The Stagecoach and the Spaceship
Not all fusion is created equal, but few are aware of this. Here we compare conventional fusion (“the stagecoach”) with aneutronic fusion (“the spaceship”).
Aneutronic Fusion
Aneutronic fusion means fusion that does not produce neutrons as a by-product (<99%). ("A" means "without" - hence "a-neutronic" is "without neutrons"). The advantage of non-neutron generating reactions is that you get electricity directly: finally, energy production liberated from the 19th century steam engine. You also end the nuclear waste and nuclear weapons problems: truly green nuclear energy! Conventional fusion is still mired in these issues, though to a far lesser extent than nuclear fission.
For many reasons, most studies of aneutronic fusion concentrate on pB11 fuel.
Full Story »
Posts in this category
Fusion Concept Monitor beta
Wondering what to do on Earth day to promote fusion? Try out the “Aneutronic Fusion Concept Monitor - beta” (pdf file).
Aneutronic Fusion
Aneutronic fusion means fusion that does not produce neutrons as a by-product. There are several candidates for aneutronic fusion. Hydrogen and Boron eleven are the ones used by Focus Fusion. As you see from the equation below - no neutrons are produced.
p + B11 -> 3 He4 + 8.7 MeV
Neutron safety applications
The Focus Fusion approach to generating energy limits the creation of neutrons. In fact, we essentially eliminate them. Just because we avoid neutrons doesn’t mean we think they’re evil. In fact, there are some cool uses for neutrons. There is, for example, the neutron bath method being developed by Livermore scientists to scan cargo suspected of carrying fissile material.
Conventional Fusion vs. Focus Fusion
Energy production has three main elements: fuel, reactor and generator (why these three?). Conventional fusion and focus fusion differ significantly in their approach to these three elements:
- Fuel: Focus Fusion uses a different fuel, hydrogen and boron, rather than the conventional Deuterium and Tritium.
- Reactor: It uses a much smaller, inexpensive, more elegant reactor, the Dense Plasma Focus. In contrast, conventional approaches to fusion revolve around the tokamak, a large, unwieldy and very expensive device that has consumed billions of dollars in research money and is still very far from achieving net energy.
- Generator:The Focus Fusion approach seeks to generate electricity directly. The tokamak is designed to generate heat which then has to be converted to electricity using expensive turbines and generators.
Fusion in Spider Man II
Fusion in the movies typically involves disaster. The disaster comes either from attempts by evil government/corporate forces to suppress an innovation (e.g., “Chain Reaction”, “The Saint”), or the fusion itself is dangerous and the scientist who makes it is mad, as in Spider-Man II.
