Fission & Fusion (Cambridge O Level Physics)

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Fission & Fusion

  • Nuclei can join together, or split up, to form new nuclei
  • These processes are known are
    • Nuclear fission
    • Nuclear fusion

Nuclear Fission

  • There is a lot of energy stored within the nucleus of an atom
    • This energy can be released in a nuclear reaction such as fission
  • Nuclear fission is defined as:

The splitting of a large, unstable nucleus into two smaller nuclei

  • Isotopes of uranium and plutonium both undergo fission and are used as fuels in nuclear power stations
  • During fission, when a neutron collides with an unstable nucleus, the nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei (called daughter nuclei) as well as two or three neutrons
    • Gamma rays are also emitted

How does nuclear fission work?

Nuclear fission, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

A neutron is fired into the target nucleus, causing it to split into two smaller nuclei

  • The products of fission move away very quickly
    • Energy transferred is from nuclear potential energy to kinetic energy
  • The mass of the products (daughter nuclei and neutrons) is less than the mass of the original nucleus
    • This is because the remaining mass has been converted into energy which is released during the fission process

Nuclear Fusion

  • Small nuclei can react to release energy in a process called nuclear fusion
  • Nuclear fusion is defined as:

When two light nuclei join to form a heavier nucleus

  • This process requires extremely high temperatures to maintain
    • This is why nuclear fusion has proven very hard to reproduce on Earth

  • Stars use nuclear fusion to produce energy
  • In most stars, hydrogen atoms are fused together to form helium and produce lots of energy

How does nuclear fusion work?

nuclear fusion, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Two hydrogen nuclei are fusing to form a helium nuclei

  • The energy produced during nuclear fusion comes from a very small amount of the particle’s mass being converted into energy
  • Albert Einstein described the mass-energy equivalence with his famous equation:

E space equals space m c squared

  • Where:
    • E = energy released from fusion in Joules (J)
    • m = mass converted into energy in kilograms (kg)
    • c = the speed of light in metres per second (m/s)
  • Therefore, the mass of the product (fused nucleus) is less than the mass of the two original nuclei
    • This is because the remaining mass has been converted into energy which is released when the nuclei fuse
  • The amount of energy released during nuclear fusion is huge:
    • The energy from 1 kg of hydrogen that undergoes fusion is equivalent to the energy from burning about 10 million kilograms of coal

  • An example of a nuclide equation for fusion is:

H presubscript 1 presuperscript 2 plus H presubscript 1 presuperscript 1 space rightwards arrow space He presubscript 2 presuperscript 3 + energy

  • Where:
    • straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 2 is deuterium (isotope of hydrogen with 1 proton and 1 neutron)
    • straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 1 is hydrogen (with one proton)
    • He presubscript 2 presuperscript 3 is an isotope with helium (with two protons and one neutron)

Worked example

The nuclear equation for a fission reaction is

Fission equation 2, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notesFission equation 2, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Calculate the number of neutrons N emitted in this reaction.

Answer:

Step 1: Calculate the nucleon number on the left side of the equation

LHS:  235 + 1 = 236

Step 2: Calculate the nucleon number on the right side of the equation 

RHS:  96 + 138 + N = 233 + N

Step 3: Equate the nucleon number for both sides of the equation 

LHS = RHS

236 = 233 + N

Step 4: Rearrange for the number of neutrons N

N = 236 – 233 = 3

  • Therefore, 3 neutrons are produced in this fission reaction

Fission Reactions

  • The processes involved in nuclear fission can be shown in different ways, such as diagrams and nuclear equations

Fission of Uranium-235

nuclear-fission, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Large nuclei can decay by fission to produce smaller nuclei and neutrons with a lot of kinetic energy

  • The diagram above is useful because it shows clearly the different parts of the fission reaction
  • An example of a nuclide equation for fission is:

straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 235 space plus space straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space rightwards arrow space Kr presubscript 36 presuperscript 92 space plus space Ba presubscript 56 presuperscript 141 space plus thin space 3 space straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space plusenergy

  • Where:
    • U92235{"language":"en","fontFamily":"Times New Roman","fontSize":"18"} is an unstable isotope of Uranium
    • n01 {"language":"en","fontFamily":"Times New Roman","fontSize":"18"} is a neutron
    •  Kr3692{"language":"en","fontFamily":"Times New Roman","fontSize":"18"} us an unstable isotope of Krypton
    • Ba56141{"language":"en","fontFamily":"Times New Roman","fontSize":"18"} is an unstable isotope of Barium
  • This equation represents a fission reaction in which
    • A Uranium-235 nucleus is hit by a neutron
    • It splits into two smaller nuclei – a Krypton nucleus and a Barium nucleus
    • Three neutrons are released in the process which can go on to trigger further fission reactions
  • The sum of the top (nucleon) numbers on the left-hand side equals the sum of top number on the right-hand side:

235 + 1 = 92 + 141 + (3 × 1)

  • The same is true for the lower (proton) numbers:

92 + 0 = 36 + 56 + (2 × 0)

Worked example

The nuclear equation for a fission reaction is

Fission equation 2, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notesFission equation 2, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Calculate the number of neutrons N emitted in this reaction.

Answer:

Step 1: Calculate the nucleon number on the left side of the equation

LHS:  235 + 1 = 236

Step 2: Calculate the nucleon number on the right side of the equation 

RHS:  96 + 138 + N = 233 + N

Step 3: Equate the nucleon number for both sides of the equation 

LHS = RHS

236 = 233 + N

Step 4: Rearrange for the number of neutrons N

N = 236 – 233 = 3

  • Therefore, 3 neutrons are produced in this fission reaction

Chain Reactions

  • Only one extra neutron is required to induce a Uranium-235 nucleus to split by fission
  • During the fission, it produces two or three neutrons which move away at high speed
  • Each of these new neutrons can start another fission reaction, which again creates further excess neutrons
  • This process is called a chain reaction

Chain Reaction Analogy

Chain reaction analogy, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

The neutrons released by each fission reaction can go on to create further fissions, like a chain that is linked several times – from each chain comes two more

Controlled Chain Reactions

  • In a nuclear reactor, a chain reaction is required to keep the reactor running
  • When the reactor is producing energy at the correct rate, the number of free neutrons in the reactor needs to be kept constant
    • This means some must be removed from the reactor

  • To do this, nuclear reactors contain control rods
  • These absorb neutrons without becoming dangerously unstable themselves

Uncontrolled Chain Reactions

  • Because each new fission reaction releases energy, uncontrolled chain reactions can be dangerous
  • The number of neutrons available increases quickly, so the number of reactions does too
  • A nuclear weapon uses an uncontrolled chain reaction to release a huge amount of energy in a short period of time as an explosion

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Katie M

Author: Katie M

Expertise: Physics

Katie has always been passionate about the sciences, and completed a degree in Astrophysics at Sheffield University. She decided that she wanted to inspire other young people, so moved to Bristol to complete a PGCE in Secondary Science. She particularly loves creating fun and absorbing materials to help students achieve their exam potential.