Essential University Physics
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134988566
Author: Wolfson, Richard
Publisher: Pearson Education,
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Chapter 38.4, Problem 38.4GI
To determine
To explain: The reason why the transportation and mining accidents in the case of uranium fuel is much less than that of coal.
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a. To release 100 MW of power, approximately how many uranium fissions must occur every second? b. How many kilograms of U-235 would have to fission in 1yr to sustain a rate of 100 MW of power output?
Seawater contains 3 mg of uranium per cubic meter. (a) Given that the average ocean depth is about 4 km and water covers two - thirds of Earth’s surface, estimate the amount of uranium dissolved in the ocean. (b) Estimate how long this uranium could supply the world’s energy needs at the current usage of 1.5 x 1013 J/s. (c) Where does the dissolved uranium come from? Is it a renewable energy source? Can uranium from the ocean satisfy our energy requirements? Discuss. Note: Breeder reactors increase the efficiency of nuclear fuel use by approximately two orders of magnitude.
In order to have the fission reaction to start a nuclear reactor, you need to be able to produce as
many neutrons needed in order to maintain the reaction stable during the time. If you have too
few fissions, then there will be a lack of neutrons and this will turn off the reaction chain. If
you have too many fissions, then there will be an excess of neutrons, and you will end up with
a Chernobyl-like issue. This is called the criticality of the reactor. Hence, you need to compute
the exact amount of fuel to put inside your reactor, in order to maintain the reaction chain. Such
a calculus of criticality is very complex, and out of reach for this class. It is, however, possible
to estimate it, with the Oklo reactor.
The Oklo reactor is located near Franceville, in Gabon. It is the only natural nuclear reactor
known so far. At some point in history, what would become the mining pit of Oklo was a place
containing a lot of uranium and water, which acted as a moderator, hence allowing the…
Chapter 38 Solutions
Essential University Physics
Ch. 38.1 - Prob. 38.1GICh. 38.2 - Prob. 38.2GICh. 38.3 - Prob. 38.3GICh. 38.4 - Prob. 38.4GICh. 38.5 - Prob. 38.5GICh. 38 - Prob. 1FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 2FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 3FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 4FTDCh. 38 - Why are iodine-131 and strontium-90 particularly...
Ch. 38 - Prob. 6FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 7FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 8FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 9FTDCh. 38 - Prob. 10FTDCh. 38 - Three radon isotopes have 125, 134, and 136...Ch. 38 - Prob. 12ECh. 38 - Prob. 13ECh. 38 - Prob. 14ECh. 38 - Prob. 15ECh. 38 - How many half-lives will it take for the activity...Ch. 38 - Prob. 17ECh. 38 - Prob. 18ECh. 38 - Prob. 19ECh. 38 - Prob. 20ECh. 38 - Prob. 21ECh. 38 - Find the total binding energy of oxygen-16, given...Ch. 38 - Determine the nuclear mass of nickel-60, given...Ch. 38 - Prob. 24ECh. 38 - Prob. 25ECh. 38 - Prob. 26ECh. 38 - Prob. 27ECh. 38 - Prob. 28ECh. 38 - Prob. 29ECh. 38 - Prob. 30ECh. 38 - Prob. 31ECh. 38 - Prob. 32ECh. 38 - Prob. 33ECh. 38 - Prob. 34ECh. 38 - Prob. 35ECh. 38 - Prob. 36ECh. 38 - Prob. 37ECh. 38 - Prob. 38ECh. 38 - Prob. 39ECh. 38 - Prob. 40ECh. 38 - Prob. 41ECh. 38 - Prob. 42PCh. 38 - Prob. 43PCh. 38 - Prob. 44PCh. 38 - Iron-56, with nuclear mass 55.9206 u, is among the...Ch. 38 - Prob. 46PCh. 38 - Prob. 47PCh. 38 - Prob. 48PCh. 38 - Prob. 49PCh. 38 - Nitrogen-13 is a 9.97-min-half-lifc isotope used...Ch. 38 - Prob. 51PCh. 38 - Prob. 52PCh. 38 - Prob. 53PCh. 38 - Prob. 54PCh. 38 - The table below lists reported levels of...Ch. 38 - Prob. 56PCh. 38 - Analysis of a Moon rock shows that 82% of its...Ch. 38 - Prob. 58PCh. 38 - Prob. 59PCh. 38 - Prob. 61PCh. 38 - Prob. 62PCh. 38 - Prob. 63PCh. 38 - Prob. 64PCh. 38 - Prob. 65PCh. 38 - Prob. 66PCh. 38 - Prob. 67PCh. 38 - Prob. 68PCh. 38 - Prob. 69PCh. 38 - Prob. 70PCh. 38 - Prob. 71PCh. 38 - Prob. 72PCh. 38 - Prob. 73PCh. 38 - Prob. 74PCh. 38 - Bismuth-209 and chromium-54 combine to form a...Ch. 38 - Prob. 76PCh. 38 - Prob. 77PCh. 38 - Prob. 78PCh. 38 - Prob. 79PCh. 38 - Prob. 80PCh. 38 - Prob. 81PCh. 38 - Prob. 82PCh. 38 - Prob. 83PCh. 38 - Prob. 84PCh. 38 - Prob. 85PCh. 38 - Prob. 86PPCh. 38 - Prob. 87PPCh. 38 - Prob. 88PPCh. 38 - Prob. 89PP
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- Which of the following quantities represents the reaction energy of a nuclear reaction? (a) (final mass initial mass)/c2 (b) (initial mass final mass)/c2 (c) (final mass initial mass)c2 (d) (initial mass final mass)c2 (e) none of those quantitiesarrow_forwardA normal family living in a villa has an approximate energy consumption of 20 MWh per year. Now suppose that the family is supplied by energy from a fusion power plants that utilize the energy released from the nuclear reaction We also assume that the power plant has an efficiency of 25%. How many grams of deuterium are needed each year to produce more energy this family?arrow_forwardOn absorption of a single neutron, plutonium Pu-239 can undergo fission into xenon Xe-134 plus zirconium Zr-103 plus three neutrons. The masses of these nuclei are, mpu-239 = 239.052 amu, mxe-134 = 133.905 amu, and mzr-103 = 102.927 amu. Calculate the energy given off in this nuclear reaction. Back Alt+Left arrowarrow_forward
- If a reactor produces an average power of 1000 MW for a year, a. How much U-235 is used up assuming 200 MeV are released per fission and the efficiency is 33.3%? b. Also, how much mass is turned into energy?arrow_forwarda) Calculate the energy in joules released by the fusion of a 1.75 -kg mixture of deuterium and tritium, which produces helium. There are equal numbers of deuterium and tritium nuclei in the mixture. b) If this process takes place continuously over a period of a year, what is the average power output in units of megawatts?arrow_forward10. A nuclear reactor is 35% efficient and has a power output of 350 MW. If we consider all the fission reactions to give out the same energy, 2.78 x 1011 J how many moles of uranium-235 is needed each second by the power station? AA 5.975 x 105 B 5.935 x 105 C 5.835 x 105 D 5.739 x 105arrow_forward
- As explained in the previous section, if you want to have a nuclear reaction chain starting into your reactor, you need to enrich the uranium to have more uranium 235 available. It is assumed that you need to have about 4% of uranium 235 in order to maintain the reaction chain and to produce enough neutrons. Those neutrons are, however, too energetic to induce another fission reaction, it is needed first to reduce their energy. In most reactors, this is the role of the water located inside. 1) Explain how the energy is stored inside the neutrons 2) How can the water reduce this energy? 3) Is the water the only thing able to act as moderator? 4) What is the effect of the moderator on the cross-section of the atoms of uranium 235?arrow_forwarda) Write down the nuclear reaction for Deuterium-Tritium fusion and answer the following questions:arrow_forwardOne of the major observations of the nuclear line of stability is that heavy nuclei (Z > 16) that are stable have more neutrons than protons; this is in contrast to light nuclei where the proton and neutron number are the same. Explain why this is the case.arrow_forward
- P2arrow_forward(b) The gamma radiation emitted from a source of cobalt-60 can be used to kill the bacteria on fresh, cooked and frozen foods, Killing the bacteria reduces the risk of food poisoning. The diagram shows how a convevor belt can be used to move food past a cobalt-60 source. Thick metal shielding- Cobalt-60 Moving conveyor belt Which one of the following gives a way of increasing the amount of gamma radiation the food receives? Put a tick (V) in the box next to your answer. Increase the temperature of the cobalt-60 source. Make the conveyor belt move more slowly. Move the cobalt-60 source away from the conveyor belt.arrow_forwardThe fission process in a reactor is represented by the equation below: U235 + n1 = La148+ Br85 + 3n1. If the elements in the above equation have the following atomic mass units (a.m.u ): U235 =235.124, n1 =1.009 La148= 147.96 and Br85 = 84.938. Given that mass of 1 a.m.u =1.67 x 10 -27 kg and 1.619 x 10-19 J = eV. 235g of Uranium contains 6.03 x 1023 atoms. a.Calculate the mass of Uranium atom that will be converted into heat energy by the fission process. b. Calculate the total amount of energy in MeV released during the fission process c.Calculate the amount of energy in J that can be obtained from one kilogramme of Uranium during a fission processarrow_forward
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