BENHA UNIVERSITY

Engineering Faculty
Mechanical Eng. Dept.
Power Stations Sheet (3) 2nd Semester, 2015-2016

Nuclear Power Plant

1-a What are the different practical applications of nuclear energy?

1-b What are the advantages of Nuclear power in comparison with other energy
sources?
1-d Show by sketch the chain reaction for nuclear fission of Uranium.
1-e Explain the following terms in nuclear engineering:
Fission Fusssion Chain reaction Fast neutrons Thermal neutrons
half life Mean life Fertile material
1-f Describe by sketch the essential components of a nuclear reactor?
1-g What are the main components of a nuclear power plant?
1-h Mention the different types of some important reactors?

2- A nuclear reactor power plant operated continually for one year producing
500 MW. The power plant efficiency is 33 percent. The reactor contained
75 metric tons of 3 percent enriched uranium dioxide fuel.
(a) Calculate the mass of U235 consumed in kilograms.
(b) The fuel burn-up in MWd/T.

3- Calculate the following:

(a) The fission rate of U235 for producing a power of one watt.
(b) The energy released in the complete fissioning of 1 kg of U235.
Assume that 200 MeV are released per fission of the uranium nucleus.

4- If 0.190 amu are converted to energy for every nucleus of U-235 that undergoes
the fission process, show that the energy released is indeed approximately 0.9
Mev. Show that the fission of 1kg of uranium-235 releases approximately a
million times more energy than the combustion of 1 kg of coal.

5- A nuclear reactor consumes 10 kg of U235 per day. Calculate its power

output if the average energy released per U-235 fission is 200 MeV.

6- Evaluate the amount of energy released from one kg of Uranium-235 when

it undergoes complete fission by fast neutron. The immediate products of
the fission reaction are 54Xe137 and 38Sr97. Avogadros number 6.022510-26
atom/kmol. The isotope masses of nuclei in amu are 235.0439, 1.0086,
136.9061, and 96.9212 for Uranium, neutron, Xenon, and Strontium,
respectively.
BENHA UNIVERSITY
Engineering Faculty
Mechanical Eng. Dept.
Power Stations Sheet (3) 2nd Semester, 2015-2016

7- Calculate the rate of heat produced per unit volume of fuel at a position in a
reactor core in which the neutron flux is 1013 neutron/cm2.sec. The core
contains fuel 12% enriched Uranium metal. The temperature at the same
core position is 270 oC. Assume that neutrons are all
thermalized. fe 19.05gm / cm 3 M ff 235.11704 fo 583barns

8- A pressurized water reactor (PWR) operating at 138 bar has primary water
entering at 288 oC and leaving at 321 C. A 28 m3 pressurizer is normally half
full of water . During a transient, the pressure rose to 144 bar, 90 kg of spray
water entered the pressurizer becomes 60% full of water. Ignoring heat losses to
the ambient, calculate the amount of heat added by the electric heaters.

9- A PWR has inlet and exit water temperatures of 290 and 320 C, respectively . It
has a 30 m3 vapor pressurizer which is normally 60 percent full of water at a
pressure of 140 bar. A case of insurge occurred during which 0.25 m3 of water
entered the pressurizer from the primary circuit hot leg, 0.05 m3 entered through
the spray and 50 kWh was added by the electric heaters. Determine the internal
energy of the pressurizer contents before and after the event. You may ignore the
heat losses to the ambient.

**Best wishes**
Dr. Ali A. Abdul Aziz