A commercial nuclear power plant delivers an electrical power output of 1000MWe and operates at full load for 300 days in a year. The overall thermal efficiency (ratio of electrical output to heat generated in the core) is 30%. Energy released per fission of 235U may be taken as 200MeV. Use 1eV=1.6×10−19J, NA=6.02×1023mol−1 and atomic mass of 235U=235gmol−1.
(i) Calculate the total electrical energy generated in one year.
(ii) Determine the corresponding number of fission events that must occur in the reactor core.
(iii) Compute the mass of 235U consumed during the year.
(iv) Estimate the mass that is converted directly into energy (mass defect) over the same period and express it as a percentage of the mass of uranium consumed.