Nuclear Missles and destruction?

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In summary, a nuclear power plant produces 15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, enough to power a city like Salem. This leaves me with three questions, let's see if you guys can help me out with them. The first question is what would the amount of energy be when converted to Joules? The second question is how much does the above energy weigh? The third question is what are the practical implications for safety if we knew how much mass was converted to energy in a 900 kiloton bomb.
  • #1
PhysicsJoe101
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Now a power plant produces 15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, enough to power a city like Salem. So this leaves me with three questions, let’s see if you guys can help me out with them.

What would the amount of energy be when converted to Joules?

How much does the above energy weigh?

The energy given off by nuclear weapons is measured in kilotons, where 1 kiloton equals 4 x 1012 Joules. How much mass is converted to energy in a 900 kiloton bomb?

Knowing that a lot of nuclear weapons exist, I want to see what the practical implications are for safety.
Thanks in advance.

PhysicsJoe
 
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  • #2
1 Joule = 1 W-s, so 1 kJ = 1 kW-s, where s = second. 1 Watt (W) = 1 Joule/sec.

Energy does not weigh anything. Matter in a gravity field has weight = mass * acceleration of gravity.

In nuclear fission, e.g. in U-235, approximately 200 MeV is released, of which about 175 MeV goes to the kinetic energy of the fission products and prompt gammas. The composite nucleus (of U-235 + n) has atomic mass of 236 amu, and 1 amu = 1.66053886 × 10−27 kg. 1 MeV = 1.6022×10−13J

or the specific energy of fission is approximately 7.155 x 107 J/kg. or 71.55 MJ/kg.
 
  • #3
A typical nuclear power plant produces more like 50 million kWh per day.
 
  • #4
PhysicsJoe101 said:
Now a power plant produces 15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, enough to power a city like Salem. So this leaves me with three questions, let’s see if you guys can help me out with them.

What would the amount of energy be when converted to Joules?

15e+06 kilowatt-hours = 15e+06 kilowatt-hours * 1000 watts/kilowatt * 3600 seconds/hour
= 5.4e+13 watt-sec = 5.4e+13 Joules

How much does the above energy weigh?

Energy doesn't "weigh" anything! Weight is how much force the Earth exerts on a quantity of matter.

The energy given off by nuclear weapons is measured in kilotons, where 1 kiloton equals 4 x 1012 Joules. How much mass is converted to energy in a 900 kiloton bomb?

For this you use Einstein's famous equation [tex]E = mc^2[/tex]

E = 900 kilotons = 900 kilotons * 4e+12 Joules/kiloton = 3.6e+15 Joules
= 3.6e+15 kg-m^2/s^2
= m c^2 = m ( 2.998e+08 m/s)^2 = m ( 8.988e+16 m^2/s^2)

Solving for m; m = 0.04 kg = 40 grams.

Knowing that a lot of nuclear weapons exist, I want to see what the practical implications are for safety.

Safety of what? Safety of nuclear reactors? The safety of a nuclear reactor has
absolutely NOTHING to do with how much mass is converted to energy in a weapon.

Nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons are VERY, VERY, DIFFERENT animals.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist
 
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  • #5
russ_watters said:
A typical nuclear power plant produces more like 50 million kWh per day.
Russ,

Correct.

A typical nuclear power reactor produces about 1000 Megawatts = 1 Million Kilowatts.

In a day, there are 24 hours. So in a day a typical 1 Gw(e) = 1000 Mw(e) power plant
produces 24 Million kWh per day.

1000 Mw(e) is a round number. [Some larger reactors will do about 1300 Mw(e).]

Many, if not most; nuclear power plants have 2 reactors or 2 Units.

If each unit is 1000 Mw(e); then a 2 unit plant will produce 48 million kWh per day.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist
 
  • #6
Astronuc said:
or the specific energy of fission is approximately 7.155 x 107 J/kg. or 71.55 MJ/kg.
Astronuc,

The specific energy of fission is how much energy you get from fissioning a given amount
of Uranium. However, there's still mass in the form of fission products on the product
side of the equation in addition ot the energy released.

I believe the question is not how much energy we can get from a given mass of uranium.

The question is how much mass was converted to energy.

For that; we use Einstein's famous equation [tex] E = mc^2[/tex]

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist
 
  • #7
But if PhysicsJoe101 wants to look at other yield weapons, all he has to do is divide by that value Astronuc gave him to find the minimum amount of U-235 that was fissioned.
 
  • #8
Thanks

Wow, thanks for the answers guys.
 

1. What are nuclear missiles and how do they work?

Nuclear missiles are powerful weapons designed to deliver a nuclear warhead to a specific target. They work by using a combination of a rocket engine and a nuclear warhead. The rocket engine propels the missile towards its target, while the warhead contains a nuclear explosive device that is detonated upon impact.

2. How much damage can a single nuclear missile cause?

The amount of damage caused by a nuclear missile depends on the size and type of the warhead, as well as the location of impact. A single missile can cause destruction on a massive scale, with the potential to kill millions of people and devastate entire cities.

3. Can a nuclear missile be intercepted or stopped?

Yes, there are systems in place to intercept and destroy incoming nuclear missiles. These include anti-ballistic missiles and missile defense systems. However, their effectiveness is limited and not guaranteed.

4. How many nuclear missiles are currently in existence?

As of 2021, it is estimated that there are over 13,000 nuclear missiles in existence, with the majority owned by the United States and Russia. Other countries with nuclear capabilities include China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.

5. What are the consequences of a nuclear missile being launched?

The consequences of a nuclear missile being launched would be catastrophic. It would result in immediate destruction and loss of life at the target location, as well as long-term effects such as radiation and environmental damage. It could also potentially lead to a global nuclear war and the devastating consequences that would come with it.

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