A reactor fuel contains the isotope

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

Problem

^{235}\text{U}

. Assume the average binding energy per nucleon of

^{235}\text{U}

7.6\,\text{MeV}

while that of the typical fission fragments (mean mass number

117.5

) is

8.5\,\text{MeV}

. (i) Estimate the energy released in one fission event of

^{235}\text{U}

in \text{MeV}. (ii) The reactor sustains

3.0\times10^{20}

fissions per second. If its thermal efficiency is

30\%

, calculate the electric power output of the plant in \text{MW}. (Use

1\,\text{eV}=1.6\times10^{-19}\,\text{J}