1 kg of Uranium 235 Produces 3 Million Times the Heat of 1 kg of Coal
Chemical element uranium has the atomic number 92 and the letter U. It is an actinide metal in the periodic table's silvery-gray series. There are 92 protons and 92 electrons in an atom of uranium, of which 6 are valence electrons. All uranium isotopes are unstable, making uranium very mildly radioactive. The half-lives of uranium's naturally occurring isotopes range from 159,200 years to 4.5 billion years.
Uranium-238, which contains 146 neutrons and makes up more than 99% of the uranium on Earth, and uranium-235 are the two most prevalent isotopes in natural uranium (which has 143 neutrons). The element with the largest atomic weight among those found in the early universe is uranium. It is extracted for commercial use from uranium-bearing minerals like uraninite, where it is found naturally in small amounts of a few parts per million in soil, rock, and water.
People have been debating the advantages of nuclear power vs conventional coal burning for a very long time. There are risks associated with nuclear, such as the possibility of meltdowns and the issue of radioactive waste. In contrast, burning coal results in pollution and is incredibly inefficient, as we'll discover shortly.
One kilogram of uranium-235 has the potential to produce 24,000,000 kWh of heat. In contrast, the same weight of coal will yield 8 kWh. In comparison to coal, uranium has a roughly three million times more capacity to produce energy. One ton of coal is equivalent to one single uranium fuel pellet.
- Power releases: 3 Million Times the Heat of 1 kg of Coal
