Fuels in Nuclear Reactors (Oxford AQA IGCSE Physics)
Revision Note
Written by: Caroline Carroll
Reviewed by: Lucy Kirkham
Fuels in Nuclear Reactors
Within the core of a nuclear reactor, fuel rods are surrounded by water
The fuel rods release energy which is transferred to the water molecules, heating the water
The hot water is pumped into a heat exchanger
Tubes carrying a separate supply of water run through the heat exchanger
The energy is transferred by heating from the hot water in the heat exchanger to the cooler water in the tubes
This cools the hot water from the control rods enough to be returned to the reactor
The water in the tubes is heated and turns to steam
The steam turns a turbine which generates electricity
Model of a nuclear reactor
Isotopes of uranium and plutonium both undergo fission and are used as fuels in nuclear power stations
The two common isotopes used in nuclear reactors are:
Uranium-235
Plutonium-239
The majority of nuclear reactors use uranium-235
A possible nuclear equation for the fission of uranium-235 is
Worked Example
The table shows some information about different nuclei involved in a nuclear fission reaction within a nuclear reactor.
Nucleus | Symbol | Number of protons | Number of neutrons |
---|---|---|---|
Uranium | U | 92 | 143 |
Barium | Ba | 56 | 88 |
Krypton | Kr | 36 | 53 |
A nucleus of uranium undergoes fission when bombarded with a slow-moving neutron (n) causing it to split into the daughter nuclei barium and krypton plus the release of further neutrons.
Write a balanced nuclear equation for this fission reaction.
Answer:
Step 1: Write a word equation using the information in the question
Underline or highlight the keywords in the question which give information about the nuclei on the left-hand side (LHS):
"A nucleus of uranium undergoes fission when bombarded with a slow-moving neutron"
Underline or highlight the keywords in the question which give information about the nuclei on the right-hand side (RHS):
"causing it to split into the daughter nuclei barium and krypton plus the release of further neutrons"
Write a word equation for the reaction:
uranium + neutron → barium + krypton + neutrons
Step 2: Determine the correct symbols for each nucleus or particle
We need to write each nucleus or particle in notation
It can be useful to draw an extra row and column onto the table to do this (green indicates the changes made to the table):
Nucleus | Symbol | Number of protons Z | Number of neutrons | Mass number A |
---|---|---|---|---|
Uranium | 92 | 143 | 92 + 143 = 235 | |
Barium | 56 | 88 | 56 + 88 = 144 | |
Krypton | 36 | 53 | 36 + 53 = 89 | |
Neutron | 0 | 1 | 0 + 1 = 1 |
Step 3: Write the nuclear equation using the symbols
Step 4: Check the total number of protons on each side
Total number of protons (given by the atomic number):
On the LHS: 92 + 0 = 92
On the RHS: 56 + 36 + 0 = 92
The total number of protons is the same on both sides
Step 5: Check the total number of nucleons on each side and balance the equation
Total number of nucleons (given by the mass number):
On the LHS: 235 + 1 = 236
On the RHS: 144 + 89 + 1 = 234
There is a difference of 2, and the question states there is a "release of further neutrons"
This means there must be 2 extra neutrons released i.e. 3 neutrons in total
To represent this, we put a 3 in front of the neutron symbol on the RHS, so, the fully balanced equation is:
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You do not need to know the specific details of how a nuclear reactor generates electricity but you are expected to know the specific isotopes (uranium-235 and plutonium-239) that are used as fuels in nuclear reactors.
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