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Power Plant

The document discusses the basic principles of nuclear energy including atomic structure, isotopes, nuclear symbols, nuclear fission and fusion reactions. It explains concepts like protons, neutrons, electrons, isotopes, mass number and provides examples of nuclear reactions including fusion of hydrogen to form helium and fission of uranium by neutrons.

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17 views18 pages

Power Plant

The document discusses the basic principles of nuclear energy including atomic structure, isotopes, nuclear symbols, nuclear fission and fusion reactions. It explains concepts like protons, neutrons, electrons, isotopes, mass number and provides examples of nuclear reactions including fusion of hydrogen to form helium and fission of uranium by neutrons.

Uploaded by

alpha 747
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Principles of Nuclear Energy

The Atomic Structure

• Atom consists of Nucleus having Protons (heavy


positively charged)
• Electrons (light and revolve in orbit)
• Sub particles in Nucleus (nucleons)
• Nucleons are primarily of two kinds
– The neutrons (electrically neutral)
– The protons (positively charged)
• Electric charge on protons is equal and opposite to that
on the electrons
• Atom as a whole is electrically neutral neutral (no. of
protons = no. of electrons)
Isotopes
• Same atomic number (number of protons) but different atomic mass (Neutron+protons)
• Difference is in the number of Neutrons
• Same chemical properties
• Hydrogen has three isotopes
– Protium (Ordinary hydrogen)
– Deuterium
– Tritium
Nuclear Symbols

• X is the chemical symbol


• Z is atomic number (number of protons)
• A is mass number (approximately equal to number of
Nucleons=Neutrons+protons)
• Ordinary Hydrogen 1H1
• Deuterium 1H2
• Helium 2He4
• Electron is -1e0
• Neutron is 0n1
• Many elements are mixture of isotopes
– e.g. Uranium 92U238 99.282 % in natural
uranium ore
– 92U235 , 0.712%
– 92U234 , 0.006 %
• Isotopes may be produced artificially in
labortaries.
• Other atomic particles include Positron and
neutrino (little neutron)
– Positively charged electron, +1e0
– Neutrino Tinny neutral particle, symbol is v
Chemical and Nuclear Reactions
• Chemical reaction involves combination and separation of
whole atoms
• E.g C+O2  CO2
• The above reaction release 4 eV energy
• eV= 1.6022 X 10-19 Joules
• In chemical reaction each atom participates as a whole and
retains its identity after the reaction
• The only effect is shearing or exchange of valence
electrons; the nuclei are unaffected.
• We assume preservation of mass in chemical reactions
• Both chemical and nuclear reactions are either exothermic
or endothermic.
• In Nuclear reactions the reactant nuclei do not
show up in the products instead we may find Either
its isotopes of the reactants or other nuclei
• In Nuclear reactions balancing, the number of
Nucleons should be same in reactants and products
Nuclear Fission and Fusion
• Three important Nuclear reactions are
– Nuclear Fusion
– Nuclear Fission
– Radioactivity
• In Nuclear Fusion two or more lighter Nuclei fuse to
form a heavier Nucleus
• In Nuclear Fission a heavier Nucleus is split into two
or more lighter nuclei
• In both, the mass of Products is less than reactants
and it is converted into energy (exothermic reaction)
Fusion
• Four Nucei of Hydrogen fuse into one nucleus of Helium and two
positrons
4 1H1 2He4 + 2 +e0 (Hypothesis for the heat at Sun and Stars)
• Decrease of mass is 0.0276 amu corresponds to 25.7 MeV
• The heat of the reaction maintains the temperature at several million
degree
• Artificially produced fusion may be accomplished when two light atoms
fuse into a large one as there is a much great probability of two particles
colliding than of four.
• To cause fusion, it is necessary to accelerate +ively charged nuclei to
high kinetic energies to overcome the repulsive forces
• The temperature should be several millions degrees to form plasma
• In Hydrogen Bomb Fusion reaction takes place
• The Fusion is preceded by fission to produce high temperatures
Possible Fusion reactions
Fission
• Fission can be caused by neutrons
• Neutrons are neutral and can strike the
nucleolus to cause fission without being
repulsed
• Fission can be caused by other particles than
neutrons, however in case of neutrons the
reaction is sustainable
• Two are more neutrons are released that
continue the reaction
• Neutron energies (speed) can be lower (slow
or thermal), moderate or higher (fast)
• U235 , Pu239 and U233 are fissionable to neutrons
of all energies
• U238 , Pu240 and Th232 are fissionable to only
high energy neutrons
A typical Nuclear Reaction
Enregy from fission and fuel burnup
• There are many fission reactions that release
different energies

196 MeV

193 MeV

Average energy release per fission reaction is 200 MeV

The higher energies is due to 1) decay of fission fragments into


fission products and 2) non-fission capture of neutrons in
reactions that produces energy.
Radioactivity
• Isotopes of element that continuously undergo spontaneous
disintegration and produce radiations (emits small particle) from
the parent nucleus, changing it into another, or daughter
nucleus.
• Heavier isotopes radiate and decay
• Radioisotopes may be produced artificially
• Radioisotopes (parent Nucleus) disintegrate in to daughter
Nucleus

• Radioactivity is accompanied by decrease in mass and is thus


always exothermic
• Emitted energy is in the form of kinetic energy of emitted
particles and γ radiation
• Naturally occurring radioisotopes emits α, β and γ particles or
α decay: α particles are helium nuclei, each
consisting of two protons and two neutrons
• Commonly emitted by heavier radioactive
nuclei
• An example is the decay of

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