How much energy is released as 1kg of hydrogen is consumed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter frozen7
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Energy Hydrogen
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the energy released when 1 kg of hydrogen undergoes fusion, specifically through the reaction of two hydrogen nuclei forming deuterium and a positron. The participant initially calculated the energy using mass difference and the conversion factor of 931.5 MeV, resulting in 25.708 MeV. However, this value differs from the expected energy output of 6 x 1014 J, indicating a miscalculation in the mass values used. The recommendation is to utilize standard isotope values instead of average atomic masses for accurate results.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of nuclear fusion processes
  • Familiarity with mass-energy equivalence (E=mc2)
  • Knowledge of isotopic mass values
  • Basic proficiency in energy conversion units (MeV to Joules)
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the standard mass values for isotopes of hydrogen and helium
  • Learn about the process of nuclear fusion in stars
  • Study the conversion of MeV to Joules for energy calculations
  • Explore the implications of mass defect in nuclear reactions
USEFUL FOR

Students in nuclear physics, astrophysicists, and anyone interested in understanding energy production in stars and the principles of nuclear fusion.

frozen7
Messages
163
Reaction score
0
15. The following fusion reaction takes place in the sun and furnishes much of its energy:
, where is a positron. How much energy is released as 1kg of hydrogen is consumed? The masses of 1H, 4He, and are, respectively, 1.007825, 4.002604, and 0.000549 u, where atomic electrons are included in the first two values

I do it by finding the difference of mass between the parent nucleus and daughter nucleus and multiply with 931.5MeV. The answer I got is 25.708MeV,which is actually different with the given answer, 6 x 10^14 J. Why?
Which part I have done wrongly?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
This might give you a clue:

^{1}_{1}H+^{1}_{1}H\xrightarrow~^{2}_{1}H + p

Try and use standard value for isotopes not the average.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
8K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
6K