Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fusion. It’s something I’m obsessed with. It rocks my socks. Nuclear Fusion has been getting some media attention lately. (See Tabletop nuclear fusion and nuclear fusion at room temp. for articles.) What exactly is it? Why is this such a huge thing and what effects will it have on our lives? These are all topics I’m going to cover here and more.
What is Nuclear Fusion?
Fusion is the joining of nuclei aka a lot of nucleus’ to make a bigger nucleus.
The sun: How does the sun get so hot you might ask. What keeps it burning? Nuclear fusion does. Nuclear fusion is the conversion of hydrogen (h) into helium (he).
Fusion occurs at very high temperatures, 100 million kelvin to be exact. (100 million kelvin = 179999540.33 degree Fahrenheit = 99999726.85 degree Celsius). The problem with this is figuring out how to reach these high temperatures, maintaining these temperatures, and sustaining these temperatures.
E=mc^2: Albert Einstein created a mathematical forumula that explains how to change nuclear reactions. This formula illustrates that matter (hydrogen) can be changed into energy (helium).
How will it affect us?
Nuclear fusion shouldn’t be confused with nuclear fission, which is what happens in nuclear plants and the atomic bomb. Nuclear fusion forces nuclei together while nuclear fission splits them apart. Both produce radioactive waste, but nuclear fusion produces less of it and it is easier to get rid of. The radioactive waste that is produced by fission “lives” for thousands of years while the radioactive waste produced by fusion only “lives” for 50-100 years.
Here is a brief list of the benefits:
- Nuclear fusion doesn’t produce any greenhouse gases like the burning of fossil fuels. This would either slow down global warming or stop it in it’s tracks.
- We can not rely on fossil fuels forever; face it, we’re hogs when it comes to gas, oil, and coal.
- The demand for energy and energy consumption is increasing. Fusion can make up for this increase, while relieving some of the supplies of oil, gas, and coal.
- Hydrogen is found in water. We have plenty of that. Once fusion is up and running, one gallon of water will replace 300 gallons of gas (I don’t remember my source for this because I remembered it from highschool).
- Nuclear fusion energy will be the same price.
- No more nuclear plant meltdowns. The reaction taking place in nuclear fusion is safe. Once something goes wrong, the reaction stops instantly.
I hope this will give you some insight into nuclear fusion. Below you will find links and the sources I used.
Links and Sources
Categorized as Science
