low-level waste, like gloves and shoes, is buried securely.