Lecture 16

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Lecture 16: The Nuclear Power

Plants
Fission and Fusion Reactions
Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are two different types of energy-releasing reactions in which
energy is released from high-powered atomic bonds between the particles within the nucleus. The
main difference between these two processes is that fission is the splitting of an atom into two or
more smaller ones while fusion is the fusing of two or more smaller atoms into a larger one.
Physics behind both fission and fusion processes
The more the binding energy held within the bonds of an atom, more stable is an atom. Binding
energy is the amount of energy held within the bonds of the atoms. The most stable is the nucleon
of iron atom, which neither fuses nor splits. Thats why iron is at the top of the binding energy
curve. Each atom tries to become more stable by increasing its binding energy. For atomic nuclei
lighter than iron and nickel, energy can be extracted by combining these nuclei together through
nuclear fusion. In contrast, for atomic nuclei heavier than iron or nickel, energy can be released
by splitting the heavy nuclei through nuclear fission.
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear fission takes place when an atom's nucleus splits into two or
more smaller nuclei. These smaller nuclei are called fission products.
Particles (e.g., neutrons, photons, alpha particles) usually are released,
too. This is an exothermic process releasing kinetic energy of the
fission products and energy in the form of gamma radiation. Fission
may be considered a form of element transmutation since changing the
number of protons of an element essentially changes the element from
one into another.
In a typical nuclear reaction involving 235U and a neutron:
235

92

U + n = 23692U

followed by
236

92

Fig. 16.1: Nuclear Fission Reaction

U = 14456Ba + 89 36Kr + 3n + 177 MeV

Nuclear Electricity Generation

Some brief comments are in order here concerning the future of use of
nuclear reactors for generation of electricity. Where is this headed after the

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end of the Cold War, and in particular after the permanent members of the
UN Security Council agreed on the text of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty?

From nuclear electricity generation to nuclear weapons programs

Commercialization of the energy efficient and low-capital combined
cycle gas-fired electrical power plants and competitiveness of nuclear
power plants anywhere where long term access to natural gas is
assured without large price increases.
Political opposition to nuclear power. In Sweden and Germany
(2022) this led to decisions to abandon nuclear power altogether.
Nuclear power in a number of former Soviet Republics, the availability
of funds to even maintain nuclear power production levels.
The 2008 global economic upheaval had less effect on China and India
than elsewhere, and both of those countries planned expansion of
nuclear reactor fleets in the 2010s.
Massive subsidies for nuclear power is the idea that aggressive CO 2
limitation measures such as large carbon taxes would shift the
economics of power generation significantly in favor the nuclear
approach.

Fusion Energy Reactions

Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is the reaction in which two or more nuclei combine
together to form a new element with higher atomic number (more
protons in the nucleus). The energy released in fusion is related to E =
mc 2 (Einsteins famous energy-mass equation). On earth, the most
likely fusion reaction is DeuteriumTritium reaction. Deuterium and
Tritium are both isotopes of hydrogen.
2

Deuterium + 3 1Tritium = 42He + 10n + 17.6 MeV

The reactions which take place in the sun provide an example of

nuclear fusion:
1

H + 21H 32He

He + 32He 42He + 211H

H + 11H 21H + 0+1

Fusion Energy Resources

Tritium Production and Neutron Multiplication

Fig. 16.2: Nuclear Fusion Reaction

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200 - 1000 tons of Li per 1GW electric power plant is required to be stored in
a blanket on site. Only a very small fraction of that is actually consumed. The
total amount of Li in mines in the world is estimated to be 9,000,000 tons.
There is at least that much again in the oceans of the world where Li
concentration is 0.17 ppm. A more limited but still large resource is beryllium.
This is found in nature only in the form of the isotope Be-9, which can serve
as a "neutron multiplier" using the reaction n + Be-9 2n + 2He-4. A neutron
multiplier is needed because the tritium breeding reaction shown below uses
up the one neutron is produced by the tritium burning reaction D + T n +
He-4. Since some neutrons inevitable get absorbed by other materials
without breeding tritium, a reaction like n + Be-9 2n + 2He-4 is needed to
make up for these losses. Be-9 is about one-tenth as abundant in the earth's
crust as Li.

Alternatives to Be-9 as a neutron multiplier are the fissionable materials used

in existing nuclear reactors. Using these materials as neutron multipliers in
the "blanket" surrounding a fusion source would also increase the overall
energy release per fusion reaction. However, use of such materials as
neutron multipliers to produce hybrid fusion-fission reactors combines some
of the disadvantages of both approaches. The chance of a runaway fission
reaction would be decreased, but the additional hazards of having fissionable
materials and their radioactive fission products surround a fusion core might
result in lowered net safety overall.
Fusion Energy Wastes
In case of fusion reactions, fusion reactors cannot sustain a chain reaction so
they can never melt down like fission reactors. Fusion reaction produces very
less or, if the right atoms are chosen, no radioactive waste. In case of nuclear
fission large radioactive waste is produced and disposal of radioactive waste
is a complicated problem. For nuclear power, fusion is the better choice.
Fusion Energy Advantages
Benefits of Fusion Power

The fuel has high energy content

Fuel production causes little insult to environment
No dangerous ash is produced
Radioactive materials produced at a fusion plant are 10 to 100 times
less hazardous then those at fission plant
Weapons grade fissile materials are not used.

However, fuel mining costs for fission reactors are only a few percent of the
total cost of electricity even in countries with modern environmental quality
controls. Fusion reactors would produce large volumes of materials heavily

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Lecture 16

contaminated with mobile tritium and other radioactive materials. A

requirement for liquid lithium coolant and tritium breeder inside of large
cryogenically cooled high magnetic flux coils raises serious safety concerns.
Tritium is an important component of high yield nuclear weapons, and
experience with producing handling large amounts of tritium is relevant to
the nuclear weapons capability of participating countries.
Nuclear weapons
One class of nuclear weapons, a fission bomb, otherwise known as an atomic
bomb or atom bomb, is a fission reactor designed to liberate as much energy
as possible and as rapidly as possible, before the released energy causes the
reactor to explode (and the chain reaction to stop).
Another class is the hydrogen bomb, which functions by
fusion of lighter nuclei into the heavier one. Hydrogen
bomb or H-bomb is a weapon deriving its energy from
the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes; though in most
applications the bulk of its destructive energy comes
from uranium fission, not hydrogen fusion. Extremely
high temperatures are required in order to initiate a
fusion reaction which also gives the hydrogen bomb the
name of a thermonuclear bomb.

Fig. 16.3: Two Method of

Assembling Fission Bomb

Fusion and Fission Economics

Nuclear fission: The inefficiency of cost comes into play when it is
considered that nuclear fuel creates heat and this heat is used to boil the
water and the steam produced is used to turn turbine to generate electricity.
This transformation from heat energy to electrical energy is cumbersome
and expensive. A second source of inefficiency is that clean-up and storage
of nuclear waste is very expensive because the waste is radioactive and
finally security issues add to the cost of nuclear energy.
Nuclear fusion: For fusion to occur the atoms must be confined in
the magnetic field and raised to a temperature of 100 million Kelvin or more.
This takes lot of electricity and hence cost inefficiency comes in the picture.
Hence both are cost inefficient logically for productive and non destructive
purpose.
Comparison chart
Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fusion

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Lecture 16

Definition

Natural
occurrence of
the process

Fission is the splitting of a Fusion is the fusing of two or

large atom into two or more lighter atoms into a
more smaller ones.
larger one.

Fission reaction does not Fusion occurs in stars, such as

normally occur in nature.
the sun.

Fission produces many Few radioactive particles are

highly
radioactive produced by fusion reaction,
By-products of
particles.
but if a fission "trigger" is
the reaction
used, radioactive particles will
result from that.

Conditions

Critical
mass
of
the High
density,
high
substance and high-speed temperature environment is
neutrons are required.
required.

Energy
Requirement

Takes little energy to split Extremely high energy is

two atoms in a fission required to bring two or more
reaction.
protons close enough to
overcome their electrostatic
repulsion.

Energy
Released

The energy released by

fission is million times
greater than that released
in chemical reactions, but
lower
than
energy
released by nuclear fusion.

The energy released by fusion

is three to four times greater
than the energy released by
fission.

Nuclear
weapon

One class of nuclear

weapon is a fission bomb,
also known as an atomic
bomb or atom bomb.

One class of nuclear weapon

is the hydrogen bomb, which
uses
fission
reaction
to
"trigger" a fusion reaction.