Four discoveries that can change our world
greenhouse gases. But unlike fission, fusion leaves no radioactive waste and produces a lot more energy with a lot less fuel. The raw material to produce energy through nuclear fusion is hydrogen and is available in abundance.
Nuclear fission, on the other hand, uses uranium which needs to be mined and is not an infinite resource. Nuclear fusion could therefore solve humanity’s quest for unlimited sustainable energy. Ironically, nuclear fusion was also weaponized first.
The US tested the first hydrogen bomb (it was 10 times more powerful than the bombs dropped in Japan) in 1952. However, efforts to harvest fusion for peaceful use did not take off as energy required for the fusion reaction was more than it generated. This is because of what scientists call the Coulomb Barrier.
For a fusion reaction to take place effectively, two positive nuclei have to come close to each other. But two positive nuclei repel each other—this phenomenon is called the Coulomb Barrier. To overcome this barrier and get the nuclei to come closer, a large quantum of energy is required.
It took scientists over 70 years to ensure that the energy produced is more than what is expended to make the reaction possible. In the December experiment, the energy produced was 3.15 megajoules as against 2.05 megajoules that was spent. Initial analysis of the July test data reveals that the net gain was even higher.
Megajoule is a unit of energy measurement. “Achieving net energy gain in nuclear fusion is more than just a necessity to guarantee a safer and sustainable planet for the future generations. Fusion power is probably the only large-scale solution that could save the planet from irreversible damage that it is undergoing due to usage of fossil fuels and
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