Nuclear Fission

Lesson 7
Nuclear Fission
Mr. Lindell

12th Grade Physics

Unit 5: Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Decay
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Introduction to lesson 7 on nuclear fission in the unit on nuclear reactions and

radioactive decay. We’ll be introducing what is nuclear fission in this lecture.

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Objectives
• Key terms with nuclear fission
Be Able To Define • Difference between types of nuclear reactions

• Elements that are fissile and their characteristics

Understand • Fission process and reaction mechanism
• The difference between a controlled and uncontrolled chain reaction

• Previous concepts to explain and to define fission

Apply • Uses for fission reactions
• Form an opinion on nuclear fission and pro’s/cons of its use

• HS-PS1-8. Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the
Standards atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
• RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual

Addressed form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g.,
in an equation) into words. (HS-PS1-1)

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The objective for the lecture is for the students to be able to define key terms
associated with nuclear fission, including reactants and products and reaction
mechanisms. Students should also be able compare fission versus other nuclear
reactions to define common areas and differences.
Students should understand what elements are fissile, and what are the characteristics
of those elements. They should define these characteristics using atomic number and
mass, nucleus size, position on the periodic table, and whether they are stable or
unstable. They should also be able to write down and explain the fission process both
in the reaction mechanism format written and verbally, explaining what each of the
reactants and products are and if they are balanced. In addition, They should be able to
do this for uranium and plutonium fission reactions. In addition, they should be able to
talk about some of the differences in the reactions and similarities. We’ll go chain
reactions and discuss what makes a reaction controlled or uncontrolled.
For application, students should be applying what we’ve learned on atomic structure to
this lesson, the terms, the laws, and equations. We’ll go thru some uses of nuclear
fission and culmimate in you forming an opinion on nuclear fission and discuss pro’s
and con’s of use.

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A question for you….

Is nuclear power the future of our life on

Earth or the way we’ll end life on Earth?

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There is no right or wrong way to answer this question. Some people see nuclear
power as a bomb waiting to go off, while others see it as clean energy that is limitless.
In this question, it is not about being right or wrong, but linking why you believe certain
things and tie it to the lesson plan. For instance, some believe nuclear power is a way
to create independence from oil and petroleum products because of its ability to
provide almost unlimited power. Other see nuclear power as creating a multi-
generational problem with waste that will be with us for hundreds of thousands of
years. Are both of these true? That is what we want to understand in this lecture.

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Overview
❑ Relevant background content Remember our ground rules:

❑ Intro to fission
❑ Definition and terms Follow the discussion

❑ Fission reaction and reaction

Take notes
mechanism
❑ Mass balance Participate and share observations
❑ Chain reaction
Don’t wrestle with issues – ask!
❑ Uses of nuclear fission
❑ Culminating activity

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Overview of the material we will be covering in the lecture. Please also remember our
ground rules for lecture to ensure you are getting the most benefit and actively
participating.

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Review of past concepts

• Recall the Law of Conservation of Energy and Matter
• What is it?
➢ Matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed

• Atomic structure – what is at the center of the atom?

• Nucleus
➢Neutrons
➢Protons

• Of the 4 types of forces, two were nuclear forces

➢Weak: between protons and electrons
➢Strong: bind particles in the nucleus (binding energy)
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We’ll review some supporting material from previous concepts.

The law of conservation of energy states that matter and energy can neither be created
nor destroyed. It can change form but the total amount stays constant. This allows us to
balance equations as the total available energy and mass for the reactants and
products is constant. With this knowledge, we can calculate how much energy it takes
to start a reaction or how much energy is released from a reaction.

For nuclear reactions, we have to use our understanding of the atomic nucleus which is
made up of protons and neutrons. The nucleus is at the center of the atom and
comprises most of its mass. When we talk about the splitting of the atom, we are
talking about splitting the nucleus into different elements.

We know nuclear reactions can unleash great forces…where do these forces come
from? There are 4 forces: gravitational forces, chemical forces, strong nuclear forces
and weak nuclear forces. For nuclear reactions, it is the strong nuclear forces between
particles in the nucleus, other wise known as binding forces will be the key forces we’ll
be using in this unit. For a reaction to start, we have to have a neutron hitting the
nucleus with enough force to overcome the binding forces so the nucleus can split.

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Matter and Energy

• How are matter and energy related?

➢By the square of the speed of light

Albert Einstein

➢Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared

➢Conversion of mass to energy / energy to mass

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With the law of conservation of energy and mass, we need to understand how these
two terms are related. Albert Einstein discovered that relationship with this famous
equation e equal to m c squared. The energy of anything is equal to its mass times the
speed of light squared. The speed of light is a constant and extremely large, so this tells
us that even if even if we convert a small amount of matter to energy, that amount of
energy will be large.
This relationship is at the heart of nuclear reactions. With fission, small amounts of
matter are lost when we split the atom, so we are creating energy. With fission, you’ll
see how the reaction rates can get large very fast, so you have a large number of
reactions losing small amounts of mass that individually equate to a large amount of
energy being produced.

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Introduction: what is fission?

• Splitting an atomic nucleus into fissionable
fragments
• Fissionable fragments are smaller atomic
nuclei and neutrons
• Energy is given off by this process

Reaction video of fission

From: The Harnessed Atom

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So let’s start our discussion.

What is fission. Fission is a process to split atoms. With fission, we are taking the
nucleus and breaking it into parts. For the purpose of this lecture, we will keep it simple
and stay in two parts but fission can result in 3 parts. These smaller parts are called
fissionable fragments.
So we start with a nucleus, and we need to hit it with something –let’s say a neutron –
and then it becomes highly unstable and splits into smaller parts fissionable fragments.
These fissionable fragments are more stable.
But two more things are typically given off by fission.
First is energy….gamma radiation and mass converted to energy are products
Second, fission usually releases other products like neutrons. You understand the
importance of these neutrons as we go into the discussion.
Let’s watch this video of fission occurring to see the process happening. Note the
nucleus, the neutrons, and the fissionable materials.

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Introduction: what is fission?

• Fissile nuclei are heavy elements with more neutrons than protons
• When struck by neutrons, become unstable and initiate the fission process

• Fission process: strong nuclear force (binding energy) is overcome by

an incoming particle (neutron)
• When the strong nuclear force is disrupted, electrostatic repulsion splits the
nuclei into two fissile fragments

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So are all elements capable of going thru nuclear fission? Theoretically, yes. However,
there are some elements in the actinoid series in the periodic table that are the most
useful for fission.
Recall the actinoid series are large elements very high atomic numbers. What are
atomic numbers? They are the quantity of protons. Fissile nuclei have the characteristic
of having more neutrons than protons in their nucleus. So how can you determine the
number of neutrons using the information in the periodic table?
The atomic mass is the number of protons and neutrons and the atomic number is the
number of protons. Subtracting the two gives you the number of neutrons. You can see
that uranium 238 has 140 neutrons and 92 protons. Let’s determine the number of
neutrons in Plutonium (150) and Americium (148).
Remember when we talked about the strong nuclear forces. It is the energy that keeps
the nucleus strongly bound to each other. It will take a lot of energy to overcome those
forces. However, a very fast neutron has the energy to break those forces, causing the
nucleus to split into two fissile fragments.

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Fissile materials – most common

• Uranium 235
• Naturally occurring
Uranium Uranium
Protons_____ Protons 92
Neutrons____ Neutrons 146

• Plutonium-244 is the most readily available form of plutonium, but

Pu239 isotope is fissile
• Pu-239 is not naturally occurring; made by enriching U-235
Plutonium Plutonium
Protons_____ Protons 94
Neutrons____ Neutrons 150

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The most common fissile material are U235 and Pu239. Let’s do a quick check and have
you write down the number of protons and neutrons for both.

U235 is naturally occurring and is mined. We’ll go over that process later in the
discussion. It has 92 protons and 146 nuetrons.

Plutonium is the other most widely used fissile material. Plutonium 239 is manmade
and not naturally occurring. It starts by enriching U235 and adding alpha particles and
neutrons to it to create the Pu239 isotope.

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Fission reaction – U235

Steps
1. Neutron + U235 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

2. U236
3. Kr89 + Ba144 + 3 neutrons
+ gamma radiation + energy

Fission reaction steps of U235 for form Kr89 and Ba144

YouTube video from Socratic.org
On U235 fission reactions (watch to 3:45 only)

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Let’s start by talking about the U235 fission reaction. On the slide we have a diagram of
the steps.
A U235 nucleus is hit by a fast neutron. They combine to form U236 which is a highly
unstable isotope.
That isotope immediately splits to form krypton89 and barium144 which are more
stable.
Note that the reaction also releases energy and 3 neutrons.
The energy comes from the net energy loss by the strong nuclear forces being lower in
the products than in the reactants and in the loss of some matter in the fission process.
But recall that matter loss is multiplied by the speed of light squared so it is the primary
source of energy for fission.
Let’s watch the video from Socratic.org on the fission reaction and the equations.

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Now you try

• Write in the reaction equation for U235

• ___U
235 1 236
92 + ___
0 n ___U
92

Is this balanced?
• ___U
236 89 144 1
92 ___
36 Kr + ___Ba
56 + 3 ___n
0 + energy
What is missing and how do you know?

3 neutrons to balance the reaction

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Okay, let’s have you write the equations down for the U235 fission reaction.

Let’s check our answers. Is the equation balanced? Is the mass balanced?

You’ll recall that you don’t have to write this in two equations but can do it in 1 because
U236 is so unstable it doesn’t exist long at all.

I’d like us to keep writing it this way until we can all be assured we have that step
understood and then we can simplify.

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Fission – energy release

• Energy comes from breaking the strong nuclear forces and mass lost
through the fission process

• One U235 atom energy emitted = 202.5 MeV = 3.24E-11 J

• For 1 kg of U235 = 83.14 TJ/kg 2.5 million times more

than the energy released
from burning 1 kg coal!

• Progress check: What are some of the characteristics of an element

that can be used in nuclear fission?

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Let’s quantify how much energy is released from the fission reaction. You will not have
to calculate this quantity but it helps to see how it compares to some other items to
see the value of the nuclear reaction.

Recall the energy comes from the net loss of strong nuclear forces and the loss of
matter in the process. The majority of the energy is from the mass loss.

So for one collision and fission reaction with one U235 atom, it gives off 202.5 Million
electon volts of power or 3.24x10-11 joules. I know you are thinking that can’t be a lot
of power, and it isn’t. but that is just the energy from 1 atom of uranium.

What if we had a kilogram of uranium. Now that number goes to 83.14 terra joules per
kg….2.5 million times more energy than the equivalent amount of coal.

So that is what makes nuclear fission reactions such a powerful source of energy.

Let’s pause and do a progress check.

What are some fo the characteristics of an element that can be used in nuclear fission?
Shout them out.

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Chain reaction
• Needed an initiator to start. How does it continue?

• Recall the 3 neutrons released from the reaction

• They hit other U235 nucleus

Chain reaction using ping pong balls and mousetraps

Dalton Nuclear Institute From: The Harnessed Atom

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Now we have talked about one reaction, but recall I said that the power of nuclear
reactions is large because of all the reactions that are occurring. Those occurrences are
called a chain reaction.
Remember the products of a fission reaction: 3 neutrons are produced for every 1
neutron hitting a nucleus. So if you had a dense pack of uranium atoms and shot a
neutron into it, the chances are high you would hit one. That one atom would undergo
fission and emit 3 neutrons. We’ll assume all 3 are fast neutrons, and so the odds are
good that those neutrons will hit 2-3 other uranium atoms, causing them to undergo
fission. You can see how this can quickly escalate to cause a steep increase in uranium
atoms undergoing fission.
So just to repeat. Fission takes an initiator like a fast neutron to split the nucleus. As
part of that process, 3 more neutrons are released which in turn hit other nucleus’s and
they emit 3 neutrons each. So now we have 9 free neutrons. Those hit 9 atoms to
release 27 neutrons. What kind of progression is this considered? It is a logarithmic
progression….3 to power n where n is the number of collisions.
To bring to life how this works, let’s watch a simulation from the Dalton Nuclear
Institute where ping pong balls on mousetraps simulate atoms and neutrons and they’ll
fire a ping pong ball neutron into the midst. Did you see how fast the reactions sped
up? One neutron for one reaction quickly spread.

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Nuclear Fission

Uncontrolled chain reaction

• Three types of reactions driven by mass:
• Subcritical mass: not sustainable reaction rate____
• Critical mass: self-sustaining reaction rate____
• Supercritical mass: increasing reaction rate____

• Supercritical mass can get to uncontrolled levels

• Remember each reaction releases 3 neutrons!

Chain reaction time, Dalton Nuclear Institute

• Reaction rates can escalate logarithmically – really fast.

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So what happens when the reaction speeds up? What are the terms? There are three
ways of describing the reaction speed as one way of controlling the speed of the
reaction is controlling the amount of mass available.
Subcritical mass means the reaction is not self-sustaining. If something is not self-
sustaining, what do you think that means for its reaction rate? Any guesses? Yes, it is
declining.
Critical mass means the reaction is stable and staying steady. What does that imply for
the reaction rate? You guessed it, it is staying the same. No change.
Supercritical mass means the reaction is increasing. What do you think the reaction
rate is doing? Yes, it is increasing.
These terms are all used to describe the amount of mass needed to start and grow a
reaction, keep it sustained, or to slow it and stop it. Supercritical mass can also get to
uncontrolled levels. We’ve heard of nuclear meltdown and runaway reactions…that is
when a reaction goes to such supercritical levels that it can’t be contained – it is
growing at such a high rate, giving off a lot of neutrons and energy that it will melt its
way through protective layers. In the graph here you can see that logarithmic expansion
of the reaction rates. You’ll see how in just microseconds, it goes from zero to 500 and
then rockets up from there. And what is a microsecond? A millionth of a second! So
that means in a logarithmic progression, the reaction rates can get really large really

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fast. That is what makes an uncontrolled chain reaction – a supercritical mass going
beyond the point where it can be controlled or slowed – so dangerous.

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Controlled chain reaction

• What can control a chain reaction?

• Absorbing free neutrons

• Slowing fast neutrons (not enough
energy to initiate reaction)

• Boron absorbs neutrons

• Water slows neutrons
• Hydrogen nucleus similar size as neutron
Water moderating a chain reaction
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/NucEne/moder.html

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So what can you do to control a nuclear reaction.

We just learned that the rate of reaction is driven by the number of neutrons being
emitted. How do you slow of stop a fission reaction?
That’s right – slow or stop neutrons to slow down the rates.
There are materials that absorb neutrons like boron and cadmium. These materials like
boron-10 absorb a neutron to become a more stable boron-11.
Other ways of slowing reactions are to use water. Recall the nucleus of a hydrogen ion
in water…it is a proton which is the same size as a neutron. So collissions with the
hydrogen ions cause the neutrons to be slowed, slowing the reaction rates as there will
be fewer fast neutrons. Water can’t stop the reaction but it serves to moderate the
reaction to prevent uncontrolled reactions.

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Another example - Plutonium

• Pu239 fission reaction

• Initiated with high speed neutron

• Fissile fragments are xenon and zirconium and 3 neutrons

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Let’s go to another example of Plutonium.

Plutonium is also another fissile material. It has a similar reaction mechanism as
uranium by which a neutron hits the plutonium nucleus to make it unstable Pu240
isotope which splits to become xenon and zirconium as well as releasing energy and 3
neutrons.
The reaction is very similar to uranium, but different reactant and products.
The reaction operates in the same manner as we discussed with U235.

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Uranium versus plutonium Now you try

• Reaction equations and some key facts:
U235 Pu239

Energy release: 200 MeV Energy release: 207 MeV

Half life: 704 million years Half life: 24,110 years

Naturally available Needs to be created

What material do you think is more widely used and why?

Data and equations from https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-power-plant/nuclear-fuel/

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Here are some reaction facts and the equations for U235 and Pu239. Here are some
facts on the reaction mechanisms, energy release and half lives

Let’s do a knowledge check – what material do you think is more widely used and why?

You can see the energy release is close, but recall small differences multiplied by the
speed off light are huge. That is one reason why plutonium has a slight advantage over
uranium. However, plutonium has to be created from uranium in order to be used so
there are more processing steps. IN addition, note the half life. Plutonium decays
quickly versus uranium being here for millions of years.

Uranium is actually slightly more in use because of availability. Certain reactors use
plutonium because of its higher energy output which makes it appealing to produce
more energy per kg of reactant.

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Uses of nuclear fission – power plant

• One of the major uses of fission is in electricity generation
• France is #1 at 72%, USA at #2 at 20%

% electricity generated by various fuels in the USA 2016

US Energy Information Association % electricity generated by various fuels in France 2016
Jancovici.com

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When you look at a key use of nuclear fission it is to create electricity. Nuclear fission
generates the heat to create steam that turns the turbine to create the electricity. You
can see by harnessing the atom it can be used to create electricity.
Electrical production in the US is 20% by nuclear, with the majority now natural gas.
Coal which used to be the majority contributor is down to 30% and still declining. The
outlook for nuclear in the US is mixed with older plants retiring and new plants in
construction but taking longer to get into service.
France is the global leader in nuclear power with 72% of their power coming from
nuclear. The US is #2 and Japan was #3. Japan has reduced their dependence on
nuclear because of issues within some of the infrastructure of their nuclear plants.
Globally, nuclear power is mixed, growing in some regions and contracting in others.

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Source of uranium
• USA only domestically produces a small amount of the uranium used
annually

• Most comes from Canada, Russia and Kazakhstan

• Uranium is mined and refined

Open pit uranium mine in Africa

geographical.co.uk

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Uranium is mined. It used to be primarily produced in the USA for US needs, but now
domestic uranium production accounts for only 9% of US use.
Canada, Russia and Kazakhstan make up just under 60% of our supply, with Africa and
Australia also key sources.
Uranium is mined, typically with strip mining operations to get at the uranium ore.
We’ll talk about the refinement process next.

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Processing of uranium
Uranium ore is mined

Ore is crushed then ground

Converted into uranium fluoride gas

Uranium is extracted

Uranium is concentrated

Oxygenated to form fuel rods

Sent to power plants for use

Uranium processing process
From Energy Resources of Australia

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Uranium is mined as ore. It is transported and then crushed and ground into power.
This powder is soaked in chemicals to extract the uranium and dried to become yellow
cake. It is taken to a conversion plant where the yellow cake is ground into a fine
powder and then burned with fluorine gas to become Uranium Fluoride gas which is
then enriched to increase the concentration of uranium in a repetitive process. The
enriched uranium fluoride gas is then converted to Uranium oxide which is a solid and it
is impregnated within other metals to form fuel rods for reactors. The fuel rods are
then shipped to reactors to be placed with the reactor chambers.

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Fission in a power plant

• Fission reaction provides the
heat to create steam which
turns the turbines to create
electricity

• Refueled about every 6 years

• Waste products are heat, steam, Nuclear power plant schematic

http://www.greenandpractical.com/nuclear.html
and nuclear waste

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A nuclear power plant and a coal fired or gas fired plant are similar in design on how
they produce electricity with steam. The key difference is the source of heat to create
the steam.

The nuclear plants use the fission process to release energy to boil the water to
supercritical temperatures. This steam then turns the turbines and returns after being
cooled.
The reactor is also cooled by water to help moderate the reactions and the operating
temperatures.
A load of fuel rods will last for up to 6 years of continuous operation. That compares to
a coal plant which needs a continuous supply of coal weekly to stay in operation.
One other difference is that a nuclear plant will have a place to store and cool spent
nuclear fuel rods which are stored under water. The waste products of the nuclear plant
are waste heat and steam and nuclear waste. That compares to a coal plant with a large
coal yard, a coal ash storage site, soot from the stack, and waste heat and steam.

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Nuclear power plant

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Here is a video of a nuclear plant reactor with some of those key features identified
that make it different than a coal or gas fired plant.

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Controlling the reaction

• Control rods are used to control the rate of
reaction in the reactor
• Rods are raised or lowered to control the reaction
• Water is also used to moderate the reactions
• Rods made of boron or cadmium isotopes encased
in metal to absorb neutrons.

Control Rod mechanism

Control Rod schematic

Lowered on left
Raised on right

Images from Control Rods in Nuclear Reactors, James Grayson

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We have talked about controlled and uncontrolled reactions. One way of controlling the
reaction is to capture or absorb neutrons to slow the reactions. In nuclear plants,
controls rods are in the reactor and they are lowered or raised to control the reaction
rates. If the rate needs to go up, the rods are raised. If the reaction needs to slow, the
rods are lowered. The rods are designed in case of failure to drop to shut down the
reaction. The control rod mechanism is shown – they slide in between the fuel rods.
The rods are composed of isotopes of boron and cadmium that are neutron acceptors
in order to create more stable isotopes. These materials have a capacity to absorb a
large amount of neutrons so are able to operate over the life of the fuel rods.

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Containment
• The containment building is
designed to capture any
nuclear radiation leaks or
reactor failures
• Outer containment vessel
• Multiple reactor
containment systems
• Note the thickness and other
materials noted like lead

Typical Containment Building

Nuclear Power Information, Duke Energy

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The nuclear reactor vessel and building are made with heavy dense material. Their
primary purpose is to contain radiation and steam to prevent any leaks to the outside
and to protect the workforce.
The outer building called a containment building is made of ¾ thick steel in this version,
3-4 feet thick concrete in other versions. The design is to keep any small explosion,
steam leak contained within the building.
The shield building wall is 3 foot thick reinforced concrete that also creates a barrier for
radiation and trapping expanded gases and steam from escaping. The shield is the
primary protection from the reactor and is 4 foot thick leaded concrete with 1.5” thick
steel lining inside and out. This is the primary means of capturing and blocking any
radiation with the lead forming blockers for any high speed particles or gamma
radiation.
The actual reactor vessel is almost 9” of carbon steel. The high carbon steel will be
highly resistant to rust and weakening due to radiation exposure. This vessel has to
operate at very high temperatures and pressures to contain the steam and heat of the
nuclear reaction.
The containment building is designed to stop and contain most types of incidents but
failures have happened due to human errors (Three Mile Island, Chernobyl), or
unexpected situations (Fukashima)

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Energy release in fission vs coal

• High energy per kg of fuel

• Energy per kg of fuel

• Coal: 3.3x 107 Joules/kg
• Fission: 2.1x1012 Joules/kg

Energy from different power generation systems

Georgia Power and Light

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For this last area, let’s compare the energy released from nuclear fission versus
coal. On a per kilogram basis, coal delivers 3.3x 107 Joules/kg while fission
delivers 2.1x1012 Joules/kg. Fission is so much more efficient than coal on a per
kg basis.
Look at operating temperatures. The temperatures are close but nuclear can
operate at higher temperatures because the fission reaction is so powerful.
We’ll be talking about fusion in the next lesson but the chart gives you some
idea of why fusion is much sought after with energy release two orders of
magnitude greater than fission. However, look at the operating temperature for
fusion which is its primary drawback….it has to be close to the temperature of
the sun to operate.

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Now You Try

• What does it take to initiate a nuclear reaction? And for what
scenarios would you want the reaction to be sub-critical mass, critical
mass, or supercritical mass?

• Based on what you learned today, do you see a future for more, less
or about the same for nuclear power in the USA? Why?

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Now that we have covered nuclear fission, I want you to answer these two questions.
Consider the terms, equations, and values in the lecture and in your notes and use
those in your answers.

The second question is an opinion. There is no right or wrong answer but support your
position with the points in the lecture and from other areas that you research.

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