0
The short answer is that the fuel to energy ratio for nuclear power is about 1 x 10-17 kilograms per joule from the loss of binding energy in either fission or fusion. (9 x 1016 joules per kilogram, or 90 petajoules per kilogram, or 21.5 megatons of TNT per kilogram, in more traditional form)
This comes from Einstein's famous mass-energy equivalence formula e = mc2.
The longer answer is that it depends on how much of the fuel is actually used in the fission or fusion reaction. No reactor or bomb uses all of its fuel. As the fuel is consumed, changes to geometry alter the reaction, with one result being that most of the fuel becomes unusable. Also, most reactors do not use 100% enriched fuel. A typical commercial power plant uses only 5% enriched Uranium-235. Even at 100%, you still don't use all of the fuel.
Take the case of the bomb dropped over Hiroshima in 1945. The Uranium core was 64 kilograms. It was highly enriched, but the exact percentage is classified. Of this 64 kilograms, only slightly less than one kilogram actually participated in the fission process and, of that, only 600 to 860 milligrams of uranium was converted to energy. That translates to a yield of about 54 to 75 terajoules or about 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT.
What else can I help you with?
How many times greater is the amount of electrical energy produced in the US by coal burning power plants than the amount produced by nuclear energy?
In the US, coal burning power plants produce around 1.2 times more electrical energy than nuclear power plants. This ratio fluctuates depending on the specific year and conditions.
How is energy efficiency determined?
Energy efficiency is typically determined by the ratio of useful energy output to total energy input in a system. It can be quantified by calculating the efficiency percentage, which is the amount of useful energy produced divided by the total energy input multiplied by 100. The higher the percentage, the more energy efficient a system is.
How could nuclear energy make long space trips more practical?
Nuclear energy could provide power for long periods, and the energy necessary for advanced high-speed propulsion in space. However, chemical rockets would still be needed to reach Earth orbit, because nuclear engines are space drives: they do not have the lift-to-weight ratio needed to achieve escape velocity. (This was once proposed as a use for nuclear bombs, but the launch system would create massive radioactive pollution.)
Is accidental radiation release a consequence of nuclear energy?
Yes. The bigger question should be "what is the risk/benefit ratio of nuclear energy?" That is subject to great debate, but the hard science behind all of it suggests strongly that it is lower than most of us will admit. Nuclear energy is environmentally safe, in the grand scheme of things, both from the perspective of accidental radioactivity release and from the ecological perspective of it not being a good idea at all to continue using fossil fuels.
What is the Efficiency of a Nuclear Power Station?
The ratio of the electric power output from the station (ie after subtracting house load used on the station) to the thermal output of the reactor. Both measured in MegaWatts, and expressed as a percentage. Depending on the design, a typical nuclear steam supply combined cycle is about 33% efficient. One plant that I worked at was rated around 2400 MWt, with the generator producing 850 MWe. With a house load of about 30 MWe, the net output was about 820 MWe, an efficiency of 34.2%.
How much energy is watsted when it is produced in a nuclear power station?
The average efficiency of a nuclear power station is about 33%, measured as the ratio of power electric over power thermal.
How many times greater is the amount of electrical energy produced in the US by coal burning power plants than the amount produced by nuclear energy?
In the US, coal burning power plants produce around 1.2 times more electrical energy than nuclear power plants. This ratio fluctuates depending on the specific year and conditions.
How much energy produced in fission of an atom of uranium compair to an carbon atom?
The energy produced by fission of a uranium atom is millions of times greater than that produced by a carbon atom. Uranium fission releases a large amount of energy due to its high nuclear binding energy per nucleon, whereas carbon fission releases only a fraction of that energy. This difference in energy release is the basis for the use of uranium in nuclear power plants.
What is the thermal efficiency of a plant?
The ratio of the power sent out by the plant to the energy produced from the fuel, in percent usually
What do you call energy made from split atoms?
Nuclear fission, made from the splitting of U-238 atoms mixed with a small ratio of U-235 atoms. For more information, visit the Nuclear Energy Institute's websithe @ nei.org
What is energy efficiency ratio in electrical power consuming equipment?
Energy efficiency is the ratio between the useful power, and the electrical power used. If this ratio is - for example - 70%, that means that the remaining 30% of the input power is wasted.
How is energy efficiency determined?
Energy efficiency is typically determined by the ratio of useful energy output to total energy input in a system. It can be quantified by calculating the efficiency percentage, which is the amount of useful energy produced divided by the total energy input multiplied by 100. The higher the percentage, the more energy efficient a system is.
Since nuclear energy is used to power submarines why can't it be used for rocket engines?
Its probably because nuclear powerplants are too heavy for rockets. Though in theory nuclear powered space craft are an option. == The primary useful product of a nuclear reactor is heat. To use heat generated by a nuclear power plant to drive a conventional rocket isn't very practicle because the power to weight ratio is not very good. And when we wish to rocket ourselves out of the bottom of this gravity well, we need lots of power and minimal weight. The nuclear plant can't deliver the kind of performance that lends itself to the launch of space vehicles.
What is the ratio between brake horse power and energy supplied?
Brake Thermal efficiency !!
What do you mean by the term mechanical efficiency of an engine?
It is the ratio of indicated power to brake power.
Is Decibel is the unit of power ratio?
It can be the power ratio. If you measure voltage or sound pressure it is not the power ratio.
How could nuclear energy make long space trips more practical?
Nuclear energy could provide power for long periods, and the energy necessary for advanced high-speed propulsion in space. However, chemical rockets would still be needed to reach Earth orbit, because nuclear engines are space drives: they do not have the lift-to-weight ratio needed to achieve escape velocity. (This was once proposed as a use for nuclear bombs, but the launch system would create massive radioactive pollution.)
