A typical nuclear fission power plant produces approximately

A typical nuclear fission power plant produces approximately 0.95 GW of electrical power. Assume the plant has an overall efficiency of 40.0% and each fission produces 200 MeV of energy. Calculate the mass of ^235U consumed each day. Your response differs from the correct answer by more than 10%. Double check your calculations. kg/d

Solution

Producced in one day : E =P*t=.95 * 10^9 J/s *24*3600 = 8.2080 * 10^13 J

At 40 % efficiency need E\'=E/.4 = 2.0520 * 10^13 J

Per Reaction Q = 200 * 1.6 * 10^-9 = 3.2 * 10^-11 J

number of reactions N=E\' /Q = 2.0520 * 10^13/3.2 * 10^-11 =6.41 * 10^24 reactions\'

mass consumed = N*mu =2.497 kg