Nuclear Energy Fundamentals: Reactors, Reactions, and E=mc^2

Notes

16 Nuclear Meltdown: Greatest Risk to Nuclear Energy Control rods in the CANDU reactor are used to prevent a nuclear meltdown in the case of emergency They absorb the neutrons preventing a runaway chain reaction Nuclear meltdown Uncontrolled reactions within a reactor; leading to increase in the temperature of the core resulting in the release of radioactive substances into the environment Diploma Exemplars: Using Nuclear Power 1. - -T- ~> - - - ~ 2 - - - - O - - - 17 Einstein’s Famous Equation: Mass-Energy Equivalence Used to calculate the energy released from a Nuclear Reaction This formula says that mass can be converted into energy A tiny loss in mass results in a gigantic gain in energy Calculating Mass Converted to Energy in Nuclear Reactions if the is not provided to you, you will need to calculate the change in mass to use Use Data Book p. 8 “Nuclear Chemistry” Mass Tables Determine the masses of reactants and products to find the change in mass ( ) NOTE: kg/mol ∴ you just multiply each by the coefficient in the balanced reaction Often the coefficient is “1” Example Problem: →m →E = mc2 →m Page 8 in Data Book →m = mproducts Δ mreactants →m = mproducts Δ mreactants Units are...