Nuclear Fission

Luis Sahua Villegas

UNI

Thermal Physics

May, 2018

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fission

• Fission means to divide.

• Nuclear fission is the process of splitting a nucleus into
two nuclei with smaller masses (Figure 1).
• The energy of a nuclear fission process is obtained on
heat form:

E = mc 2

Where:
 E: obtained energy (Joules)
 m: mass lost in the form of energy (Kilograms)
 c: light velocity (3 × 108 m/s)

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission

 Figure 1: Nuclear fission scheme.

A high-energy neutron (≈ 1Mev) is collided with an atom of

U235 giving as products 2 light nuclei and 3 high-energy
neutrons (≈120 MeV).
If a chain reaction is established (Figure 2) sustained by these
high-energy neutrons, under certain conditions, the number of
fissions increases exponentially with time, because each fission
produces more neutrons than it absorbs, so the energy released
can be huge and acquire explosive character.
Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission
 Figure 2: Chain reaction scheme.

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fission under controlled conditions

The chain reaction can be brought to a state in which as many

neutrons are produced as those that are consumed, keeping
the speed or number of fissions per second constant and the
energy released, this is the basis of the operation of a nuclear
reactor, the which can be used as a source of neutrons or
energy.

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission

How much energy is produced?

• Energy in the form of heat.

The fission of a nucleus of uranium releases 3.2 × 10−4
ergs, by multiplying this quantity by the number of
Avogadro (6.022 × 1023 ), we obtain the energy released
by all the nuclei contained in 235 g of uranium 235, and
its value is 1.93x1020 ergs, then the energy released by 1
kg of U235 would be equal to 8.21x1020 ergs, or almost
2x1010 Kcal, amount that equals the energy produced by
the explosion of 20000 tons of TNT.

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission

How much energy is produced?

• Released energy expressed in units of electrical energy.

Since 1 MeV = 1.6 × 10−6 ergs = 1.6 × 10−13 W.s, the
fission of a nucleus of U235 produces 3.2 × 1011 fissions
per second would produce 1 W of power. Then the
complete fission of 1 g of U235 would release 8.2 × 1010
W.s or 1 MW.day, if the energy were distributed over a
day, the complete fission of 1 kg of U235 would produce
1000 MW of power in the form of heat that if it could be
transformed into electricity, with a yield of 30 %, would
be equivalent to a large thermal plant that consumes
almost 2500 tons of coal per day.

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission

Bibliography

1 Nuclear Physics.
W.E.Burcham.
Reverte Editorial.

2 Nuclear Physics.
Irving Kaplan.
Addison Wesley.

Luis Sahua Villegas UNI Thermal Physics Nuclear Fission