Nuclear Fission

• Thermal neutron fission of 235U forms compound

nucleus that splits up in more than 40 different ways
ways,
yielding over 80 primary fission fragments (products).
235 U + 10n ► 9037Rb + 14455Cs + 210n
92

235 U + 10n ► 8735Br + 14657Laa + 310n

92

235 U + 10n ► 7230Zn + 16062Sm + 410n

92
• The fission yield is defined as the proportion
(percentage) of the total nuclear fissions that form
products of a given mass number
number. Revisit thermal and look
for fast.
Nuclear
Nuclear Reactors,
Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester,
BAU, 1st Semester, 2007-2008
2008-2009 1
(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission

• Remember neneutron
tron eexcess.
cess
• (A,Z) ⇒ (A,Z+1) or (A-1,Z).

Only left
side of the
mass
parabola.

Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 2

(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• 235U + n Î 93Rb + 141Cs + 2n ≈ 165 MeV
average kinetic
• Q = ????
energy carried
• What if other fragments?
by fission
• Different number of neutrons.
fragments per
• Take
T k 200 M MeV
V as a representative
t ti value.
l
fission.

66 MeV 98 MeV

Heavy Light
fragments fragments

miscalibrated
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 3
(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• ν neutrons
emitted per
p
fission.
• ν depends
on fissioning
nuclide and
on neutron
energy
inducing
fission.

Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 4

(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• Mean neutron energy ≈ 2
MeV.
• ≈ 2.4 neutrons per fission
(average) X ≈ 5 MeV
average kinetic energy
carried by prompt neutrons
per fission.

• Show that the average momentum carried by a neutron is only ≈

1 5 % that carried by a fragment
1.5 fragment.
• Thus neglecting neutron momenta, show that the ratio between
kinetic energies of the two fragments is the inverse of the ratio of
their masses. E1 m2 66 95
≈ ≈
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009
(Saed Dababneh).
E2 m1 98 140 5
 Nuclear Fission
Enge Distribution of fission energy

Krane
sums
them up
as β Lost … !
decays.

Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 6

(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
Segrè Distribution of fission energy

a
Lost … ! b
c

• How much is recoverable?

• What about capture gammas? (produced by ν-1 neutrons
neutrons))
• Why c < (a+b
(a+b)) ?
st Semester,
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 11st Semester,2007-2008
2008-2009 7
(Saed
(Saed Dababneh).
Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• β and γ
emissions from
radioactive fission
products carry part
of the fission
energy, even after
shut down.
• On approaching end of the chainchain, the decay energy decreases
and half-life increases. Long-lived isotopes constitute the main
hazard.
• Can
C iinterfere
t f with
ith fifission
i process iin th
the ffuel.
l Example? (poisoning).
• Important for research.
•ββ-decay
decay favors high energy X ~20 MeV compared to ~66 MeV for γ.
• Only ~ 8 MeV from β-decay appears as heat. Why?
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 8
(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
f β-
A-1, Z ( γ)
(n, A, Z A, Z-1
j i k
(n γ)
(n, β-

A+1, Z A, Z+1

dNi/dt = Formation Rate - Destruction rate - Decay Rate

dN i
= γ i N f σ f φ + N jσ jφ + λk N k − N iσ iφ − λi N i
dt
Ni saturates
sat rates and is higher with
ith higher ne
neutron
tron flflux, larger “fission yield”
ield” and
longer half-live.
st Semester,
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 11st Semester,2007-2008
2008-2009 9
(Saed
(Saed Dababneh).
Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
HW 7
Investigate the activity, decay and gamma
energies of fission products as a function of time.
Comment on consequences (e.g. rod cooling).
dN i
• Shutdown = λk N k − λi N i
dt
HW 8
Investigate both λk N k > λi N i and λk N k < λi N i
giving full description for the buildup and decay of
fission fragment i.

Nuclear
NuclearReactors,
Reactors,BAU, st Semester,
BAU,11st Semester,2007-2008
2008-2009 10
(Saed
(SaedDababneh).
Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
P (t ) = 4.1x10 t 11
[ −0.2
− (t + T ) −0.2
]MeV / s
per watt of original operating power
power.
T = time of operation.

Fission
product
activity
ti it
after
reactor
shutdown?

Nuclear
NuclearReactors,
Reactors,BAU, st Semester,
BAU,11st Semester,2007-2008
2008-2009 11
(Saed
(SaedDababneh).
Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• The fission gamma radiation
¾ Prompt within 0 1 µs and with average
0.1
energy of 0.9 MeV.
¾ β delayed
y g gammas.
HW 9
• Investigate how prompt
gammas interact
i with
ih
water, uranium and lead.

Nuclear
NuclearReactors, BAU,1st1st
Reactors,BAU, Semester,
Semester,
2007-2008
2008-2009 12
(Saed
(Saed
Dababneh).
Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
HW 10 χ ( E ) = 0.453e −1.036 E
sinh 2.29 E
The experimental
spectrum of prompt
neutrons is fitted by
the above equation.
Calculate the mean
and the most
probable
b bl neutront
energies.

Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 13

(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• Recoverable energy release ≈ 200 MeV per 235U fission.
• Fission rate = 2.7x1021 P fissions p per day.
y P in MW.
• 3.12x1016 fissions per second per MW, or 1.2x10-5 gram of 235U
per second per MW (thermal).
• Burnup rate:
rate 1.05
1 05 P g/day.
g/day P in MW
MW.
• The fissioning of 1.05 g of 235U yields 1 MWd of energy.
• Specific Burnup = 1 MWd / 1.05 g ≈ 950000 MWd/t (pure 235U !!).
• Fractional
i l Burnup = ??? Act all m
Actually much
ch less
less.
• Thermal reactor loaded with 98 metric tons of UO2, 3% enriched,
operates
p at 3300 MWt for 750 days.
y
• ≈ 86.4 t U. Specific burnup ≈ 28650 MWd/t.
• Not all fissions from 235U.
• Fast fission of 238U.
U
• 238U converted to plutonium ⇒ more fission.
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 14
(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
σ γ (E)
• Capture to fission ratio: α ( E ) =
Capture-to-fission
σ f (E)
• Consumption rate:
rate 1.05(1+α) P g/day.

• Read all relevant material in Lamarsh

Ch. 4. We will come back to this later.
•Two neutrinos are expected immediately from the
decay of the two fission products, what is the minimum
fl off neutrinos
flux ti expected
t d att 1 km
k from
f the
th reactor.
t
Nuclear Reactors, BAU, 1st Semester, 2008-2009 4.8x1012 m-2s-1 15
(Saed Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• 3.1x1010 fissions per second per W.
• In thermal reactor, majority of fissions occur in
thermal energy region, φ and Σ are maximum.
• Total fission rate in a thermal reactor of volume V

V Σ fφ
• Thermal reactor power (quick calculation)

V Σ fφ
Pth = 10
3.1x10
Nuclear
NuclearReactors,
Reactors,BAU, st Semester,
BAU,11st Semester,2007-2008
2008-2009 16
(Saed
(SaedDababneh).
Dababneh).
 Nuclear Fission
• It is necessary to evaluate the potential hazards
associated with an accidental release of fission
products into the environment.
• It is required to determine a proper cooling time of the
spent fuel (before it becomes ready for reprocessing)
that depends on the decay times of fission products.
• It is necessary to estimate the rate at which the heat is
released as a result of radioactive decay of the fission
products after the shut down of a reactor
reactor.
• The poisoning is needed to be calculated (the parasitic
capture of neutrons by fission products that accumulate
during the reactor operation).
Nuclear
NuclearReactors, BAU,1st1st
Reactors,BAU, Semester,
Semester,
2007-2008
2008-2009 17
(Saed
(Saed
Dababneh).
Dababneh).