Nuclear Energy
Problem Set. 1
(Solutions to selected problems)
Pr. L. Semlala
(Dated: 2024-2025)
Sol-2.
From Table A.4 (Appendix A) we have: 𝛾10 = 19.9% and 𝛾11 = 80.1% and Table B.1
(Appendix B) shows that 𝒜10 = 10.0129370 and 𝒜11 = 11.0093055. Then
𝛾𝑖 (%)
𝒜=∑ 𝒜𝑖 = 10.910,
𝑖
100
and the answer is:
5
6.022 × 1023 = 2.85 × 1023 atoms.
10.910
Sol-4.
𝛾234 = 0.0055% and 𝒜U = 238.0289 ⟹ 0.0055 1000
100 238.0289 6.022 × 1023 = 1.39 ×
1020 atoms.
Sol-6.
𝛾𝐷 = 0.0115% and 𝒜H2 O = 2 × 1.0079 + 15.9994 = 18.0152.
Then 2 Kg of water contains [2 × ( 18.0152
2000
) 6.022 × 1023 ] 0.0115
100 = 1.54 × 10
22
deu-
terium atoms.
𝜌H2 O = 1 [g/cm3 ] ⇒ the density of atomic hydrogen in water is equal to
1
[2 × ( ) 6.022 × 1023 ] = 6.69 × 1022 [atoms/cm3 ] .
18.0152
Sol-7.
(a) We have:
2
𝒜 = ∑𝑖 𝛾𝑖 𝒜𝑖 = 0.2 × 235.0439 + 0.8 × 238.0508 = 237.4494,
and 𝑤𝑖 𝒜 = 𝛾𝑖 𝒜𝑖 ⟹ 𝑤𝑖 (%) × 237.4494 = 20% × 235.0439 ⇒ 𝑤𝑖 (%) = 19.80%.
(b) 𝑀235 = 0.1980 × 4Kg= 792 g.
(c) 𝑛235 [atoms/cm3 ] = 20 19.2 23
100 ( 237.4494 6.022 × 10 ) = 0.97 × 10 ,
22
and 𝑛238 [atoms/cm3 ] = 100
80 19.2
( 237.4494 6.022 × 1023 ) = 3.90 × 1022 .
Sol-10.
Relative atomic mass of U must be found:
1 𝑤 (%) 1 1 25 1 75 1
=∑ 𝑖 ⇒ = + ⇒ 𝒜U = 237.2919;
𝒜U 𝑖
100 𝒜 𝑖 𝒜 U 100 235.0439 100 238.0508
1. we can use:
25 × 237.2919
𝑤235 𝒜U = 𝛾235 𝒜235 ⇒ 𝛾235 = = 25.24%,
235.0439
𝛾235 (%) 𝜌 25.24 13.6
𝑛235 [atoms/cm3 ] = (1 × UC 𝑁𝑎 ) = ( 6.022 × 1023 )
100 𝒜UC 100 237.2919 + 12.0107
= 0.83 × 1022 .
2. or:
𝒜U
𝑤U (%) = 100 = 95.18%
𝒜UC
and then:
𝑤235 (%) 𝑤U (%) 𝜌UC
𝑛235 [atoms/cm3 ] = ( 𝑁 )
100 100 𝒜235 𝑎
13.6
= 0.25 × 0.9518 × 6.022 × 1023
235.0439
= 0.83 × 1022 .
Sol-11.
3
We have:
1 𝑤 (%) 1 1
=∑ 𝑖 ⇒
𝒜Pu 𝑖
100 𝒜𝑖 𝒜Pu
70.5 1 21.3 1 5.5 1 2.7 1
≃ + + +
100 239.0521565 100 240.0538075 100 241.0568453 100 242.0587368
𝒜Pu ≃ 239.4548 ⇒ 𝒜PuO2 ≃ 239.4548 + 2 × 15.9994 = 271.4536
One gram of the fuel contains 0.3 g of PuO2 corresponding to:
0.3
𝑛Pu [atoms/g] = 6.022 × 1023 = 6.66 × 1020 ,
271.4536
we have two methods at hand:
𝛾𝑖 (%)
1. Combining relations 𝛾𝑖 = 𝑤𝑖 𝒜/𝒜𝑖 and 𝑛𝑖 = 100 𝑛 we find
𝑤𝑖 (%) 𝒜Pu
𝑛Pui = 𝑛
100 𝒜Pui Pu
and then:
70.5 239.4548
𝑛239 [atoms/gfuel ] = 6.66 × 1020 = 4.70 × 1020 ,
100 239.0522
21.3 239.4548
𝑛240 [atoms/gfuel ] = 6.66 × 1020 = 1.42 × 1020 ,
100 240.0538
5.5 239.4548
𝑛241 [atoms/gfuel ] = 6.66 × 1020 = 0.36 × 1020 ,
100 241.0569
2.7 239.4548
𝑛242 [atoms/gfuel ] = 6.66 × 1020 = 0.18 × 1020 .
100 242.0587
2. or using:
𝒜Pu 239.4548
𝑤Pu = = = 0.8821,
𝒜PuO2 271.4536
and then:
𝜌PuO2
𝑛Pui [atoms/gfuel ] = 𝑤Pui × 𝑤Pu × 𝑁 .
𝒜Pui 𝑎
0.3
𝑛239 [atoms/gfuel ] = 0.705 × 0.8821 × 6.022 × 1023 = 4.70 × 1020 ,
239.0522
...etc...
4
Sol-12.
We have:
1 127.62016
𝐵.𝐸 (16 O) = [8 (1.008665) + 8 (1.007825) − 15.994915] × 931.5 =
16 16
(.1)
= 7.976 MeV/nucleon, (.2)
1 131.76347
𝐵.𝐸 (17 O) = [9 (1.008665) + 8 (1.007825) − 16.999132] × 931.5 =
17 17
(.3)
= 7.751 MeV/nucleon, (.4)
1 492.2583
𝐵.𝐸 (56 Fe) = [30 (1.008665) + 26 (1.007825) − 55.934942] × 931.5 =
56 56
(.5)
= 8.790 MeV/nucleon, (.6)
1 1743.9841
𝐵.𝐸 (235 U) = [143 (1.008665) + 92 (1.007825) − 235.043923] × 931.5 =
235 235
(.7)
= 7.421 MeV/nucleon. (.8)
These nuclei are arranged according to the stability criterion as follows: 56
Fe > 16
O >
17
O > 235 U.
Sol-13.
𝑆𝑛 = 𝐵.𝐸 (17 O) − 𝐵.𝐸 (16 O)
= 131.76347 − 127.62016
= 4.143 MeV.