As a rule of thumb, the complete fission of 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of uranium or plutonium produces about 17.5 kilotons of TNT-equivalent explosive energy.
When completely fissioned, 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of uranium-235 releases the energy equivalently produced by 17,000 tons, or 17 kilotons, of TNT.
The main use of uranium in the civilian sector is to fuel nuclear power plants. One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 20 terajoules of energy (2×1013 joules), assuming complete fission; as much energy as 1.5 million kilograms (1,500 tonnes) of coal.
A one-kiloton explosion is equivalent to detonating one-thousand tons of TNT, also a one-megaton is equivalent of one-million tons of TNT.
Similarly, a 1 megaton weapon would have the energy equivalent of 1 million tons of TNT. One megaton is equivalent to 4.18 × 1015 joules. In evaluating the destructive power of a weapons system, it is customary to use the concept of equivalent megatons (EMT).
Under controlled conditions one kilogram of TNT can destroy (or even obliterate) a small vehicle. The energy to burn 1 kilogram of wood. The approximate radiant heat energy released during 3-phase, 600 V, 100 kA arcing fault in a 0.5 m × 0.5 m × 0.5 m (20 in × 20 in × 20 in) compartment within a 1-second period.
Typically 1 gram of TNT produces about 1 litre of gas, which is a 1000 fold increase in volume. This expanding hot gas can be used to propel a projectile, such as a bullet from a gun, or for demolition purposes.
With a yield of 50 megatons of TNT, Tsar Bomba was the culmination of a number of hydrogen bomb tests conducted throughout this time by both the Soviet Union and the United States.
The energy released in an explosion of 1 gram of TNT is approximately 4000 Joules.
KOLKATA: In what is being claimed as a highly suspicious transaction, the detective department has nabbed five persons on Thursday evening who had come to Kolkata to sell what they claim is one kg Uranium, priced at Rs 3 crore in the open market.
Abstract. At the time of the accident in the reactor of the fourth power-generating unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, the core contained 1659 fuel assemblies. Each assembly contained 114.7 kg of uranium, and therefore the reactor contained a total of 114.7 x 1659 = 190,287.3 kg of uranium.
Nuclear power plants require very little physical fuel. For each megawatt hour of electricity generated, only 0.007 pounds of fuel is required, or… generating a 1,000,000 kilowatt hours (1 GWh), about the same electricity a person uses in their lifetime, requires 6.8 pounds of enriched uranium fuel.
The first two atomic bombs in 1945
About 64 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium was used in the bomb which had a 16 kiloton yield (i.e. it was equivalent to 16,000 tonnes of TNT). It was released over Hiroshima, Japan's seventh largest city, on 6 August 1945.
The bomb contained 64 kg (141 lb) of enriched uranium.
Natural uranium has undergone no enrichment (0.7% U-235), reactor-grade uranium has 5% U-235. By the way, 1 kg of weapons grade uranium (95% U-235) could power the entire USA for 177 seconds. All numbers assume 100% thermal-to-electrical conversion. See our energy density of nuclear fuel page for details.
Nuclear bombs have had yields between 10 tons TNT (the W54) and 50 megatons for the Tsar Bomba (see TNT equivalent). A thermonuclear weapon weighing as little as 600 pounds (270 kg) can release energy equal to more than 1.2 megatonnes of TNT (5.0 PJ).
Tsar Bomba, (Russian: “King of Bombs”) , byname of RDS-220, also called Big Ivan, Soviet thermonuclear bomb that was detonated in a test over Novaya Zemlya island in the Arctic Ocean on October 30, 1961. The largest nuclear weapon ever set off, it produced the most powerful human-made explosion ever recorded.
Russia's most powerful nuclear weapon was produced during the Soviet era called the Tsar Bomba. It is believed the bomb was the most powerful weapon of mass destruction which was developed in 1961 during the Cold War.
So a 10-megaton bomb detonated at an optimal altitude might do medium damage to a distance of 9.4 miles (15 kilometers) from ground zero, but a 100-megaton bomb “only” does the same amount of damage to 20.3 miles (33 kilometers).
The biggest nuclear blast in history came courtesy of Tsar Bomba. We could make something at least 100 times more powerful. Tsar Bomba was the largest nuclear bomb ever, yielding an explosion equivalent to 57 megatons of TNT, ten times more powerful than all of the combined munitions used during World War II.
Below are some rough estimates for an airburst detonation of the Tsar Bomba at 13,000 feet above the following cities, according to the simulator: New York City, New York - 7.6 million fatalities and 4.2 million injuries. Los Angeles, California - 3.9 million fatalities and 3.7 million injuries.
Black powder is a low explosive material comprised of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), sulfur and charcoal. While used as a propellant in fireworks and pyrotechnics, it is also used in some ammunition and muzzleloaders.
Solid TNT is not very sensitive to impact (relatively speaking), unless confined by sand paper discs. Molten TNT, at temperatures near and above the melting point, is more sensitive to impact. The presence of asphalt desensitizes the TNT to a small extent.
A teraton (prefix tera- one trillion) is a theoretical measure of explosive force equal to one trillion tons of TNT. As this is twenty-thousand times more powerful than the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated, it certainly matches its description as "a terribly powerful punching arm".