Nuclear Power Nuclear fission reactor anatomy Questions Fuel

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Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power

Nuclear fission reactor - anatomy

Nuclear fission reactor - anatomy

Questions • Fuel rods – what do they contain? • Nuclear reactors use ‘induced

Questions • Fuel rods – what do they contain? • Nuclear reactors use ‘induced fission’. What does this mean? • What is ‘enrichment’? • What is ‘critical mass’ • Control rods – what do they do? • Control rods – what are they made of?

Further questions • Why is a heat exchanger required? • How is water recycled?

Further questions • Why is a heat exchanger required? • How is water recycled? • What is a moderator, and why is it needed? • What materials are used for a moderator? • How are nuclear power stations similar to fossil fuel power stations?

More questions - safety • What safety features does a nuclear power station have?

More questions - safety • What safety features does a nuclear power station have? • Radioactive waste is classified as low-level, intermediate-level and high-level. What materials do they consist of? • How are low, intermediate and high-level wastes disposed of?

Nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion • 3 step fusion reactions to fuse hydrogen into helium-4

Nuclear fusion • 3 step fusion reactions to fuse hydrogen into helium-4

In a nuclear fusion reactor

In a nuclear fusion reactor

Ingredients • Deuterium – from sea water • Tritium from bombarding lithium – 6

Ingredients • Deuterium – from sea water • Tritium from bombarding lithium – 6 with neutrons • Very high temperatures need to be created 150 million degrees C • Plasma contained by magnetic fields • Plasma heated by large electric currents

Q 1 • A nuclear submarine needs 500 k. W, which is provided by

Q 1 • A nuclear submarine needs 500 k. W, which is provided by the fission of uranium 235. The fuel is enriched uranium which may be 3% uranium -235 and the rest is uranium-238. • A) Show that there about 8 x 1022 atoms of uranium 235 in 1. 0 kg of this fuel • B) The energy released at each fission is 3 x 10 -11 J • i) How many fissions per second are needed to provide the required power? • ii) How long will 1. 0 kg of fuel last?

Q 2 • Two almost stationary deuterium nuclei can fuse to form a tritium

Q 2 • Two almost stationary deuterium nuclei can fuse to form a tritium nucleus and a proton. This releases energy of 6. 4 x 10 -13 J. • A) In what form is the energy released? • B) Write an equation for this reaction. • C) Calculate the ratio of the speed of the proton to that of the tritium nucleus. • D) Calculate the ratio of the kinetic energy of the proton to that of the tritium nucleus.