America's True Energy Independence Resides in Nuclear-Fusion

The New Media Journal ^ | March 24, 2007 | Rene Guerra

[Panchito42]

Nuclear-fusion is the source of energy that could guarantee America’s true energy independence for the present as well as the future. ... Fusion is the awesome process that powers the sun and all other stars in the universe. Compared to fusion, in terms of power yield, all other sources of energy, with no exception, are mere morsels.

[Panchito42]

America should pursue developing commercial nuclear-fusion at least with the same impetus as done in the past for the Manhattan, Polaris and Apollo programs.

[coloradan]

Nuclear fusion, has been, is now, and forever will be the power source OF THE FUTURE. Fission would work just fine, and would satisfy the world’s energy needs for millenia if breeder reactors were used.

[BearCub]

How easy is it for fusion to ‘run away’? I know fission requires fissile material, which consists of heavy radioactive metals. Fusion just needs stuff like hydrogen and helium, right? Sounds scary, though I know nothing about it.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Compared to fusion, in terms of power yield, all other sources of energy, with no exception, are mere morsels."

All true, but in the interim, fission breeders are a reasonable substitute.

And it looks like Dr. Bussard has found the key to fusion.

[theBuckwheat]

Until fusion technology reaches commercial viability, the US has more hydrocarbon resources in the form of coal and oil shales than Arab OPEC has in the form of crude oil.

See:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/energy_expo/2005/pdfs/t_s4c.pdf

Vision: DoD/AT&L intends to catalyze commercial industry to
produce clean fuels for the military from secure domestic
resources using environmentally sensitive processes.

Notice map/chart on page 3.

[rednesss]

Not very, as the reactions are only able to be sustained under intense pressure and temperatures exceeding 10 million degrees C, all the while being contained by massive magnetic fields.

[Herakles]

Been there, done that!

The last time this happened all of the freakomaniac PhD.s in the great think tank communities know as universities came out of the wood work. The little Hitlers really thought they found their climb to power.

But take it from me. The real scientists and engineers who should be in such a program have dropped out of this BS society. How would you like to try to live on no money reporting to numnuts managers who don’t have the slightest clue; not to mention the diversity push that is putting poorly educated females with communications degrees from Penn State in charge of Human Resources not to mention the organizations responsible for doing the work.

Did you know that this administration put a lawyer in as Chairman for the US Nuclear Regulator Commission (and he doesn’t even have a degree in science and is silimar to in education and experience to the managers below him)? Did you know the head of NASA is a female Whitehouse lawyer who was rejected by NASA when she applied after college.

Our science and engineering has been politicized and is now in the hands of the incompetent; days of the Apollo program or the navy nuke program are over.

Right now any money spent would be wasted.

[rednesss]

"Compared to fusion, in terms of power yield, all other sources of energy, with no exception, are mere morsels."

I don't know about that, matter - antimatter reactions are said to be the most energy releasing reactions. Of course since it costs $billions to produce a nano gram of antimatter it might be a while until it becomes a viable option.

[Dilbert San Diego]

The environmentalists are against any expansion of nuclear power. So trying to build new nuclear facilities or working on fusion probably won’t be allowed.

I think Al Gore is against nuclear.

The big problem that isn’t talked about too much is that the enviro/global warming folks ara against everything that can help our energy problems. They are against drilling for more oil. They are against further development of our coal reserves. They are against building new oil refineries. They are against nuclear power. They are against new hydroelectric facilities.

It’s ironic because arguably more nuclear power would cut back on the greenhouse gases. But the enviro lobby is against it.

[Mr. Jazzy]

“A chicken in every pot and a TOKOMAK in every backyard!”

Sounds like a wining campaign slogan to me!

[Mr. Jazzy]

Spelling error, correction : TOKAMAK

[BearCub]

Not very, as the reactions are only able to be sustained under intense pressure and temperatures exceeding 10 million degrees C, all the while being contained by massive magnetic fields.

Isn't fusion much cleaner too? I think its byproducts aren't radioactive?

[rednesss]

It is insane. Nuclear power should be expanded. I like fast breeder reactor designs myself. No reason to bury all that valuable U an Pu at Yucca Mtn.

[rednesss]

Ehhh, well the containment vessel becomes highly radioactive due to neutron bombardment. Most reactions being researched are some combination of Deuterium and Tritium yielding an energetic Helium-4 atom and a very energetic neutron. Some are looking at Helium-3 and Deuterium.

[DrDavid]

Nuclear fusion, has been, is now, and forever will be the power source OF THE FUTURE.

For the last 30 years, fusion has been 20+ years in the future.

[DrDavid]

4) Fusion is so powerful it would satiate America’s continually increasing voracious energy consumption required to sustain her overall vitality and might.

This assumes that we be able to sustain reactions that actually produce more energy than it takes to initiate them.

[coloradan]

Bingo. And “just 20 years from now” it will always remain.

[coloradan]

Tritium is one of the byproducts and it’s smoking hot (~12 yr half-life) but it’s valuable and would be recycled and consumed. This is in addition to the containment vessel being made radioactive by neutron activation, as already pointed out.

[rednesss]

Mmmmm, Tritium is only a byproduct of the Deuterium-Deuterium fusion reaction. The ITER is going the D-T route it would seem. D+T→4He(3.5 MeV)+ n(14.1 MeV)

[VOA]

bump