Nuclear fission and fusion as sources of energy to power the future

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Nuclear fission and fusion as sources of energy
to power the future

• Tommy Mitchell
• Westminster College (SLC)

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Introduction

• Problem- Limited natural resources
• Increasing demand
• Other sources of energy
• Solar, wind, hydroelectric
• Nuclear Energy- Fission Fusion
• Fission-already a source of energy
• Fusion- potential unlimited source of clean
  energy

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Why Nuclear Power?

• 1,000,000 to 1
• Relationship 1 million grams of coal to produce
  similar amount of energy as 1 gram of U-235

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Fission, splitting of Atoms

• 235U 1 neutron ?  2 neutrons 92Kr 142Ba
  ENERGY
• 235U 1 neutron ?   2 neutrons 92Sr 140Xe
  ENERGY

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Fission Cont., nuclear reactor
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Negatives of fission

• Radioactive byproducts
• Fission products of U-235 are radioactive for
  millions of years.
• But not as harmful as general public thinks when
  weighted against coal
• Population effective radiation dose is 100 times
  larger from coal plants than nuclear plants.
• C-14, radioactive

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Fission is a major source of energy

• Electrical energy
• Over 20 of U.S.
• Sothern states Over 50
• Over 80 of France
• Sothern states and Europe do not have abundant
  natural gas.

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Fusion, combining of atoms

• Fusion powers the Sun
• All energy sources on Earth originate from the
  suns energy.
• Energy is released when atoms are combined
• Force that holds atoms together
• Young Stars Have lots of Hydrogen
• Proton-proton chain-hydrogen burning

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Proton-Proton Chain
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Why Fusion Instead of Fission?

• Fission
• Radioactive byproducts
• Fusion
• No radioactive by byproducts
• Helium Hydrogen are the only byproducts of
  hydrogen burning.

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Problem with Fusion

• Must have extreme temperatures and pressures
• 100,000,000C 20 and times the density of lead

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Attempt to Create Controllable Fusion

• National Ignition Facility (NIF)

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NIF
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NIFTarget Chamber
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Conclusion

• Natural resources are rapidly being depleted
• Nuclear energy is interesting alternative
• Large amounts of energy produced, little material
  needed
• Although, fission has radioactive isotopes and
  controllable fusion has not been developed
• Fusion research is important

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References

• http//isotopes.lbl.gov/education/glossary/glossar
  yfa.htm
• http//ultraman.ssl.berkeley.edu/nucleosynthesis.h
  tml
• http//www.astro.princeton.edu/tremaine/ast541/17
  
• http//www.int.washington.edu/talks/WorkShops/int_
  06_2a/People/Cowan_J/cowan_int.pdf
• http//www.aas.org/publications/baas/v33n4/aas199/
  1090.htm
• http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//mais
  -ccd-spectroscopy.com/wpe14.jpgimgrefurlhttp//m
  ais-ccd-spectroscopy.com/new_page_8.htmh694w10
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Nuclear Chemistry

• Process of creating new atomic nuclei from
  pre-existing nucleons (atoms)
• Fission, splitting of atoms
• U-235
• Fusion, combining of atoms
• Combining Hydrogen to make helium

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Nucleosynthesis and elements formed