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Nuclear fusion is the process of joining two atomic nuclei (two sets of protons and neutrons) together. If the nuclei are smaller than iron or nickel nuclei, there is a net release of energy (more energy comes out of the new nucleus than was used to make it). If the nuclei are larger than that, there is a net loss of energy (it takes more energy to combine the nuclei than you get back out).
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers stars and is what allows them to resist their own enormous gravity - they exist in a precarious equilibrium between being crushed and blowing themselves apart. In small stars like the sun the elements being fused are hydrogen isotopes, sometimes using carbon, nitrogen and oxygen as catalysts. The end product is helium and several other sub-atomic particles. Larger stars can fuse heavier elements - up to iron and nickel.
Once the star has an iron core, fusion stops and the star collapses under its own weight. The outer layers bounce off the core and destroy the star in a supernova. In these events temperatures and pressures rise high enough for all the remaining heavy elements to be produced.
Nuclear fusion on earth is achievable and several experimental reactors have produced power from fusion of hydrogen isotopes. Most notably, JET (Joint European Torus) in Oxfordshire, England, produced a world record of 16MW of fusion power for (I believe) six seconds.
Currently being built, ITER in southern France has been designed to produce 500MW of power for 50MW input. Assembly of the reactor buildings is due to start in 2015 and the first plasma is due in 2019. If it is successful, a follow-up plant called DEMO will attempt to commercialise fusion power.
Fusion is regarded as a cleaner source of energy than either fossil fuels (since there are no CO2 emissions) or conventional nuclear fission (no long-lived highly radioactive waste) but is not without problems. Foremost amongst those is the fact that even though the only waste product is helium gas, the reactor walls are badly damaged by the fast neutrons produced in the reaction and will need replacement every so often. The walls will become 'activated' by the neutron bombardement and will themselves need to be treated as radioactive waste.
Fusion power as currently envisaged has another advantage - the fuels can be 'bred' within the reactor and extracted from seawater. Furthermore, since fusion is a nuclear process rather than chemical, the energy output per gram of fuel is orders of magnitude greater: one deuterium nucleus and one tritium nucleus together mass just 8.35x10^-27kg and produce 17.6MeV of energy. That means a total of 8.35kg of fuel will produce 2.8x10^15J or 2.8 million gigajoules of energy. In contrast, the same mass of oil would only produce 390 megajoules of energy (1 GJ = 1000 MJ).
I recommend Google and wikipedia for more information. Many of the pages are quite good as well as accessible.
Konrad Harradine
What else can I help you with?
What defines the process in a nuclear reactor that reduces the speed of neutrons so they can be captured by the reactor fuel in order to continue the chain reaction?
You did not provide the list of "the following". However, the answer to the question is moderation. Moderation is the process whereby the neutron is slowed down in order to facilitate its subsequent capture by the nuclei of the fuel.
List three conditions that must exist for the continuous fusion of hydrogen to occur?
High temperature, high pressure, and the presence of hydrogen isotopes like deuterium and tritium are necessary conditions for the continuous fusion of hydrogen to occur in a controlled manner.
What are the features of catalyst?
A catalyst alters (usually increases) the speed of a chemical reaction in which there is no net change in the amount of catalyst present after reaction is complete.
What is this inner transition metal critical to the nuclear power industry?
From the list in the link below, thorium uranium and plutonium are the relevant ones
In the following reaction list any and all products Hydrogen plus Oxygen-Water?
Question Hydrogen+Oxygen->Water ANSWER Water.
What is the reaction for Nuclear fusion?
That depends on the temperature and pressure. Under different conditions different elements can fuse, starting at the lowest temperature and pressure deuterium and tritium fuse to make helium. In the end at the highest temperature and pressure a variety of reactants fuse to produce a mixture of nickel and iron, then fusion stops. The full list of fusion reaction equations is several hundred equations long and is best found in a book on stellar evolution.
In YuGiOh what are the Fusion Monsters that list Dark Magician as a Fusion Material monster?
Dark Paladin and Dark Flare Knight both list Dark Magician as a Fusion Material monster.
Which of these develop when gravity pulls gas and dust together with enough pressure to ignite nuclear fusion?
Stars develop when gravity pulls gas and dust together with enough pressure to ignite nuclear fusion. This process starts in the core of the collapsing cloud, where the temperature and pressure become high enough for nuclear reactions to occur, initiating the star's life cycle.
List of advantages and dis advantages of luggage security system in train?
list of advantages and disadvantages of luggage security system
What are the advantages of drawing flowchart?
List the advantages of design diagrams. List the traditional design tools.
Did any nuclear submarines sink?
A number of nuclear submarines sank, and the circumstances vary from accident to accident. Wikipedia has a list, and by going there and entering "List of sunken nuclear submarines" you can review that list.
What are the materials that are in the nuclear bomb?
It varies somewhat for various designs of bombs, but the following list contains typical materials making up a fusion/hydrogen bomb, the primary stage of which is a fission bomb:fissile material; Plutonium-239, Uranium-235, and/or Uranium-233.conventional explosives to rapidly assemble the fissile material into a supercritical mass from a subcritical mass.neutron source to start the fission reaction at the right time for optimal yield. This is usually an electronic high voltage tritium ion fusion accelerator external to the bomb assembly, but early bombs used a beryllium/polonium source at the center of the fissile core.tamping material to contain the supercritical fissile material long enough to get a good yield; typically Uranium-238.electronics for safeing/arming and detonating the conventional explosives and firing the neutron source.fusion fuel; Deuterium, Tritium, Lithium Deuteride.structural plastics; e.g. polystyrene, polypropylene.tamping material to contain the fusion reaction long enough to get a good yield; any dense material can be used, but typically Uranium-238 in which case fission of the Uranium amplifies the yield by roughly a factor of 10.sparkplug to trigger the fusion reaction; typically Plutonium-239.hohlraum casing to direct x-rays from fission primary to fusion secondary to compress and heat fusion fuel.etc.
Which of these develop when gravity pulls gas and dust together with enough pressure to ignite nuclear fission?
The list of choices posted with the question doesn't include anything that fits that description. It sounds something like a "star", but in a star, it would be "fusion", not "fission".
Is there a list of modern nuclear weapons?
No, but there is a list of modern greenpeace actions.
What chemicals are used to make a nuclear bomb?
Nuclear bombs typically use fissile materials like uranium-235 or plutonium-239. These materials undergo a nuclear chain reaction, releasing vast amounts of energy in the form of an explosion. Other chemicals are used in the explosives that compress the fissile material to achieve a supercritical mass for the nuclear reaction to occur.
How do you stop or slow the nuclear reaction in a nuclear power plant?
Once a meltdown occurs at a nuclear power plant, there is no way to stop or slow the reaction. However, Nuclear power plants are the most technologically advanced power plants in the history of man-kind. The meltdowns themselves are incredibly rare, but if they do occur the immediate areas are instantly alerted and evacuated. The contamination of the surrounding area is typically not very quick to begin with, as the walls of structures of Nuclear Power Plants are very thick and designed to withstand nearly anything thrown at them. Of anything that could happen, a meltdown at your area Nuclear Power Plant should be at the very bottom on your list of concerns.
Where can one find a list of available nuclear jobs?
One may find a list of the available nuclear jobs on Nuclear Street. They maintain postings for nuclear power plants and provide resource for both internal positions and outsourced positions.
