nuclear fusion
DESCRIPTION
Michael Olson Meteo 3100 Atmospheric Chemistry Prof. Kevin Perry. Nuclear Fusion. 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?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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
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