Is a powerful Chinese-built fusion reactor the secret to creating a future, limitless, clean energy source? Sometimes called an “artificial sun” for the sheer heat and power it produces, the doughnut-shaped Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is hoped to be fully functional by 2050. “We are hoping to expand international cooperation through this device (EAST) and make Chinese contributions to mankind’s future use of nuclear fusion,” said Song Yuntao, a top official involved in the project, on a recent tour of the facility.
@Craig Swanson Hard to imagine that it is taking a century to develop usable power from a fusion reaction! The first fusion explosions, done in the early 1950s were accompanied by hints that like the fission nuclear reactor, by then a well-known reality, fusion power would become a provider of nearly limitless power. We're still awaiting it, though less anxiously after seeing so many "false starts".
@Frank Sanoica. Apparently there are some reservations over fusion reaction. here is a link on that subject.https://thebulletin.org/2017/04/fusion-reactors-not-what-theyre-cracked-up-to-be/. No doubt you have heard about the INTER project?
@Craig Swanson I have thoroughly digested the report you provided, and enjoyed it greatly. There are several over-lapping statements I would like to bring out, those providing conflicting evidence or opinion. "If reactors can be made to operate using only deuterium fuel, then the tritium replenishment issue vanishes and neutron radiation damage is alleviated." The statement above appeared near the end of the submission. It is in direct conflict with earlier statements which indicated that neutron radiation damage is present in the Deuterium-Deuterium reaction: it is NOT alleviated, but rather is reduced because less free neutrons are released. "Tritium exchanges with hydrogen to produce tritiated water, which is biologically hazardous. Most fission reactors contain trivial amounts of tritium (less than 1 gram) compared with the kilograms in putative fusion reactors. But the release of even tiny amounts of radioactive tritium from fission reactors into groundwater causes public consternation." Public concern is of course based on lack of technical understanding, this being further promoted by those interests opposing, for whatever reason, the issue in question. In fact: "Beta particles from tritium can penetrate only about 6.0 mm of air, and they are incapable of passing through the dead outermost layer of human skin." Shielding against tritium nuclear product is thus quite simple, if not irrelevant: a 1/4-inch blanket of air offers protection against it. Tritium is used in many commercially-available products such as wrist watch dials, since it produces visible light as it decays. The half-life of tritium, though of little interest, is about 25 years; thus in 50 years time, the tritium is nearly gone of it's own accord. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium "The open or clandestine production of plutonium 239 is possible in a fusion reactor simply by placing natural or depleted uranium oxide at any location where neutrons of any energy are flying about." This is, of course, a very real deficiency of either the Deuterium-Deuterium or Deuterium-Tritium reaction, which emphasizes the fact that the real route to "unlimited fusion power" lies in the use of ONLY the Hydrogen-Hydrogen fusion reaction, which is simply unattainable given Science's current Earthly abilities. H-H produces NO neutrons, hence alleviating the host of other negatives. I was vaguely aware of the ITER project, but appreciated hearing more of it! Thank you! Frank
As a matter of fact Frank I was unaware of ITER until a recent article I read on nuclear fusion. It opened my eyes to the possibility of a clean energy for our future using what covers 70% of our planet ..water. Or rather the hydrogen in water. Below is an ITER link. Fascinating read. https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3309