EINSTEIN’S MASS ENERGY EQUATION

According to Einstein theory of relativity

"Mass and Energy are interconvertable".
Einstein’s establish are relation between mass
and energy known as "Einstein’s Mass Energy
Equation".

E = mc2
where      E = Energy
               m = Mass
               C = Velocity of light (3x108 m/sec)
 FISSION IN 92
u 235

"The process in which a heavy nucleus

in broken into two lighter nuclei
with the release of energy is called Nuclear
Fission."
OR
The disintegration of a heavy nucleus after
capturing neutron with
the release of energy is called "Nuclear
Fission."
 In 1939, Hann and Stressman
discovered that fission can be produced by
bombarding 92u235 with slow neutrons.
When 92u235 is bombarded with neutron,
it is broken down into two lighter nuclei and
about 200Mev energy is released in this
process.
EQUATION OF FISSION

0
n1
+92
u235
 92
u236


56
Ba 144
+ 36
Kr 90
+3 0
n 1
+energy

Alongwith the fission products i.e. barium

and krypton, three neutrons are also
obtained.
Fission reaction in uranium can be explained
by the following schematic diagram.
FISSION CHAIN REACTION

In one fission of 92u235 nucleus, about three

neutrons are obtained. These fast moving
neutrons undergo successive collision with the
other 92u235 nuclei.

As more and more nuclei are broken by the

neutrons, more and more neutrons are obtained
and uncontrolled fission process is started which
is referred to as FISSION CHAIN REACTION.
 If it is not controlled then all the 92u235
atoms are broken and a large amount of
energy is produced.
An interesting fact is that no fission
chain reaction will take place if the amount
of uranium is less than a certain mass
known as CRITICAL MASS.
 If, on average, exactly one of the free
neutrons from each fission hits another U-235
nucleus and causes it to split, then the mass of
uranium is said to be critical.
If, on average, less than one of the free
neutrons hits another U-235 atom, then the mass
is subcritical. Eventually, induced fission will
end in the mass.
If, on average, more than one of the free
neutrons hits another U-235 atom, then the mass
is supercritical. It will heat up.
Energy Released From Each Fission

~ kinetic energy of fission products 165 MeV

~ gamma rays 7 MeV
~ kinetic energy of the neutrons 6 MeV
~ energy from fission products 7 MeV
~ gamma rays from fission products 6 MeV
~ anti-neutrinos from fission products 9 MeV
200 MeV
 Atom Bomb
Uranium 238, was not suitable for a nuclear
weapon. There is a fairly high probability that an
incident neutron would be captured to form
uranium 239 instead of causing a fission.
However, uranium 235 has a high fission
probability.
Of natural uranium, only 0.7% is uranium
235. This meant that a large amount of uranium
was needed to obtain the necessary quantities of
uranium 235. Also, uranium 235 cannot be
separated chemically from uranium 238, since
the isotopes are chemically similar.
 Detonation Sequence

1.      The high explosive surrounding the

fissile material is ignited.
2.      A compressional shock wave begins to
move inward. The shock wave moves faster
than the speed of sound and creates a large
increase in pressure. The shock wave
impinges on all points on the surface of the
sphere of the fissile material in the bomb
core at the same instant. This starts the
compression process.
3.      As the core density increases, the mass
becomes critical, and then supercritical
(where the chain reactions grows
exponentially).
4.      Now the initiator is released, producing
many neutrons.
The chain reaction continues until the
energy generated inside the bomb becomes
so great that the internal pressure due to
the energy of the fission fragments exceed
the implosion pressure due to the shock
wave.
Nuclear Power Plant
1. To build a nuclear reactor, what you need is some
mildly enriched uranium.
2. Typically, the uranium is formed into pellets with
approximately the same diameter as a dime and a
length of an inch or so.
3. The pellets are arranged into long rods, and the
rods are collected together into bundles.
4. The bundles are then typically submerged in water
inside a pressure vessel. The water acts as a
coolant.
5. In order for the reactor to work, the bundle,
submerged in water, must be slightly supercritical.
6. That means that, left to its own devices, the
uranium would eventually overheat and melt.
6. To prevent this, control rods made of a material
that absorbs neutrons are inserted into the bundle
using a mechanism that can raise or lower the
control rods.
7. Raising and lowering the control rods allow
operators to control the rate of the nuclear reaction.
When an operator wants the uranium core to
produce more heat, the rods are raised out of the
uranium bundle.
8. To create less heat, the rods are lowered into the
uranium bundle. The rods can also be lowered
completely into the uranium bundle to shut the
reactor down in the case of an accident or to change
the fuel.
9. The uranium bundle acts as an extremely high-
energy source of heat. It heats the water and turns it
to steam. The steam drives a steam turbine, which
spins a generator to produce power.
10. In some reactors, the steam from the reactor
goes through a secondary, intermediate heat
exchanger to convert another loop of water to
steam, which drives the turbine. The advantage to
this design is that the radioactive water/steam never
contacts the turbine.
11. Also, in some reactors, the coolant fluid in
contact with the reactor core is gas (carbon dioxide)
or liquid metal (sodium, potassium); these types of
reactors allow the core to be operated at higher
temperatures.
12. The reactor's pressure vessel is typically
housed inside a concrete liner that acts as a
radiation shield. That liner is housed within a
much larger steel containment vessel.
13. This vessel contains the reactor core as well
the hardware (cranes, etc.) that allows workers at
the plant to refuel and maintain the reactor. The
steel containment vessel is intended to prevent
leakage of any radioactive gases or fluids from
the plant.
 Uranium-235 is not the only possible fuel for
a power plant. Another fissionable material is
plutonium-239. Plutonium-239 can be created
easily by bombarding U-238 with neutrons --
something that happens all the time in a nuclear
reactor.