Nuclear Power Engineering Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions and Answers on Nuclear Power Engineering

Question 1 : Hydrogen bomb employs the nuclear fusion of

  1. hydrogen
  2. deuterium
  3. tritium
  4. helium

Answer : 2

Question 2 : Sodium melts (at atmospheric pressure) at a temperature of __________ °C.

  1. 58
  2. 98
  3. 348
  4. 588

Answer : 2

Question 3 : The ratio of volume of an atom to that of its nucleus is

  1. 1012
  2. 10-12
  3. 10-8
  4. 108

Answer : 1

Question 4 : Research reactors are normally meant for

  1. producing high neutron flux 1012-1013 neutrons/cm2, sec and studying the effect of neutron bombardment on dif ferent materials.
  2. accelerating the neutrons.
  3. power generation.
  4. none of these

Answer : 1

Question 5 : Out of the followingplaces, a nuclear power plant is not located at

  1. Talcher (Orissa)
  2. Kaiga (Karnataka)
  3. Rawatbhata (Rajsthan)
  4. Kalpakkam (Tamilnadu)

Answer : 1

Question 6 : The type of pump used for the recirculation of molten sodium coolant in liquid metal cooled reactor is a/an __________ pump.

  1. electromagnetic
  2. reciprocating
  3. centrifugal
  4. volute

Answer : 1

Question 7 : Fast breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) is located at

  1. Kalpakkam (near Madras).
  2. Kota (in Rajasthan).
  3. BARC (Trombay).
  4. Tarapur (in Maharashtra).

Answer : 1

Question 8 : Tarapur atomic power station

  1. has two boiling water reactors of American design.
  2. has an installed capacity of 400 MW.
  3. is the first power reactor in India, which became critical in 1969.
  4. all (1), (2) and (3).

Answer : 4

Question 9 : In a nuclear explosion, the energy is released primarily in the form of __________ energy-

  1. potential
  2. thermal
  3. kinetic
  4. electrical

Answer : 3

Question 10 : The largest stable nucleus is

  1. U-235
  2. U-238
  3. Pb-206
  4. Bi-209

Answer : 1

Question 11 : Hydrogen has __________ isotopes.

  1. no
  2. one
  3. two
  4. three

Answer : 4

Question 12 : MeV is the unit of

  1. radioactivity
  2. energy
  3. potential difference
  4. none of these

Answer : 2

Question 13 : Velocity of the thermal neutron (< 0.025 eV) used for fission of U-235 is around __________ m/sec.

  1. 1
  2. 2200
  3. 3 x 1011
  4. 9 x 1021

Answer : 2

Question 14 : Energy equivlant to one atomic mass unit (amu) is __________ MeV.

  1. 9.31
  2. 93.1
  3. 931
  4. 9310

Answer : 3

Question 15 : “Critical mass” is the minimum mass of nuclear fissile material required for the

  1. sustainment of chain reaction.
  2. power generation on commercial scale.
  3. economic power generation.
  4. none of these.

Answer : 1

Question 16 : Which of the following is not, a fertile material ?

  1. Th-232
  2. U-238
  3. U-233
  4. none of these

Answer : 3

Question 17 : Molten sodium (as a coolant in fast breeder reactor)

  1. can’t attain high temperature at normal pressure.
  2. is not at all corrosive, even at a higher temperature.
  3. is highly radioactive at elevated temperatures and can cause explosion, when it comes in contact with air or water.
  4. none of these

Answer : 3

Question 18 : Final product of uranium extraction plant at Jadugoda (Bihar) is

  1. uranium
  2. uranium oxide
  3. uranium carbide
  4. magnesium diuranate

Answer : 4

Question 19 : Which one is the radioactive isotope of hydrogen ?

  1. Deuterium
  2. Ortho-hydrogen
  3. Tritium
  4. None of these

Answer : 3

Question 20 : A homogeneous reactor is the one, in which the

  1. fissile atoms are evenly distributed throughout the mass of nuclear reactor.
  2. same substance (e.g. heavy water) is used as moderator & coolant.
  3. the fuel and the moderator is mixed to form a homogeneous material.
  4. all (1), (2) and (3).

Answer : 3

Question 21 : The atomic number of a radioactive element is not changed, when it emits __________ rays.

  1. α
  2. β
  3. γ
  4. α & β

Answer : 3

Question 22 : Fission of U-235 on slow neutron bombardment can be represented by

  1. 92U235 + 3 γ1  56Ba143 + 36Kr90
  2. 92U235 + 0n1  56Ba143 + 36Kr90 + 3 0n1
  3. 92U235 + 0n1  56Ba143 + 36Kr90 + 3 0n1 + Q (energy)
  4. 92U235 + 0n1  92U236 + 30n1+ Q (energy)

Answer : 3

Question 23 : A nuclear reactor can’t be used for

  1. the production of radioisotopes.
  2. supplying intense fields or beams of neutron for scientific experiments.
  3. marine ship propulsion.
  4. none of these.

Answer : 4

Question 24 : Which of the following is a moderating material used in nuclear reactor ?

  1. Graphite.
  2. Cadmium.
  3. Zircalloy (an alloy of zirconium and aluminium).
  4. Stainless steel.

Answer : 1

Question 25 : The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of __________ present in its atom.

  1. neutrons
  2. electrons
  3. protons
  4. either (2) or (3)

Answer : 4

Question 26 : Spent fuel from the nuclear thermal reactor contains

  1. fission products
  2. plutonium
  3. unused fuel
  4. all (1), (2) & (3)

Answer : 4

Question 27 : A boiling water reactor is the one, in which the

  1. coolant water is allowed to boil in the core of the reactor.
  2. coolant water, after being heated in the reactor core, generates steam in a boiler.
  3. pressurised water is pumped into the core.
  4. fuel and the coolant are thoroughly mixed to form a homogeneous solution.

Answer : 1

Question 28 : Which is used as a coolant in nuclear reactor due to its high capture cross-section ?

  1. H2
  2. N2
  3. He
  4. CO2

Answer : 1

Question 29 : Moderating material used in a thermal-reactor should be a

  1. good absorber of neutrons.
  2. solid substance.
  3. poor absorber of neutrons.
  4. none of these.

Answer : 3

Question 30 : Ordinary water is not used as a moderator because, it

  1. has a low absorption cross-section.
  2. has a low scattering cross-section.
  3. absorbs neutrons.
  4. does not absorb neutrons.

Answer : 3

Question 31 : Fast breeder reactors do not

  1. use Th-232 as fissile fuel.
  2. convert fertile material to fissile material.
  3. use fast neutrons for fission.
  4. use molten sodium as coolant.

Answer : 1

Question 32 : Thorium-232 is converted into uranium-233 in a/an __________ nuclear reactor.

  1. thermal
  2. fast breeder
  3. heavy water moderated
  4. enriched uranium

Answer : 2

Question 33 : Which of the following may not need a control rod ?

  1. Liquid metal cooled reactor.
  2. Fast breeder reactor.
  3. Candu reactor.
  4. None of these.

Answer : 4

Question 34 : One ‘amu’ is equivalent to

  1. 9.31 MeV
  2. 931 eV
  3. 931 Mev
  4. 931J

Answer : 3

Question 35 : Commercial power generation from fusion reactor is not yet possible, because

  1. it is difficult to control fusion reaction.
  2. the fuel required (e.g. deuterium and tritium) is scarce.
  3. it is difficult to initiate fusion reaction.
  4. quantity of fuel required for initiating fusion reaction is prohibitively high.

Answer : 1

Question 36 : The decay product of tritium (a beta emitter) is

  1. lithium
  2. helium
  3. deuterium
  4. hydrogen

Answer : 2

Question 37 : Heat is generated in a nuclear reactor (thermal) by

  1. combustion of a nuclear fuel e.g. uranium.
  2. fusion of atoms of uranium.
  3. absorption of neutrons in uranium atoms.
  4. fission of U-235 by neutrons.

Answer : 4

Question 38 : The time taken for a radioactive element to reduce to 50% of its original weight is __________ years, if its half life period is 12 years.

  1. 24
  2. 18
  3. 6
  4. 36

Answer : 2

Question 39 : Which of the following may not need a moderator ?

  1. Candu reactor
  2. Fast breeder reactor
  3. Homogeneous reactor
  4. Pressurised water reactor

Answer : 2

Question 40 : The amount of a radioisotope remaining undecayed after a time equal to four times its half life, will be __________ percent.

  1. 3.125
  2. 6.25
  3. 12.50
  4. 25

Answer : 2

Question 41 : Which is the most commonly used molten metal for cooling of nuclear reactors ?

  1. Calcium
  2. Sodium
  3. Mercury
  4. Zinc

Answer : 2

Question 42 : The amount of a radioactive material (having a half life of 100 years) remaining after 400 years will be __________ of its original weight.

  1. 1/2
  2. 1/4
  3. 1/8
  4. 1/16

Answer : 4

Question 43 : The second underground nuclear test was conducted by India at

  1. Jaisalmer
  2. Pokhran
  3. Kalpakkan
  4. Narora

Answer : 2

Question 44 : Which of the following is artificially produced as it does not occur in nature ?

  1. Uranium-235
  2. Uranium-233
  3. Plutonium-239
  4. Both (2) and (3)

Answer : 4

Question 45 : Gas cooling as compared to water cooling of nuclear reactors

  1. can not attain a high temperature.
  2. is more efficient as gas has a higher specific heat.
  3. can produce only saturated steam for feeding to power turbine.
  4. none of these.

Answer : 4

Question 46 : Which of the following may be used to measure the rate of nuclear disintegration?

  1. Geiger-Muller Counter
  2. Cyclotron
  3. Cold chamber
  4. Mass spectrograph

Answer : 1

Question 47 : The decrease in the atomic number is not observed in case of

  1. electron capture
  2. β-emission
  3. α-emission
  4. positron emission

Answer : 2

Question 48 : The mass number of an element is not changed, when it emits __________ radiations.

  1. α & β
  2. β & γ
  3. γ & α
  4. α, β, & γ

Answer : 2

Question 49 : Which of the following is not a naturally occurring nuclear fuel ?

  1. Uranium-238
  2. Thorium-233
  3. Plutonium-239
  4. None of these

Answer : 3

Question 50 : An electron has a mass that is approximately __________ that of the proton.

  1. 1836 (approximately)
  2. 1/1836 (approximately)
  3. 1
  4. ∞

Answer : 2