Nuclear Fusion
Michael OlsonMeteo 3100
Atmospheric ChemistryProf. Kevin Perry
Nuclear Fusion
● What is it?● How does it work?● What does it offer?● What advantages does it have?● What is the current state of Nuclear
Research?
What is Nuclear Fusion?
● "Fusion works on the principle that energy can be released by forcing together atomic nuclei" (BBC news)
● H2 + H3 → He4 + n
● This is one of the primary reactions of the sun.
What is needed for Fusion?
● H2 – abundant in oceans
● H3 – from Li – abundant in Earth's crust & in the oceans
● Temperatures > 100 million °C (for a Thermonuclear reaction)
● Sustained reaction to produce substantial energy to increase efficiency
Inside a plasma chamber
http://www.pppl.gov/fusion_basics/pages/fusion_reactions.html
Structure of H2 and H3
http://www.pppl.gov/fusion_basics/pages/fusion_reactions.html
http://www.pppl.gov/fusion_basics/pages/fusion_power_plant.html
How much Energy doesNuclear Fusion offer?
● Estimates say there is enough H2 for 10 trillion Quads of energy
● 1 Quad (quadrillion) = 1015 BTU = 1.055 ExaJoules = 293.07 teraWatt hours
● 10 trillion Quads = 1028 BTU = 1.055*107 yottaJoules = 2930 yottaWatt hours
● Yotta = 1027
● In 1998, the U.S. Consumed 94.27 Quads● Enough energy for 1*1011 years
Other Advantages to Fusion
● More rapid decay of nuclear waste (50-100 yrs)
● Only produces 6,000 tons of waste per year (only about 10 m3)
● Amount of energy available
● NO2 & SO2, sources of acid rain, not produced
Daily Fuel ConsumptionDaily Waste Production1,000 MegaWatts
Coal Plant D-T Fusion PlantF
U 9,000 T. CoalE
LW
A
S
TE
1.0 LB D2
3.0 LB Li5
(1.5 LB T2)
30,000 T. CO2
600 T. SO2 4.0 LB He4
80 T. NO2
ITER
● International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Station
● Approved to be built in Cadarache, France● Expected to be built in about a decade● Cost: 4.57 billion euros = $5.53 billion
Cold Fusion
● Dr. Martin Fleischmann, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Utah
● “On the Table” Fusion● Currently being studied for heating
homes● Reaction with H-attracted elements (like
Palladium and Titanium)
