Is nuclear fusion at ITER and other reactors different to fusion in the core of the sun? “Harnessing the power of the sun.” Headlines like these might be misleading. In this video, you’ll learn why. Enjoy!
ru-vid.com?su...
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Latest Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
1:13 - Nuclear Fusion Basics
1:34 - Proton-Proton Fusion in the Core of the Sun
02:37 - Deuterium-Tritium Fusion on Earth used at ITER and other Fusion Reactors
03:42 - Burning Plasma at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
04:32 - Lithium Breeder Blanket
05:33 - Tritium: Low-Energy β-emitter
06:12 - Overcoming Electrostatic Repulsion
06:41 - Plasma: Magnetic and Inertial Confinement
07:26 - Cross Section: Probability Fusion Reaction
09:24 - We cannot wait for Nuclear Fusion
Details - SPOILER ALERT !!!
The type of reactions that lead to nuclear fusion that occurs inside of the sun is different to what is used in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and other fusion devices on earth. It is the proton-proton fusion. This process begins with protons, which are a lone hydrogen nuclei and through a series of steps, these protons fuse together and are turned into helium. In the Sun, deuterium-producing events are rare. Diprotons are the much more common result of proton-proton reactions within the star, and diprotons almost immediately decay back into two protons. Since the conversion of hydrogen to helium is slow, the complete conversion of the hydrogen initially in the core of the Sun is calculated to take more than ten billion years.
Proton-proton fusion reactions work great in the sun, but there are a few good reasons why we don’t use them on earth. In fusion devices, deuterium-tritium fusion (sometimes abbreviated D+T) is used. In this reaction, a deuterium nucleus fuses with a tritium nucleus. The result is a helium nucleus, a free neutron, and 17.6 MeV of energy.
Lithium produces tritium when exposed to energetic neutrons. So, in fusion reactors, a lithium 'breeding blanket' is placed on the walls of the reactor to produce tritium.
Besides the fact that we don’t have the mass for gravitational confinement on earth, the cross section explains the very practical reason for why we don’t use the first step of the proton-proton fusion on earth. The “cross section”, σ, is a measure of the reaction probability as a function of the kinetic energy of the reactant nuclei. So, a higher cross section is crucial for the technical and economic viability of fusion power on earth.
I think it is an enormously complex technological challenge to create economically viable fusion power on earth. But certainly one worth pursuing.
#nuclearfusion #ITER #deuterium #tritium #proton #lithium #nuclearpower #nuclearenergy #nuclear #fusion
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7 авг 2024
