Fusion Rock

The latest news from the science front is the start of the ITER project, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. In a discussion amongst friends the other day at lunch, I discovered that earth shattering news such as this is lost on the general public. It's simply way too complicated. Kinda like trying to wrap your mind around just how much money Bill Gates makes per second.

So, I've taken it upon myself to try and describe the importance of this project and how it's going to work in simpler, more manageable terms. I'll let you be the judge of whether or not I succeed.

I'm going to try to stick to basic Chemistry and/or Science...so bear with me.

What it is: ITER is to be a nuclear reactor that uses fusion instead of fission to produce energy. Fission is what we have now. It is clean energy, but it has many downsides. Think Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Although the United States no longer has any operating nuclear reactors like those at Chernobyl, the waste product still takes millions of years to decay and is radioactive.

Enter fusion. This is the type of energy the sun produces. It is clean and produces very little radiation which decays almost instantly.

How does it work? This particular reactor will take deuterium (which is hydrogen with an extra neutron) and tritium (Hydrogen with 2 extra neutrons) and put them in a vacuum. Surround them with superconductor (really strong) magnets to keep them from getting away, and add heat at around 1 million degrees Kelvin (1799540.33 ° F). This forces the two particles close enough to together to fuse. When they fuse they release a Helium atom, a neutron, and about 17,600,000 volts of electricity (or approximately 500,000,000 watts). This, if it doesn't mean much, is a crapload. The neutron (which flies past the magnets because it has no charge) enters a chamber of water and Lithium. There, it combines with the Lithium to form more tritium which is more fuel for the reactor. The heat released warms water which would be used to turn a turbine for electricity.

Alpha particles (look in a science book) released from the fusion would heat the plasma in the core to make it even hotter.

I thought fusion was not possible?

Wrong. China has already developed a functioning reactor, but it hasn't generated enough energy to be viable. Part of the problem is that it's so hot, has huge magnetic pressure, and particle fluxes from the hot confined plasma keep most materials from handling the force. Thats part of what ITER is about. To research how they can contain the force to make it a viable energy source.

While I could go into more detail and bore non-scientists, I decided to put it into terms my friend Dr. Mobabwe can understand. I made it into a Schoolhouse rock song.

Sing it to the tune of "Lolly, lolly, lolly, get your adverbs here."

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Neutrons here

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your neutrons here

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, got some neutrons here

Come on down to Lolly's get the neutrons here

You're going to need if you fuse or seed a fusion re-actor.

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly get your neutrons here

Got a lot of Lolly jolly neutrons here,

Anything you need and we can make it absolutely cleeeaarrr.

A neutron is a particle, (thats all it is, and theres a lot of 'em)

That modifies the plasma (sometimes the plasma, sometimes...

It modifies some lithium

Which makes more tritium

And so you see it's positively

very very necessary.

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly get your neutrons here

Father, son and Lolly selling neutrons here

Got a lot of neutrons and we make it clear,

So come to Lolly...(Hello folks. This is Lolly Senior saying

we have every neutron in the book.

So come on in and look.

Hello folks. Lolly junior here. Suppose your

house needs heating. How are you going to

heat it? That's where the neutron comes in.

We can also give you 5 million watts so you

can keep it toasty warm or completely incinerate it!

Hi. Suppose you want to create a sun inside your bathroom.

Your buddy wants to know "How?" and "When?"

Use 1,000,000 degrees Kelvin and show him.)

Get your neutrons.

Superconduct some magnets and it does much more.

Any neutrons lost will melt right through the floor.

12 billion in cash and you can buy it at the store.

Every buck you use!

Use it with a lake, it has a Q of 10.

Flip off OPEC, light the world

Where have you been?

Repair our lovely ozone, no nuke waste

And even more!

How...man..y...years? 20 or 50?

These questions are answered

When you use a neutron.

Come and get it!

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly get your neutrons here

quickly quickly quickly get your neutrons here

Slowly surely really find your neutrons here

Youre going to need if you fuse or seed

a fusion re-actor.

Lolly....Lolly....Lolly(If it's a neutron, we have it at Lolly's!

Bring along your old deuterium, water, sewage, gasoline!

We'll fit them out with our He++ attachment

And make perfectly good neutrons out of them!)

Get your neutrons here!

Besides! They're absolutely free!

At your service.

Indubitably!