Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Objectives
Lesson 7 Be Able To Define • Key terms with nuclear fission
• Difference between types of nuclear reactions

Nuclear Fission Understand

• Elements that are fissile and their characteristics
• Fission process and reaction mechanism
• The difference between a controlled and uncontrolled chain reaction

• Previous concepts to explain and to define fission

Apply • Uses for fission reactions
• Form an opinion on nuclear fission and pro’s/cons of its use
Mr. Lindell
• HS-PS1-8. Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the
Standards atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
12th Grade Physics • RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual

Unit 5: Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay

Addressed form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g.,
in an equation) into words. (HS-PS1-1)

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 1 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 2

A question for you…. Overview

❑ Relevant background content Remember our ground rules:

❑ Intro to fission
Is nuclear power the future of our life on ❑ Definition and terms Follow the discussion

❑ Fission reaction and reaction

Earth or the way we’ll end life on Earth? mechanism Take notes

❑ Mass balance Participate and share observations

❑ Chain reaction
Don’t wrestle with issues – ask!
❑ Uses of nuclear fission
❑ Culminating activity

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 3 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 4

John Lindell 1
Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Review of past concepts Matter and Energy

• Recall the Law of Conservation of Energy and Matter • How are matter and energy related?
• What is it?
➢ Matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed

• Atomic structure – what is at the center of the atom?

• Nucleus
➢Neutrons
➢Protons ➢By the square of the speed of light
Albert Einstein

• Of the 4 types of forces, two were nuclear forces ➢Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared
➢Weak: between protons and electrons ➢Conversion of mass to energy / energy to mass
➢Strong: bind particles in the nucleus (binding energy)
6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 5 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 6

Introduction: what is fission? Introduction: what is fission?

• Splitting an atomic nucleus into fissionable • Fissile nuclei are heavy elements with more neutrons than protons
fragments • When struck by neutrons, become unstable and initiate the fission process
• Fissionable fragments are smaller atomic
nuclei and neutrons
• Energy is given off by this process

Reaction video of fission • Fission process: strong nuclear force (binding energy) is overcome by
an incoming particle (neutron)
• When the strong nuclear force is disrupted, electrostatic repulsion splits the
nuclei into two fissile fragments
From: The Harnessed Atom

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 7 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 8

John Lindell 2
Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Fissile materials – most common Fission reaction – U235

• Uranium 235 Steps
• Naturally occurring 1. Neutron + U235 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Uranium Uranium 2. U236

Protons_____ Protons 92
Neutrons____ Neutrons 146 3. Kr89 + Ba144 + 3 neutrons
+ gamma radiation + energy
• Plutonium-244 is the most readily available form of plutonium, but
Pu239 isotope is fissile
• Pu-239 is not naturally occurring; made by enriching U-235
Plutonium Plutonium
Protons_____ Protons 94 Fission reaction steps of U235 for form Kr89 and Ba144
YouTube video from Socratic.org
Neutrons____ Neutrons 150 On U235 fission reactions (watch to 3:45 only)

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 9 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 10

Now you try Fission – energy release

• Write in the reaction equation for U235 • Energy comes from breaking the strong nuclear forces and mass lost
through the fission process
• ___U
235 1 236
92 + ___
0 n ___U
92
• One U235 atom energy emitted = 202.5 MeV = 3.24E-11 J
Is this balanced?
• ___U
236 89 144 1
92 ___
36 Kr + ___Ba
56 + 3 ___n
0 + energy • For 1 kg of U235 = 83.14 TJ/kg 2.5 million times more
What is missing and how do you know?
than the energy released
3 neutrons to balance the reaction from burning 1 kg coal!

• Progress check: What are some of the characteristics of an element

that can be used in nuclear fission?

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 11 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 12

John Lindell 3
Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Chain reaction Uncontrolled chain reaction

• Needed an initiator to start. How does it continue? • Three types of reactions driven by mass:
• Subcritical mass: not sustainable reaction rate____
• Critical mass: self-sustaining reaction rate____
• Recall the 3 neutrons released from the reaction • Supercritical mass: increasing reaction rate____

• They hit other U235 nucleus • Supercritical mass can get to uncontrolled levels

• Remember each reaction releases 3 neutrons!

Chain reaction time, Dalton Nuclear Institute

• Reaction rates can escalate logarithmically – really fast.

Chain reaction using ping pong balls and mousetraps
Dalton Nuclear Institute From: The Harnessed Atom

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 13 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 14

Controlled chain reaction Another example - Plutonium

• What can control a chain reaction? • Pu239 fission reaction

• Absorbing free neutrons • Initiated with high speed neutron

• Slowing fast neutrons (not enough
energy to initiate reaction) • Fissile fragments are xenon and zirconium and 3 neutrons

• Boron absorbs neutrons

• Water slows neutrons
• Hydrogen nucleus similar size as neutron
Water moderating a chain reaction
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/NucEne/moder.html

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 15 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 16

John Lindell 4
Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Uranium versus plutonium Now you try Uses of nuclear fission – power plant
• Reaction equations and some key facts: • One of the major uses of fission is in electricity generation
U235 Pu239 • France is #1 at 72%, USA at #2 at 20%

Energy release: 200 MeV Energy release: 207 MeV

Half life: 704 million years Half life: 24,110 years

Naturally available Needs to be created

What material do you think is more widely used and why? % electricity generated by various fuels in the USA 2016
US Energy Information Association % electricity generated by various fuels in France 2016
Jancovici.com
Data and equations from https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-power-plant/nuclear-fuel/

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 17 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 18

Source of uranium Processing of uranium

• USA only domestically produces a small amount of the uranium used Uranium ore is mined
annually
Ore is crushed then ground

• Most comes from Canada, Russia and Kazakhstan Converted into uranium fluoride gas

Uranium is extracted
• Uranium is mined and refined
Uranium is concentrated

Open pit uranium mine in Africa Oxygenated to form fuel rods

geographical.co.uk

Sent to power plants for use

Uranium processing process
From Energy Resources of Australia

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 19 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 20

John Lindell 5
Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Fission in a power plant Nuclear power plant

• Fission reaction provides the
heat to create steam which
turns the turbines to create
electricity

• Refueled about every 6 years

• Waste products are heat, steam, Nuclear power plant schematic

http://www.greenandpractical.com/nuclear.html
and nuclear waste

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 21 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 22

Controlling the reaction Containment

• Control rods are used to control the rate of • The containment building is
reaction in the reactor designed to capture any
• Rods are raised or lowered to control the reaction nuclear radiation leaks or
reactor failures
• Water is also used to moderate the reactions
• Outer containment vessel
• Rods made of boron or cadmium isotopes encased
in metal to absorb neutrons. • Multiple reactor
containment systems
Control Rod mechanism
• Note the thickness and other
materials noted like lead
Control Rod schematic
Lowered on left
Raised on right Typical Containment Building
Nuclear Power Information, Duke Energy
Images from Control Rods in Nuclear Reactors, James Grayson

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 23 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 24

John Lindell 6
Nuclear Fission 6/17/2019

Energy release in fission vs coal Now You Try

• High energy per kg of fuel • What does it take to initiate a nuclear reaction? And for what
scenarios would you want the reaction to be sub-critical mass, critical
mass, or supercritical mass?
• Energy per kg of fuel
• Coal: 3.3x 107 Joules/kg
• Fission: 2.1x1012 Joules/kg • Based on what you learned today, do you see a future for more, less
or about the same for nuclear power in the USA? Why?

Energy from different power generation systems

Georgia Power and Light

6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 25 6/17/2019 Physics - Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay 26

John Lindell 7