Calculating amount of fissionable material needed for reactor

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the mass of Uranium-235 (235U) needed for a fission reactor producing 300 MW of electrical power with an efficiency of 30%. The correct approach involves first determining the total energy output required, which is 1,000 MW due to the efficiency factor. Using the equation E=mc², the calculated mass of 235U required for one day of operation is approximately 834.98 Kg. The participants confirm that the efficiency must be factored into the total energy calculation to arrive at an accurate mass requirement.

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Homework Statement


A fission reactor produces 300 MW of electrical power with an efficiency of 30%. Calculate the mass of 235U consumed by the reactor in one day.


Homework Equations


Power = Energy/Time

E=mc^2

The Attempt at a Solution


Using the above equations I got an energy of 1.62 x 10^23 MeV. The corresponding mass found using the fact that 1 amu = 1.66 X 10^-27 Kg was 0.250 Kg. Is this right? I don't see how to bring the efficiency of 30% into this. Is it basically 30% of the energy that I calculated?
 
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Ah wait, I realized that I needed to add another 70% onto the 300 MW which gave me 1,000 MW. However the answer I got was 834.98 Kg, seems pretty high to be correct. Am I doing something wrong?
 

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