How to compute how much energy is released in nuclear fusion?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the energy released during nuclear fusion, specifically using the fusion of deuterium and tritium to form helium and a neutron. The mass loss is computed as Δm = m(²H) + m(³H) - m(⁴He) - m(¹n) = 0.0188828u, leading to a reaction energy of approximately 2.81 x 10-12 J. However, the expected energy output is around 3.4 x 1014 J, indicating a misunderstanding in scaling the energy per reaction to energy per kilogram.

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  • Understanding of nuclear fusion processes
  • Familiarity with mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²)
  • Knowledge of atomic mass units (u) and their conversions
  • Basic principles of energy calculations in physics
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  • Research the mass-energy equivalence formula and its applications in nuclear physics
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  • Explore the concept of energy density in nuclear fuels
  • Investigate the calculations involved in scaling energy outputs from reactions to mass-based metrics
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Physicists, nuclear engineers, students studying nuclear physics, and anyone interested in the energy calculations related to nuclear fusion processes.

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Homework Statement
In a fusion power plant, it is planned to use deuterium and tritium, so that one gets helium and neutrons. How much one gets energy if we have $1\textrm{ kg}$ fuel?
Relevant Equations
$\Delta m=m(_1^2\textrm{H})+m(_1^3\textrm{H})-m(_2^4\textrm{He})-m(_0^1\textrm{n})$
I thought the first step is to compute the loss of mass. ##\Delta m=m(_1^2\textrm{H})+m(_1^3\textrm{H})-m(_2^4\textrm{He})-m(_0^1\textrm{n})=2.0141018u+3.0160493u- 4.0026033u-1.0086650u=0.0188828u##. The corresponding reaction energy is ##0.0188828 \cdot 931,5MeV=17.54MeV\approx 2.81\cdot 10^{-12}J##. But the answer is about ##3.4\cdot 10^{14}\textrm{ J}##. What is my mistake?
 
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If the energy per reaction is 2.81e-12 J, what is the energy per kg?
 

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