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Problem Set - 1 INST

This document contains 12 practice problems related to nuclear science and technology. The problems cover topics like estimating the mass of uranium fissioned in a nuclear explosion, calculating the energy released by fission products over time, determining fuel burnup and fraction of fissions in various nuclear reactors, and calculating properties of radioisotope thermoelectric generators. The student is asked to calculate various quantities related to nuclear fission, fuel usage, and energy production in nuclear devices and power plants.

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Muhammad Jawad Ismaeel
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105 views1 page

Problem Set - 1 INST

This document contains 12 practice problems related to nuclear science and technology. The problems cover topics like estimating the mass of uranium fissioned in a nuclear explosion, calculating the energy released by fission products over time, determining fuel burnup and fraction of fissions in various nuclear reactors, and calculating properties of radioisotope thermoelectric generators. The student is asked to calculate various quantities related to nuclear fission, fuel usage, and energy production in nuclear devices and power plants.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Jawad Ismaeel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PAKISTAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES

Introduction to Nuclear Science and Technology


PRACTICE PROBLEM SET NO: 1
Q-1: In a nuclear explosion with an energy yield of 20kT of TNT equivalent, (a) estimate the mass of
uranium actually fissioned. (b) Assuming that the number of neutrons in each succeeding generation
is doubled during a fission chain reaction in the nuclear device, and the time interval between two
successive generations is about 10-8 seconds, in how much time will a sufficient number of fissions
take place to yield the energy for the explosion?

Q-2: ‘t’ seconds after one fission, the energy release rate due to the radioactive decay of fission product is
given by the expression 2.66xt-1.2 MeV/s. Find the total energy released from fission products during
the interval t=10 seconds to t=100seconds, after the detonation of 50kT fission weapon.

Q-3: An implosion device contained 15 kg of Pu-239. Its detonation resulted in the fission of 7.5% of the
mass. (a) What was energy yield from the explosion in terms of kilotons of TNT equivalent? (b) What
is the energy release rate from the resulting fission products , five minutes after the detonation.

Q-4: A reactor produces heat at the rate of 3300 MW th (a) How many atoms of U-235 undergo fission per
second? (b) If the fuel in the core contains 2600 kg of U-235, what fraction of the fissile material has
been used up in 30 days of operation? (c) If the energy content of 1 metric ton of coal is approximately
25x108 BTU, how much fuel would be required in the same time by an equivalent coal-fired plant? (d)
If the coolant having a specific heat of 6.28 kj/kg-K enters the core at 626oF and leaves at 698oF,
what would be the coolant circulation rate in kg/s?

Q-5: In a 1000 MW th nuclear power plant, the fresh core contained 250 tons of 3.0% enriched uranium.
The reactor is shut down after 3 months of continuous operation at full power. Estimate the mass of
U-235 contained in the core?

Q-6: In a LWR, the specific energy yield of the nuclear fuel is approximately 3x104 MWD/Ton of uranium
prior to its discharge from the reactor. What fraction of fuel atoms has been fissioned in the discharge
fuel?

Q-7: A fresh fuel assembly in a PWR contains 400 kg of 3.6% enriched uranium, while its burn-up at
discharge is 40 MWD/kg. During its residence in the reactor core, about one-third of the energy is
produced due to fissions in the generated plutonium. Estimate the U-235 mass in the discharge fuel
assembly?

Q-8: A fresh fuel enrichment in the reactor is 3.15%, while the discharged fuel contains 0.8% U-235. If
burn-up of the discharge fuel is 33 MWD/kg, estimate the fraction of energy that must have been
generated in the core due to fissions in the plutonium?

Q-9: The surface area of the cladding of a fuel element is 1000 cm 2; its thickness is 0.024 inch and its
thermal conductivity is 10 BTU/(hr.ft.oF). (a) if the temperature difference across the cladding
thickness is 30oC, at what rate is energy being transported across it? (b) If steady-state conditions
prevail, how much thermal power is being generated in the fuel element?

Q-10: A fresh fuel bundle at KANUPP contained 15.3 kg of natural UO 2, and at its discharge from the core,
its U-235 content was 25.0 g. If 40% of the total energy is generated due to plutonium fissions,
estimate the fuel burn up (in MWD/ton) for this bundle?

Q-11: The average power produced by a fuel assembly while it is in the core of a PWR is 15 MW, of which
30% is produced due to fissions in the generated plutonium. It is discharged after residing in the core
for three years, when the fraction of U-235 in it has decreased to 0.9. If the total mass of uranium in
fresh fuel assembly was 380 kg, what was its initial enrichment level?
Q-12: The radio-isotope generator SNAP-9 developed for satellites, was fueled with 475g of 238PuC, which
had a density of 12.5 g/cm 3. 238PuC has a half life of 89 years, and emits 5.6 MeV energy gamma
rays per disintegration, all of which may be assumed to be absorbed in generator, with its thermal to
electrical efficiency being 5.4%. Calculate (a) the fuel efficiency in Bq/W th (b) The specific power in
W th/g of fuel (c) The power density in W th / cm3 (d) The total electrical power of the generator.

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