1 / 15

Fission and fusion

30 May 2012. Fission and fusion. U-235 binding energy Nuclear power plants Advantages and disadvantages Nuclear disasters. 11 Physics . U-235 binding energy per nucleon. Calculate the binding energy per nucleon where the mass of a U-235 nucleus is 235.0439299 u.

rhona
Download Presentation

Fission and fusion

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 30 May 2012 Fission and fusion U-235 binding energy Nuclear power plants Advantages and disadvantages Nuclear disasters 11 Physics

  2. U-235 binding energy per nucleon Calculate the binding energy per nucleon where the mass of a U-235 nucleus is 235.0439299 u. Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-235

  3. Binding energy per nucleon

  4. Nuclear fusion

  5. Nuclear fission The sun

  6. Nuclear power plant • Thermal power plant • Uses a nuclear chain reaction Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant

  7. Uranium fuel • Natural uranium ore (pitchblende, uranium oxide) is a mix of isotopes: • 99.3% U-238 • 0.7% U-235 (Plutonium-239 can also be used as fuel) not enough U-235 for a chain reaction Image:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_ore

  8. Critical mass: minimum size for a nuclear chain reaction to occur • 11kg Pu-239 • 52kg U-235 Mk-54 SADM (Special Atomic Demolition Munition). The bare warhead package was an 28 cm by 41 cm cylinder that weighed 23kg. Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuke image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass

  9. PhETsim • Artificial transmutation: 10n + 23592U  23692U • Nuclear chain reaction with U-235, eg: 23692U 13755Cs + 9637Br + 3 10n • Isotopic enrichment to 5% U-235 • Containment vessel • Control rods

  10. Nuclear power plant Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant Moderator Control rods Reactor vessel Heat exchanger Turbine Generator

  11. Advantages and disadvantages • high energy density • large uranium reserves in Australia, Canada, Kazahkstan • does not depend on weather, time of day, etc. • Radioactive waste • Accident (thermal meltdown) • Terrorist target • Non-renewable • Mining and transport of fuel difficult and expensive • Expensive to builld plant • Nuclear technology proliferation • Pu-239 created as waste product- could be used for weapons

  12. Nuclear accidents: Chernobyl 1986 power surge  containment vessel rupture  graphite moderator exposed to air  fire 31 workers died from acute radiation sickness thousands (?) of extra cancer deaths, particularly from thyroid cancer Image: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

  13. Nuclear accident: Fukushima 2011 tsunami  flooding of control rooms  coolant systems not working  meltdown  build up of hydrogen gas  explosion 0workers died from acute radiation sickness (though some were drowned in tsunami) dozens (?) of extra cancer deaths (not from thyroid cancer) Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents

  14. Nuclear power plant Short (3 slide max, 4 min) presentation including information about: cooling system, fuel, moderator, control rods, waste, safety systems diagrams and nuclear equations references AGR, PWR BWR, fast breeder

  15. Links • PhET nuclear fission • http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/nuclear-fission

More Related