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i believe they are still in the testing phases... but I have heard of one that was in operation not sure I would have to do some research again?

So going on from here, Fusion reactors are still being tested small scale, and according to wikipedia, the worst source in the world. They are not expected to be used commercially untill atleast 2050.

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Q: Are there any fusion reactors operating now?
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How would a fusion reactor differ from the nuclear reactors you currently have?

The nuclear reactors we have now are fission reactors. This means that they obtain their energy from nuclear reactions that split large nuclei such as uranium into smaller ones such as rubidium and cesium. There is a binding energy that holds a nucleus together. If the binding energy of the original large nucleus is greater than the sum of the binding energies of the smaller pieces, you get the difference in energy as heat that can be used in a power station to generate electricity. A fusion reaction works the other way. It takes small nuclei like deuterium (heavy hydrogen) and fuses them together to make larger ones such as helium. If the binding energy of the two deuterium nuclei is greater than that of the final larger helium nucleus, it can be used to generate electricity. There are two main differences between fission and fusion. The first is that the materials required for fission are rarer and more expensive to produce than those for fusion. For example, uranium has to be mined in special areas and then purified by difficult processes. By contrast, even though deuterium makes up only 0.02 percent of naturally occurring hydrogen, we have a vast supply of hydrogen in the water making up the oceans. The second difference is that the products of fission are radioactive and so need to be treated carefully, as they are dangerous to health. The products of fusion are not radioactive (although a realistic reactor will likely have some relatively small amount of radioactive product). The problem with building fusion reactors is that a steady, controlled fusion reaction is very hard to achieve. It is still a subject of intense research. The main problem is that to achieve fusion we need to keep the nuclei we wish to fuse at extremely high temperatures and close enough for them to have a chance of fusing with one other. It is extremely difficult to find a way of holding everything together, since the nuclei naturally repel each other and the temperatures involved are high enough to melt any solid substance known. As technology improves, holding everything together will become easier, but it seems that we are a long way off from having commercial fusion reactors.


What percentage of the world's electricity is supplied by nuclear fusion reactors?

I will give you 2 answers. First and most correctly, 0%. We have not found a way to initiate and control fusion energy in a way that is economically viable. The control part is key. An example of an uncontrolled nuclear fusion reation is the Hydrogen Bomb. Second the smart ass answr, since the sun supplies most of the energy to the earth, which plants used and had become oil, most of our energy comes from nuclear fusion. The first answer is correct though. Also it may be possible that you are mistaking nuclear fusion for fission, which delivers 11% of the world's energy needs


The two processes which produce nuclear changes are?

Fission & Fusion. I JUST now got an answer right by using this. Good Luck! :D Hope this was helpful.


How is fusion one of your sources of energy?

Right now, except for the Sun, fusion is not a viable source of energy. We do not expect commercial production from fusion energy for another 50 to 100 years, if then. The technological obstacles are presently insurmountable, primarily due to problems with containment, but we are working on them.


How is nuclear energy and fusion energy different?

Nuclear energy as we use it now is from nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is the joining up of nuclei rather than the splitting (fission), but it is not yet available on Earth.

Related questions

Are nuclear reactors and atomic reactors the same thing?

yes. If they ever perfect hydrogen fusion reactors, then maybe someone will have to come up with a clearer description, but until now, they are the same.


Which if any of the 3 plutonium production reactors built during world war 2 still exist?

In USA and Russia all plutonium production reactors are now shutdown.


How many power station are there in the UK?

There are AGRs at the following: Dungeness B, Hinkley B, Hunterston B, Hartlepool, Heysham 1, Heysham 2, and Torness for a total of 14 reactors. Most of the magnox reactors are now shut down. I believe Wylfa is the only one still operating. There is also a PWR operating (Sizewell B). If you want a full list of all power plants, see the link below.


How many nuclear power plants would the US need if They went 100 percent nuclear?

At the present time there are 104 operating reactors which provide 20 percent of total electricity. So 100 percent would require five times as many, 520 reactors. But newer ones have greater output than the average of those now operating, so it would probably be about 400 rather than over 500.


How do you get unlimeted access on fusion fall?

fusion fall is now 100% free. you now have complete access


What will happen if Japan's nuclear reactors fail?

Japan's nuclear reactors, at least the number one, two and three reactors at the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant, havefailed. These reactors were operating when the earthquake hit, and, though they shut down after the quake, the tsunami that followed knocked out power and the emergency generators at the plants. The cores in these reactors continued to generate what is called decay heat, and now they have suffered a meltdown.The meltdown of the three reactors at the ÅŒkuma facility has now resulted in the distribution of highly radioactive materials across a broad area. Radiation levels are still fairly low a few tens of miles from the plant, but there is still no end in sight as regards reactivating any cooling systems. It remains to be seen if bringing electricity back to power up the site will allow for cooling systems to be activated. It may be that the blasts (probably caused by hydrogen gas) or the fires damaged the systems and they will not be able to be brought back online.


What is the difference between a fission reactor and a fusion reactor?

In simplest terms, nuclear fission involves splitting atoms apart to make energy. Fusion involves smashing atoms together to make energy. Fusion reactors are currently entirely theoretical and do not exist. The main problem with fusion is figuring out how to get more energy out of the process than you put into making the fusion happen. Right now, the sun is the only place where fusion takes place on any meaningful scale.Another Answer:From a power production point of view, i.e. a controlledreaction, it is true that we have not been successful with fusion power. However, from a weapons point of view, i.e. an uncontrolled reaction, we have been successful. This is the basis of the hydrogen bomb. Interestingly, the hydrogen bomb requires so much energy to set it off that we use a fission bomb (the original atomic bomb) to initiate the fusion reaction.


A sentence for heat of fusion?

Because of the heat of fusion the ice is now water


Is chernobly up and running since the nuclear reaction occurred?

No, that site with its four RBMK type reactors is shutdown. Chernobyl had the only RBMK type reactors in the country. Unit 4 was destroyed in the 1986 accident, unit 2 was shut down after a turbine hall fire in 1991, unit 1 was closed in 1997 and unit 3 closed at the end of 2000 due to international pressure. Ukraine does have operating reactors but they are all PWR type now.


Was the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl the same as other reactors around the world?

No, the RBMK design was evolved in the Soviet Union, and has not been used anywhere except Russia and former Soviet Bloc countries like the Ukraine. Russia has now moved to PWR reactors, but I think some RBMK's are still operating there. Existing ones had some mods made after Chernobyl to improve safety. All the Chernobyl reactors are shutdown permanently. this was a condition of EU assistance.


Why is nuclear power now utilised in several key locations across the US?

There are 104 operating nuclear reactors now in the US, producing about 19 percent of total electricity, so it's more than a few key locations. You can see a map on the NRC website www.nrc.gov


Most of the world's nuclear reactors are of the type?

Most are lightwater moderated and cooled, these are the PWR and BWR. There also a substantial number of heavy water reactors, based on CANDU, and gas cooled reactors mainly now in the UK.