Of physics principles fusion Free Essay Example

This type of nuclear reaction for energy process produces a lot of long term radioactive waste which is quite difficult to dispose off and also there is a high probability of an event of a nuclear meltdown (a severe overheating of the nuclear reactor’s core resulting in the core melting and radiation escaping).. a In all these complications of using the right source of energy, this is where the purpose of nuclear fusion research comes into picture. The smart features of this type of fusion power includes a no harmful gas emitted characteristic.

This is because the only waste product produced by this reaction is helium (He) which is a chemically harmless type of gas found abundantly in the earth’s atmosphere. To conclude, this makes fusion energy an environmentally friendly type of energy resource. Also, from calculations, a 1000MW fusion reaction would produce about 250 kilograms of helium as a by product which is in huge contrast compared to fossil fueled energy power plants.

Below is a table showing the waste products from different types of 1000MW energy resources per year: Type Of Energy Amount Of Waste Products Released Per Year

Coal 7. 200 000 tons of CO2 5. 800 tons of SO2 Gas 3. 600 000 tons of CO2 Fission 32 tons of spent fuel Fusion 250 kilograms of Helium In conclusion of the previous table above, Fusion power would be the best source of energy to use in terms of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Another attractive feature of this type of fusion power is of it’s safety handling as there wouldn’t be any chance of tragic events happening such as nuclear meltdowns.

This is because only the collision of atomic nuclei would provide energy and not the breakdown of it’s nuclei to release energy.

In the area of economics, fusion power is certainly predicted to cost much cheaper than that of the current price of the today’s leading energy source. This is because of the reactants used in the fusion process which are easily accessible. In great contrast to fossil fuels, huge amounts of money would have to be spent on large equipments in digging deeply into the earth to acquire the energy. The purpose why the remote handling systems are used in the Jet tokamak is because of the tokamak’s harmful radioactivity after when tests are performed on the nuclear reactor.

This makes it very difficult and poses a dangerous threat to people working on the nuclear experiment. In the olden days, scientists were no more allowed than 4 hours to perform system works on the tokamak after experiments were performed on JET which made the torus radioactive. They wore white suites and helmets which reflected radiation and thus protecting themselves from the harmful radioaction inside nuclear reactor. Thanks to the advances of modern technology these days, the remote handling system offers less man labour on Jet experiments and also prevents the chance of human exposure to radioactivity.

Their sterile and clean structure prevents contamination of any sort inside the fusion reactor and ensures work done to the highest efficiency. Account Of Physics Principles Fusion is a process whereby nuclei collide into each other so fast that they overcome their repulsive forces and are joint together forming a heavier nuclei. This nuclear colliding process only occurs at high temperatures and releases vast amounts of energy when collision occurs. The fusion reaction process practiced in the JET tokamak reactor is illustrated in the diagram below which uses a Deuterium and Tritium isotope of hydrogen as reactants:

http://www. seas. columbia. edu/apam/hbtep/Pictures/slides/nuclear_fusion_dt_reaction. png The equation for the above fusion reaction is: In a fusion reaction, a tiny amount of mass is converted into energy. Once we know the amount of energy released in the fusion process (17. 59 Mev), The amount of mass converted into energy can be calculated by the famous Einstein equation .

Therefore  The above calculation concludes that the amount of mass destroyed and converted into energy is = 3. 13i?? 10-23. Deuterium and tritium are both isotopes of hydrogen. Isotopes are basically atoms of the same element which have the same number of protons but with a different number of neutrons in the nuclei.

Deuterium occurs naturally in nature (from ordinary water) and there is about 35 grams of deuterium in every cubic metre of water. Tritium is quite hard to acquire as it is not found in nature naturally. Therefore tritium is artificially extracted from lithium (a metal which is abundantly found in the earth’s crust). This process is done by lithium being bombarded by a neutron which leads to a reaction in producing tritium. The equation for this process is: To conclude, the primary reactants needed for fusion energy practiced at JETis infinite in use.

Plasma Explained A plasma is an ionized form of extremely hot gas matter which occurs at temperatures of above 10,000i?? C. It is usually considered as the fourth form of distinct matter besides solid, liquid and gas and it is made of free ions and electrons. The free ions are composed of atomic nuclei being stripped of electrons when exposed at hot temperatures. This therefore makes a collection of electrically positive charged ions and negatively charged electrons. Examples of plasmas are the sun, lightening and fluorescent light tubes.

Different types of plasmas are mixtures of negatively charged electrons and positive charged ions (and sometimes negative ions as well as neutral atoms and molecules). Particles in a plasma move freely in the molecule. An example of a plasma is shown below inside a nuclear reactor: In order to achieve the incredible temperatures of a plasma state on earth to make fusion reactions happen inside the JET nuclear reactor, special heating techniques are used There are four main types of heating techniques in achieving a plasma temperature. These are:

Ohmic heating: This is the type of technique whereby the use of strong electric currents (of up to 7MA) is put into the reactor which heats up and generates a plasma (just like how a current heats up a wire). The large current is produced by the use of an enormous “eight limbed transformer”. A transformer is a device used to increase or decrease electric voltages and currents. A set of wires wrapped around a non conductive material (called coils) is put around the “center limbs of the transformer core” which forms a primary winding and also another around the plasma and thus forming the secondary winding.

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