ListeningforsignpostlanguagePractice2

WellIthinkwellgetstartedeveryone.ImProfessorLangand
ImgivingthelecturetodayonyourChemistryandtheEnvironment
course.Imonlygivingtwolecturesthissemesterthisonetoday
onnuclearfusion,andalateroneonfuelcelltechnology.

SoasIjustsaid,inthelecturetodaywelllookatnuclear
fusionreactionsandtherearethreemaintopicsthatIwillfocus
oninmytalkfirstlydefiningwhatnuclearfusionissecondly
theadvantagesofusingfusionasanenergysourceratherthan
fissionandthirdlythechallengesassociatedwithdoingthis.

Firstofallletslookatwhatfusionis.

Inanynuclearreaction,thenucleus,orcentralpartoftheatom,
istransformedinsomeway.
Thenuclearpowerstationsinusetodayallusenuclearfission
reactions.Thistypeofreactionsplitsalargenucleusintotwo
smallerones.Nuclearfusionbycontrast,istheprocessof
squashingtwosmallnucleitogethertomakeonenewbiggerone.

Sothatisabasicdefinitionofwhatfusionis.Nowletsturnto
thequestionoftheadvantagesthisenergysourcemightoffer.

Thefirstadvantageisthatfusionreactionshavenoneofthe
radioactivewasteproblemsthatcomewithfission.Thereareno
lowlevelminetailingsorhighlevelwastefromtheburntout
fuelrods.Forinstance,thespecialhydrogenneededforfusion
canbeextractedfromseawatercleanlyandsafelyandtheonly
wasteproductisHelium,whichiscompletelyharmless.
Anotherpointofdifferencebetweenfissionandfusionisthat
thereisnodangerofnuclearaccidentswithfusion.Awellknown
exampleofadisastrousradioactiveleakinvolvingafission
reactortookplaceatChernobylin1986wherehighlevel
radioactivityescapedintotheenvironment.Thisdangerisnot
presentinfusionreactions,becauseifthereactionbecomes
uncontrolleditsimplystopswithnonegativeimpactotherthana
lossintheelectricitysupply.

Youmightbewonderingwhywedontusethissourceofpowerifit
hassomanybenefitssoletsmoveontoevaluatethechallenges
ofusingfusion.

Themainobstacletousingthistechnologyisthetemperature
required.Togiveyouanexample,theminimumtemperatureatwhich
areactionwillbeginis100milliondegreesCentigrade,whichis
muchtoohotforanyconventionalcontainertohold.

Afinalproblemisthatitishardtobalancethereactionsothat
fuelisbeingaddedattherateitisneeded.Aswesaidearlier
theonlyresultisthatthereactionstopsandtheelectricity
supplystopsbutthisisalsoaproblemwhichwouldneedtobe
overcome.