Nuclear Fusion and Fission
Nuclear fusion: what is it?
- The process through which a significant amount of energy is produced when a large number of tiny nuclei combine into a single massive nucleus is known as nuclear fusion.
- The opposite of this process is fission, which causes the splitting of heavy isotopes.
- The Sun’s energy-producing mechanism, fusion, can be utilised to create an endless supply of sustainable energy.
- The sun’s enormous gravity and intense pressure are the perfect environment for fusion to occur.
- Plasma is the state of matter where fusion processes take place. Positive ions and free-moving electrons make up the hot, charged gas known as plasma, which differs from solids, liquids, and other gases due to its special features.
- When an atom is heated to a high temperature, the electrons in its nucleus are torn away, creating plasma or an ionised state of matter. Plasma is known as the fourth state of matter.
What benefits does nuclear fusion offer?
- Plenty of vigour Controlled nuclear fission and chemical processes like burning coal, oil, or gas provide almost four million times as much energy as controlled atom fusion (at equal mass).
- The baseload energy required to power cities and commercial structures may be producible by fusion.
- Sustainability: Fusion reactor fuel is widely accessible and practically limitless. While tritium will be created during the fusion process as fusion neutrons interact with lithium, deuterium may be recovered from all types of water.
- No CO2: Fusion does not result in the atmospheric release of carbon dioxide or other dangerous greenhouse gases. Helium, a safe gas, is one of its main byproducts.
- The high activity, long-lived nuclear waste produced by radioactive fusion reactors does not exist.
- The risk of proliferation is reduced because fusion does not require fissile elements like uranium and plutonium (Radioactive tritium is neither a fissile nor a fissionable material).
- There is no chance of a meltdown because it is tough enough to maintain the precise conditions needed for fusion. In the event of an error, the plasma rapidly cools and the reaction is terminated.
What other international initiatives exist in nuclear fusion energy?
- Assembly of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) In order to demonstrate that fusion may be a sizable, carbon-free source of energy, it plans to construct the largest tokamak in the entire globe. China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States are among the nations represented on ITER.
- Chinese scientists developed the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which mimics the sun’s nuclear fusion process.
Atomic fusion:
- The splitting of a nucleus into two pieces is known as fission.
- Millions of uranium nuclei can be found inside each uranium fuel pellet.
- A tremendous amount of energy is produced when these nuclei separate.
- Although kinetic energy predominates, some of this energy is derived via radiation.
- This energy is used in a reactor to produce heat, which creates steam, which ultimately turns into electricity.
Why is fusion more effective at producing energy than fission?
- There are several reasons why fusion is superior to fission. In order to begin, fission requires more fuel than fusion.
- Another fuel for fusion is deuterium, an abundant form of hydrogen found in nature.
- On the other side, the fission fuel (thorium, plutonium, or uranium) is very expensive and very difficult to obtain.
- Nuclear fusion, unlike nuclear fission, produces just helium atoms as a byproduct, which mankind may use in a variety of ways. Nuclear fusion does not produce radioactive waste.
- Unlike nuclear fission, which can trigger uncontrollable chain reactions, nuclear fusion virtually eliminates the possibility of a meltdown.
Why not switch to nuclear fusion then?
- At least 100 million degrees Celsius, or six times the temperature of the sun’s core, must be reached before fusion can take place on Earth.
- The gravity in the centre of the sun, a natural fusion reactor, causes it to produce an immense amount of pressure in order to compensate for its low temperature of 15 million degrees.
- Although fusion reactors are being developed, the goal of using fusion to produce energy is defeated by the fact that they use a lot more energy than they produce.
- Finding materials that can withstand the reaction can be challenging.
- Once fusion has started, a sizable amount of more energy is needed to keep it going.
- Today, we use a machine called the to carry out fusion reactions.
- According to the official media, China’s “artificial sun” just established a record by operating at 120 million degrees Fahrenheit for 101 seconds.
- Chinese researchers created the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) tokamak to mimic the sun’s nuclear fusion process.
