TGHusker Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Good article explaining the diff between fission and fusion https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2021/05/27/fission-vs-fusion-whats-the-difference-6843001 Fission takes place when a large, somewhatunstable isotope (atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons) is bombarded by high-speed particles, usually neutrons. These neutrons are accelerated and then slammed into the unstable isotope, causing it to fission, or break into smaller particles. During the process, a neutron is accelerated and strikes the target nucleus, which in the majority of nuclear power reactors today is Uranium-235. This splits the target nucleus and breaks it down into two smaller isotopes (the fission products), three high-speed neutrons, and a large amount of energy. This resulting energy is then used to heat water in nuclear reactors and ultimately produces electricity. The high-speed neutrons that are ejected become projectiles that initiate other fission reactions, or chain reactions. Conversely, fusion takes place when two low-mass isotopes, typically isotopes of hydrogen, unite under conditions of extreme pressure and temperature. Atoms of Tritium and Deuterium (isotopes of hydrogen, Hydrogen-3 and Hydrogen-2, respectively) unite under extreme pressure and temperature to produce a neutron and a helium isotope. Along with this, an enormous amount of energy is released, which is several times the amount produced from fission. Both fission and fusion are nuclear reactions that produce energy, but the processes are very different. Fission is the splitting of a heavy, unstable nucleus into two lighter nuclei, and fusion is the process where two light nuclei combine together releasing vast amounts of energy. While different, the two processes have an important role in the past, present and future of energy creation. Link to comment
RedDenver Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 22 hours ago, teachercd said: They do rarely leak. This would be like showing a plane crash and being like "Seeeeee...this is why I don't fly" even when it is the safest form of travel. Or was, I don't know anymore. I disagree with "rarely". The Keystone pipeline is only a few years old and has had at least 2 leaks that I can remember. I'd say pipelines leaking is "common". 1 1 1 Link to comment
teachercd Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 13 hours ago, RedDenver said: I disagree with "rarely". The Keystone pipeline is only a few years old and has had at least 2 leaks that I can remember. I'd say pipelines leaking is "common". Hmmm, interesting. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 17 hours ago, RedDenver said: I disagree with "rarely". The Keystone pipeline is only a few years old and has had at least 2 leaks that I can remember. I'd say pipelines leaking is "common". Actually, the pipeline was installed in 2010, so it's 12 years old. However, since then, it's had 22 leaks as of 2021. So, I would also disagree with "rarely". For those keeping score, that's 2 per year. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/keystone-pipeline-leaks-14000-barrels-of-oil-in-kansas-180981275/#:~:text=Since the pipeline was installed,U.S. Government Accountability Office report. Quote Since the pipeline was installed in 2010, 22 spills have leaked a combined total of about 12,000 barrels of crude oil, per a 2021 U.S. Government Accountability Office report. Seventeen of these ruptures were contained on company property, though all were smaller leaks. In 2017, defective pipeline materials and poor construction caused a 6,592-barrel spill in South Dakota, wrote Ben Lefebvre for Politico in 2021. Two years later, manufacturing defects in the pipes led to a 4,515-barrel leak into wetlands in North Dakota. 1 Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 On 12/12/2022 at 11:18 AM, TGHusker said: Good article explaining the diff between fission and fusion https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2021/05/27/fission-vs-fusion-whats-the-difference-6843001 Fission takes place when a large, somewhatunstable isotope (atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons) is bombarded by high-speed particles, usually neutrons. These neutrons are accelerated and then slammed into the unstable isotope, causing it to fission, or break into smaller particles. During the process, a neutron is accelerated and strikes the target nucleus, which in the majority of nuclear power reactors today is Uranium-235. This splits the target nucleus and breaks it down into two smaller isotopes (the fission products), three high-speed neutrons, and a large amount of energy. This resulting energy is then used to heat water in nuclear reactors and ultimately produces electricity. The high-speed neutrons that are ejected become projectiles that initiate other fission reactions, or chain reactions. Conversely, fusion takes place when two low-mass isotopes, typically isotopes of hydrogen, unite under conditions of extreme pressure and temperature. Atoms of Tritium and Deuterium (isotopes of hydrogen, Hydrogen-3 and Hydrogen-2, respectively) unite under extreme pressure and temperature to produce a neutron and a helium isotope. Along with this, an enormous amount of energy is released, which is several times the amount produced from fission. Both fission and fusion are nuclear reactions that produce energy, but the processes are very different. Fission is the splitting of a heavy, unstable nucleus into two lighter nuclei, and fusion is the process where two light nuclei combine together releasing vast amounts of energy. While different, the two processes have an important role in the past, present and future of energy creation. Here's the announcement. Link to comment
Guy Chamberlin Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 21 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said: Here's the announcement. Fusion could change everything, including our current sources of energy, war, and pollution. Don't think I'll live that long, but I'll circle this date. Link to comment
NebraskaHarry Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 53 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said: Here's the announcement. I feel like foreign spies across the world are on big time notice for this one. 1 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 29 minutes ago, NebraskaHarry said: I feel like foreign spies across the world are on big time notice for this one. Yes, It is the only way authoritarian societies grow - steal because they can't invent. So I wonder if we hold all of the secrets close to the chest on this and develop the technology so that we can dominate the world with the tech or does it get shared with friendly countries who will have it stolen from them by the unfriendly ones. it is Link to comment
teachercd Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 37 minutes ago, NebraskaHarry said: I feel like foreign spies across the world are on big time notice for this one. Val Kilmer already did a documentary on this. The Saint 1 Link to comment
nic Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 On 12/12/2022 at 7:49 AM, BigRedBuster said: That could be huge. I remember learning about the possibility of this in grade school back in the 70s. They have been working on this for a long time. I'm guessing it still won't be usable in my lifetime...but, maybe someday. https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/13/us/energy-officials-announce-nuclear-fusion-climate-scn/index.html Another article… Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 7 minutes ago, TGHusker said: Yes, It is the only way authoritarian societies grow - steal because they can't invent. So I wonder if we hold all of the secrets close to the chest on this and develop the technology so that we can dominate the world with the tech or does it get shared with friendly countries who will have it stolen from them by the unfriendly ones. it is All I know is, if in my lifetime, they get so they can mass produce large scale generating stations with this.....I want to invest immediately. At that point in my life, I will never have to worry about how to afford all my depends. Link to comment
NebraskaHarry Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 7 minutes ago, teachercd said: Val Kilmer already did a documentary on this. The Saint Ah the movie narrator. Now those were the good old days. 1 Link to comment
Ulty Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 6 minutes ago, teachercd said: Val Kilmer already did a documentary on this. The Saint I was just thinking this! Everything I know about fusion is from this movie. 1 Link to comment
funhusker Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 29 minutes ago, TGHusker said: Yes, It is the only way authoritarian societies grow - steal because they can't invent. So I wonder if we hold all of the secrets close to the chest on this and develop the technology so that we can dominate the world with the tech or does it get shared with friendly countries who will have it stolen from them by the unfriendly ones. it is Realizing Nazi scientists were responsible for putting Americans on the moon.... Link to comment
RedDenver Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 2 hours ago, BigRedBuster said: Here's the announcement. This is a major achievement for physics, but people need to realize that it's unlikely that the NIF method can be modified to produce sustained reactions and therefore energy. Somebody might figure it out, but we're still probably decades away from having fusion power from this breakthrough. Link to comment
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