A reactor chamber contains equal numbers of deuterium nuclei and tritium nuclei

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Nuclear physics · Nuclear physics

Problem

A reactor chamber contains equal numbers of deuterium nuclei

\left(\,^{2}\text{H}\,\right)

and tritium nuclei

\left(\,^{3}\text{H}\,\right)

, which undergo the reaction

^{2}\text{H}+{}^{3}\text{H}\;\longrightarrow\;{}^{4}\text{He}+n.

Use the data below and answer the questions that follow. Atomic masses (in atomic mass unit

u

^{2}\text{H}=2.014102\,u

^{3}\text{H}=3.016049\,u

^{4}\text{He}=4.002603\,u

n=1.008665\,u

. Useful constants:

1\,u\,c^{2}=931.5\,\text{MeV}

1\,\text{MeV}=1.602\times10^{-13}\,\text{J}

, Avogadro number

N_A = 6.022\times10^{23}\,\text{mol}^{-1}

. (i) Calculate the decrease in rest mass (mass defect) for one fusion reaction. (ii) Hence find the energy liberated per fusion event, in MeV. (iii) Determine the total energy released when

1\,\text{mol}

of deuterium fuses completely with the necessary amount of tritium (assume each deuterium nucleus reacts once). Express your answer in joule.

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