Nuclear Fusion Is a Potential Source of Clean Energy

NUCLEAR FUSION IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF CLEAN ENERGY 

A potential major source of energy for the mid- to late-21st century is nuclear fusion. In todays experimental fusion reactors, deuterium and tritium atoms (both isotopes of hydrogen) fuse to create helium and fast-flying neutrons. The neutrons escape from the reaction chamber, carrying with them vast amounts of kinetic energy. 

Fusion energy offers a number of advantages over all other energy sources, including fission. Fusion reactors do not produce air pollutants that contribute to global warming or acid rain. The deuterium fuel they use is available in essentially unlimited supply from seawater, and tritium can be generated on-site as 

How many nuclear fusion plants are generating electricity for communities today  

Was this your answeT Because there are many technical hurdles yet to be overcome in building fusion plants, there are currently none in operation 

Fusion has already been achieved in several devices, but not beyond the break-even point, where the amount of energy produced is the. same as the amount consumed. Much basic research is still required and is the focus of a numlicr of internarional collaborative efforts. As discu.sscd in Chapter 4, foremost among these efforts is the International Thermonuclear F-xpcrimental Reactor (ITER), which will be a scale-up of the I rinceton Ibkamak Fu.sion Test Reactor shown in F ure 19.17. 

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