Question

Assuming a release of 173 MeV per fission reaction, calculate how many reactions must occur per second to produce a power output of 170 MW .

Answer 1

The number of reaction that must occur is 6.142 x 10¹⁸ reactions / second

Step-by-step explanation:

Given;

energy released by the fission reaction, E = 173 MeV

power output, P = 170 MW

Convert the energy released by the fission reaction to Joules;

= 173 x 10⁶ x 1.6 x 10⁻¹⁹ J = 2.768 x 10⁻¹¹ J

Convert the output power to joules per second;

= 170 x 10⁶ J/s

The number of reactions per second that must occur is given by;

`= (170*10^6 \ J/s)/(2.768*10^(-11) J/reaction) = 6.142 *10^(18) \ reaction/second`

Therefore, the number of reaction that must occur is 6.142 x 10¹⁸ reactions / second