Fusion is The Future of Energy
Abstract:
Fusion energy is the same energy that provides the power for that of our sun and other stars. An example of Fusion energy is when two separate hydrogen atoms combine to form one helium atom. In this process some of the mass of the hydrogen is converted into energy. This energy is very powerful and is considered inexhaustible by the scientific community. But the ability to control this energy seems to be out of our reach. The "heating, compressing, and confining of hydrogen plasmas is very challenging." (NIF, 2007) Even so, many facilities such as NIF still try to learn the secrets of Fusion.
Introduction:
The idea of Fusion energy came from a man who lived in the 20th century. He thought that mass could in fact, be converted into raw energy. His name was Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds of his time. As the years went by, physicists came to know of two ways to convert mass into energy. The two methods are known as fission and fusion. Fission is where neutrons are induced in a cycle of fissions to create more fission and so on. Fusion energy is energy produced nuclear fusion reactions. When two atomic nuclei fuse to create a bigger and heavier nucleus, extra mass in converted into energy. This energy is very hot and heats plasma up to ten times that of the sun. The trick is to keep the energy bottled up and going, scientist‟s predictions are all over the place and we still
Future of Energy 3
have no idea what to do with the heat and how to harness it. To create a power plant we would have to complete 3 objectives: equilibrium, stability and transport. The plasma has to be in a constant state of equilibrium and stability to stay hot and we have to make sure the particles a...
... middle of paper ...
...he NIF project going every year. Due to the unknown time schedule and the grand costs, it seems nobody truly knows when our Earth will become fully dependent, but Fusion energy is on top of everyone‟s minds as our future.
References
1.Thinkquest, (2006). Fusion: Future Energy. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from Energy Matters Web site: http://library.thinkquest.org/20331/types/fusion/advant.html
2. Heeter, Robert (2000). How Fusion Reactions Work. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from The Nuclear Physics of Fusion Web site: http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/CPEP/Chart_Pages/3.HowFusionWorks.html
3. ITER, Project (2005). The ITER Project. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from Fusion Energy Web site: http://www.iter.org/
4. DeMeo, Anthony (2004). Fusion Energy. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Web site: http://www.pppl.gov/fusion_basics/pages/fusion_energy.html
The development of atomic bomb boosted the level of understanding in terms of physics and chemistry of that particular time period. Physicists started to realize that stable nuclei can be converted to unstable nuclei. Through such process, they discovered that heavy nuclei can undergo nuclear fission. While testing, they added a neutron to an isotope of Uranium 235. This resulted Uranium 235 to become unstable and break down into Barium and Krypton, releasing two to three more neutrons. The breakdown of Uranium 235 is called “fission”. When the released neutrons attach to other isotopes of Uranium 235, this can result in a chain reaction of fission. For every generation of fission, the amount of fission is doubled, and this resulted in an extreme outburst of energy. The amount of energy released by this process is related to Einstein’s famous equation “E=mc^2” (Wolf).
All these effects were the cause of the discovery of nuclear fission and its properties. Nuclear Fusion Nuclear fusion is the process used by the sun and the stars in our solar system to produce their energy. Fusion involves smashing hydrogen atoms together at high velocities to form helium, and the matter is made into energy.
Both fission and fusion use atoms, specifically the neutron and proton, to generate energy. The protons and neutrons make up the nucleus of an atom, therefore making up the mass, which is converted into energy, but fission and fusion are two different ways of harnessing that energy.
Nuclear energy must be a consideration for the future with the rapidly depleting supply of fossil fuels. This type of energy can be created through nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy atom into two or more parts, releasing huge amounts of energy. The release of energy can be controlled and captured for generating electricity. Nuclear fusion involves bombarding hydrogen atoms together to form helium. In the long run, nuclear fusion has greater potential than fission.
The prime advantage of this approach to harnessing solar energy is that the process is simplified by combining energy gathering and storage into a single step. This process is robust, stable and cheap. One limitation of this process is, while this is useful for heating applications, production of electricity would require another step using thermoelectric devices or producing steam to run a generator.
To power such high-energy lasers, SDI researchers had to develop a new, more powerful type of power. The Multi-megawatt, or MMW, was the main focus for power. During most of the 1980’s the SDI’s MMW Space Nuclear Power Program was the first major focus for work on the high-power open and closed cycle reactors. The work on the nuclear power systems, conducted by the Energy Department under the SDI program, was complemented by the Air Force investigations of non-nuclear power concepts.
8) "Interesting Energy Facts." : Nuclear Energy Has Great Potential. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
UMD Space Physics Group (1995, May 26). ISAS | space science between US and Japan / international cooperation. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/about/ic/iacg.shtml
CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER PLANT : These plants generate solar power by concentrating a large area of sunlight onto a small area by using mirrors or lenses. The concentrated sunlight produces large amount of heat. The heat is channeled through a conventional generator. This leads to the production of electricity. This electricity is used to run steam engines or turbines. The plants consist of two parts: the first part collects the solar energy and converts it into heat and the second part converts the heat to
Today our society is using more energy than ever. With the increase in demand for energy, problems are presented that have to be addressed. One of the biggest and most prevalent problems is the need for clean, renewable, sustainable energy. On the forefront of these problems comes the following solutions: nuclear energy, hydro-electric energy, and photovoltaic energy. With the need of energy in today’s current world, exploring different ways of producing power are necessary. The differences and similarities of nuclear energy and alternative energy are important to look over and examine in depth, so that it is plain to see the positive and negative effects of energy production.
Power from nuclear fusion reactors would be a welcome achievement for the 21st century, and at the current rate of progress it seems likely that before the end of the new century energy will be available from nuclear fusion. It is estimated that it will take over a decade from the time a sustainable fusion reaction is achieved before fusion power will be available for use. But the attention being devoted to research is strong, the experiments are coming closer to fruition, and we are coming closer to having an almost limitless supply of energy.
...ion of fusion power plant when the technology has achieved a certain level. This level will be reach with free market and patents right, which will create incentive for scientist to make innovation. Hopefully, countries, in the future, will find co-operating relationship’ among each other and solve environmental problems.
Furthermore, the future of this industry has a definite growth forthcoming. As we approach fusion power as a reality, nuclear engineers will be essential components to the distribution of a clean, safe energy source.
Hot Water Heaters: The easiest way to exploit solar radiation is as thermal energy. One way to harness this solar energy is to heat water. Aro...
Whilst there are clear arguments for and against nuclear energy, the future is promising; with scientists working on potential breakthroughs such as nuclear fusion, and the design of newer and better and reactors. Nuclear fusion is a reaction which causes the nuclei of atoms to collide and form a new atomic nucleus. It is essentially what heats the sun and stars and would produce no long-lived radioactive waste.22 If scientists could control the process of atomic fusion then it could become a never ending energy source for future use.