Nuclear Fission

NUCLEAR FISSION

1. Definition

In 1939, German Scientist Otto Hahn and F.Strassman discovered that when a uranium nucleus is bombarded with a neutron, it breaks up into two smaller nuclei of comparable mass along with the emission of a few neutrons and energy. This process of breaking (splitting) up of a heavier nucleus into two smaller nuclei with the release of a large amount of energy and a few neutrons is called 'nuclear fission'.

E.g.: Nuclear fission of a uranium nucleus (U²³⁵)

₉₂U²³⁵ + ₀n¹  → ₅₆Ba¹⁴¹ + ₃₆Kr⁹² + 3₀n¹ + Q (energy)

The average energy released in each fission process is about 3.2 × 10 ^-11 J. Nuclear fission is pictorially represented in Figure 6.2.

2. Fissionable materials

A fissionable material is a radioactive element, which undergoes fission in a sustained manner when it absorbs a neutron. It is also termed as 'fissile material'.

E.g.: U²³⁵, plutonium (Pu²³⁹ and Pu²⁴¹)

All isotopes of uranium do not undergo nuclear fission when they absorb a neutron. For example, natural uranium consists of 99.28 % of ₉₂U²³⁸ and 0.72 % of ₉₂U²³⁵. Of these two, U²³⁸ does not undergo fission whereas U²³⁵ undergoes fission. Hence, U²³⁵ is a fissionable material and U²³⁸ is non-fissionable.

There are some radioactive elements, which can be converted into fissionable material. They are called as fertile materials.

E.g.: Uranium-238, Thorium-232, Plutonium-240.

3. Chain Reaction

A uranium nucleus (U-235) when bombarded with a neutron undergoes fission producing three neutrons. These three neutrons in turn can cause fission in three other uranium nuclei present in the sample, thus producing nine neutrons. These nine neutrons in turn may produce twenty seven neutrons and so on. This is known as 'chain reaction'. A chain reaction is a self-propagating process in which the number of neutrons goes on multiplying rapidly almost in a geometrical progression.

Two kinds of chain reactions are possible. They are: (i) controlled chain reaction and (ii) uncontrolled chain reaction.

(a) Controlled chain reaction

In the controlled chain reaction the number of neutrons released is maintained to be one. This is achieved by absorbing the extra neutrons with a neutron absorber leaving only one neutron to produce further fission. Thus, the reaction is sustained in a controlled manner. The energy released due to a controlled chain reaction can be utilized for constructive purposes. Controlled chain reaction is used in a nuclear reactor to produce energy in a sustained and controlled manner.

(b) Uncontrolled chain reaction

In the uncontrolled chain reaction the number of neutrons multiplies indefinitely and causes fission in a large amount of the fissile material. This results in the release of a huge amount of energy within a fraction of a second. This kind of chain reaction is used in the atom bomb to produce an explosion. Figure 6.3 represents an uncontrolled chain reaction.

4. Critical Mass

During a nuclear fission process, about 2 to 3 neutrons are released. But, all these neutrons may not be available to produce further fission. Some of them may escape from the system, which is termed as 'leakage of neutrons' and some may be absorbed by the non-fissionable materials present in the system. These two factors lead to the loss of neutrons. To sustain the chain reaction, the rate of production of neutrons due to nuclear fission must be more than the rate of its loss. This can be achieved only when the size (i.e., mass) of the fissionable material is equal to a certain optimum value. This is known as 'critical mass'.

The minimum mass of a fissile material necessary to sustain the chain reaction is called 'critical mass (m_c)'. It depends on the nature, density and the size of the fissile material.

If the mass of the fissile material is less than the critical mass, it is termed as 'subcritical'. If the mass of the fissile material is more than the critical mass, it is termed as 'supercritical'.

5. Atom bomb

The atom bomb is based on the principle of uncontrolled chain reaction. In an uncontrolled chain reaction, the number of neutrons and the number of fission reactions multiply almost in a geometrical progression. This releases a huge amount of energy in a very small time interval and leads to an explosion.

Structure:

An atom bomb consists of a piece of fissile material whose mass is subcritical. This piece has a cylindrical void. It has a cylindrical fissile material which can fit into this void and its mass is also subcritical. When the bomb has to be exploded, this cylinder is injected into the void using a conventional explosive. Now, the two pieces of fissile material join to form the supercritical mass, which leads to an explosion. The structure of an atom bomb is shown in Figure 6.4

During this explosion tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat, light and radiation is released. A region of very high temperature and pressure is formed in a fraction of a second along with the emission of hazardous radiation like γ rays, which adversely affect the living creatures. This type of atom bombs were exploded in 1945 at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during the World War II.