ultra-dense deuterium may be nuclear fuel of the future -- sciencedaily

7/27/2015 UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureScienceDailyhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm 1/3YoursourceforthelatestresearchnewsDate:Source:Summary:UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureMay12,2009UniversityofGothenburgAmaterialthatisahundredthousandtimesheavierthanwaterandmoredensethanthecoreoftheSunisbeingproducedatauniversity.Thescientistsworkingwiththismaterialareaimingforanenergyprocessthatisbothmoresustainableandlessdamagingtotheenvironmentthanthenuclearpowerusedtoday.FULLSTORYThephotographshowsanexperimentinwhichdensedeuteriumisirradiatedbyalaser.Thewhiteglowinthecontainerinthecentreofthephotographisfromdeuterium.Credit:LeifHolmlidAmaterialthatisahundredthousandtimesheavierthanwaterandmoredensethanthecoreoftheSunisbeingproducedattheUniversityofGothenburg.Thescientistsworkingwiththismaterialareaimingforanenergyprocessthatisbothmoresustainableandlessdamagingtotheenvironmentthanthenuclearpowerusedtoday.Imagineamaterialsoheavythatacubewithsidesoflength10cmweights130tonnes,amaterialwhosedensityissignificantlygreaterthanthematerialinthecoreoftheSun.SuchamaterialisbeingproducedandstudiedbyscientistsinAtmosphericScienceattheDepartmentofChemistry,theUniversityofGothenburg.TowardscommercialuseSofar,onlymicroscopicamountsofthenewmaterialhavebeenproduced.Newmeasurementsthathavebeenpublishedintwoscientificjournals,however,haveshownthatthedistancebetweenatomsinthematerialismuchsmallerthaninnormalmatter.LeifHolmlid,ProfessorintheDepartmentofChemistry,believesthatthisisanimportantstepontheroadtocommercialuseofthematerial.7/27/2015 UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureScienceDailyhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm 2/3CiteThisPage:UniversityofGothenburg."UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFuture."ScienceDaily.ScienceDaily,12May2009..Thematerialisproducedfromheavyhydrogen,alsoknownasdeuterium,andisthereforeknownasultradensedeuterium.Itisbelievedthatultradensedeuteriumplaysaroleintheformationofstars,andthatitisprobablypresentingiantplanetssuchasJupiter.AnefficientfuelSowhatcanthissuperheavymaterialbeusedfor?Oneimportantjustificationforourresearchisthatultradensedeuteriummaybeaveryefficientfuelinlaserdrivennuclearfusion.Itispossibletoachievenuclearfusionbetweendeuteriumnucleiusinghighpowerlasers,releasingvastamountsofenergy,saysLeifHolmlid.Thelasertechnologyhaslongbeentestedonfrozendeuterium,knownasdeuteriumice,butresultshavebeenpoor.Ithasprovedtobeverydifficulttocompressthedeuteriumicesufficientlyforittoattainthehightemperaturerequiredtoignitethefusion.EnergysourceofthefutureUltradensedeuteriumisamilliontimesmoredensethanfrozendeuterium,makingitrelativelyeasytocreateanuclearfusionreactionusinghighpowerpulsesoflaserlight.Ifwecanproducelargequantitiesofultradensedeuterium,thefusionprocessmaybecometheenergysourceofthefuture.Anditmaybecomeavailablemuchearlierthanwehavethoughtpossible,saysLeifHolmlid.Further,webelievethatwecandesignthedeuteriumfusionsuchthatitproducesonlyheliumandhydrogenasitsproducts,bothofwhicharecompletelynonhazardous.Itwillnotbenecessarytodealwiththehighlyradioactivetritiumthatisplannedforuseinothertypesoffuturefusionreactors,andthismeansthatlaserdrivennuclearfusionasweenvisageitwillbebothmoresustainableandlessdamagingtotheenvironmentthanothermethodsthatarebeingdeveloped.DeuteriumbrieffactsDeuteriumisanisotopeofhydrogenthatisfoundinlargequantitiesinwater,morethanoneatompertenthousandhydrogenatomshasadeuteriumnucleus.Theisotopeisdenoted2HorD,andisnormallyknownasheavyhydrogen.Deuteriumisusedinanumberofconventionalnuclearreactorsintheformofheavywater(D O),anditwillprobablyalsobeusedasfuelinfusionreactorsinthefuture.StorySource:TheabovepostisreprintedfrommaterialsprovidedbyUniversityofGothenburg.Note:Materialsmaybeeditedforcontentandlength.2MLA APA Chicago7/27/2015 UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureScienceDailyhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm 3/3