Nuclear reactors: principle and components
Nuclear energy · Physics
Bohr atom
Interactive 3DElectrons orbit the nucleus in shells — switch element to see H, He and Li fill their shells.
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Study notes
A 1000 MW (electric) PWR runs at 33% thermal efficiency. (a) What is its thermal power? (b) About how much ²³⁵U does it consume per day? (200 MeV per fission.) Solution: (a) P_thermal = 1000 MW / 0.33 ≈ 3030 MW. (b) Energy per day = 3030×10⁶ × 86400 ≈ 2.62×10¹⁴ J. Per fission 3.2×10⁻¹¹ J → 8.2×10²⁴ fissions/day. Mass = 8.2×10²⁴ × 235 u × 1.66×10⁻²⁷ kg/u ≈ 3.2 kg of ²³⁵U per day — a few kg replaces thousands of tonnes of coal daily.