Editing Nuclear reactor (section)

====By use====
* Electricity
** [[Nuclear power plant]]s including [[small modular reactor]]s
* Propulsion, see [[nuclear propulsion]]
** [[Nuclear marine propulsion]]
** Various proposed forms of [[rocket propulsion]]
* Other uses of heat
** [[Desalination]]
** Heat for domestic and industrial heating
** [[Hydrogen production]] for use in a [[hydrogen economy]]
* Production reactors for [[Nuclear transmutation|transmutation]] of elements
** [[Breeder reactor]]s are capable of producing more [[fissile material]] than they consume during the fission chain reaction (by converting [[Fertile material|fertile]] U-238 to Pu-239, or Th-232 to U-233). Thus, a uranium breeder reactor, once running, can be refueled with [[natural uranium|natural]] or even [[depleted uranium]], and a thorium breeder reactor can be refueled with [[thorium]]; however, an initial stock of fissile material is required.<ref name="Gen4">{{cite web |url= http://www.gen-4.org/PDFs/GenIVRoadmap.pdf |title= A Technology Roadmap for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061005211316/http://www.gen-4.org/PDFs/GenIVRoadmap.pdf |archive-date= 5 October 2006 |df= dmy-all |access-date= 5 March 2007 }}&nbsp;{{small|(4.33&nbsp;MB)}}; see "Fuel Cycles and Sustainability"</ref>
** Creating various [[radiation|radioactive]] [[isotope]]s, such as [[americium]] for use in [[smoke detector]]s, and cobalt-60, molybdenum-99 and others, used for imaging and medical treatment.
** Production of materials for [[nuclear weapon]]s such as [[weapons-grade]] [[plutonium]]
* Providing a source of [[neutron radiation]] (for example with the pulsed [[Godiva device]]) and [[positron radiation]]{{Clarify|date=March 2008|reason=Neither linked article mentions reactors used to generate positrons. Needs explanation.}} (e.g. [[neutron activation analysis]] and [[potassium-argon dating]]{{Clarify|date=March 2008}}<!-- how are reactors used for dating? Linked article makes no mention of positron sources -->)
* [[Research reactor]]: Typically reactors used for research and training, materials testing, or the production of radioisotopes for medicine and industry. These are much smaller than power reactors or those propelling ships, and many are on university campuses. There are about 280 such reactors operating, in 56&nbsp;countries. Some operate with high-enriched uranium fuel, and international efforts are underway to substitute low-enriched fuel.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Nuclear Association Information Brief – Research Reactors |url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf61.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231105602/http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf61.htm |archive-date=31 December 2006 |access-date=3 May 2007 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>