Description
A typical nuclear fission power plant produces about 5.17 GW of electrical power. Assume that the plant has an overall efficiency of 40.9% and that each fission event produces 250 MeV of thermal energy. Calculate the mass of 235U consumed each day. Answer in units of kg/d.
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Explanation & Answer
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Energy produced in a day = 5.17*10^9*24*3600J
Input energy = 5.17*10^9*24*3600/0.409 J
Energy produced per fission = 250*10^6*1.6*10^-19 J
Hence, number of fission = (5.17*10^9*24*3600/0.409)/(250*10^6*1.6*10^-19) = 2.7303*10^25
a U235 atom weighs:
0.000000000000000000000000390299539 kg
Hence,U235 required = 2.7303*10^25*0.000000000000000000000000390299539 = 10.656kg/day
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