Even when shut down after a period of normal use, a large commercial nuclear reactor transfers thermal energy at the rate of 150 MW by the radioactive decay of fission products. This heat transfer causes a rapid increase in temperature if the cooling system fails (1 watt = 1 joule/second or 1 W = 1 J/s and 1 MW = 1 megawatt) (a) Calculate the rate of temperature increase in degrees Celsius per second (ºC/s) if the mass of the reactor core is 1.60×105 kg and it has an average specific heat of 0.3349 kJ/kgº ⋅ C . (b) How long would it take to obtain a temperature increase of 2000ºC , which could cause some metals holding the radioactive materials to melt? (The initial rate of temperature increase would be greater than that calculated here because the heat transfer is concentrated in a smaller mass. Later, however, the temperature increase would slow down because the 5×105-kg steel containment vessel would also begin to heat up.)
Energy transfer
The flow of energy from one region to another region is referred to as energy transfer. Since energy is quantitative; it must be transferred to a body or a material to work or to heat the system.
Molar Specific Heat
Heat capacity is the amount of heat energy absorbed or released by a chemical substance per the change in temperature of that substance. The change in heat is also called enthalpy. The SI unit of heat capacity is Joules per Kelvin, which is (J K-1)
Thermal Properties of Matter
Thermal energy is described as one of the form of heat energy which flows from one body of higher temperature to the other with the lower temperature when these two bodies are placed in contact to each other. Heat is described as the form of energy which is transferred between the two systems or in between the systems and their surrounding by the virtue of difference in temperature. Calorimetry is that branch of science which helps in measuring the changes which are taking place in the heat energy of a given body.
Even when shut down after a period of normal use, a large commercial nuclear reactor transfers thermal energy at the rate of 150 MW by the radioactive decay of fission products. This
(1 watt = 1 joule/second or 1 W = 1 J/s and 1 MW = 1 megawatt)
(a) Calculate the rate of temperature increase in degrees Celsius per second (ºC/s) if the mass of the reactor core is 1.60×105 kg and it has an average specific heat of 0.3349 kJ/kgº ⋅ C .
(b) How long would it take to obtain a temperature increase of 2000ºC , which could cause some metals holding the radioactive materials to melt? (The initial rate of temperature increase would be greater than that calculated here because the heat transfer is concentrated in a smaller mass. Later, however, the temperature increase would slow down because the 5×105-kg steel containment vessel would also begin to heat up.)
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