Calculating Nuclear Fusion Energy

[frazzle96]

Hi,

I'm doing some coursework on nuclear fusion, and am trying to calculate the energy released by fusing a tritium and a deuterium atom together. I used the equation:

( Σ mass (reactants) - Σ mass (products) ) x 931.5 MeV/amu = Binding energy.

and Deuterium + Tritium = Helium + neutron

I know the value should be about 17.58 MeV, however when I did it it came out as about 18.1.

The values I used are Triton: 3.0160492u , Deuteron: 2.0135532u , Helium nucleus: 4.0015061u and a neutron: 1.0086649u.

Thanks in advance

Frazer

 

[cepheid]

This is not advanced physics. Moving thread.

Anyway, what source is telling you that the answer should be 17.58 MeV?

 

[frazzle96]

Sorry, posted it in the wrong place and couldn't figure out how to delete it, turns out I was using the tritium atomic mass rather than the mass of the nucleus so sorted now.

And these sources:

http://www.kutl.kyushu-u.ac.jp/seminar/MicroWorld3_E/3Part3_E/3P34_E/nuclear_fusion_E.htm

https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/f/fusion.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked...ion-reactions-for-controlled-power-generation

etc.