1ºDaniel John Pajak ? We have already proven Fusion is possible (on Earth) and produced more power than it took to create.
Experts believe that a fusion reactor will b operating by 2027 (although wide-scale commercial adoption will take decades, especially as ennvironment review and lawsuits from NIMBYs would probably take 10 years for a single plant and then probably another 10 years to construct a commercial plant).
We have also have enough (inexpensive) fuel(despite it being relatively rare at .02% of all hydrogen) because it doesn't take a lot to produce power. We could fully replace all power on earth with less than 1000 tons of fuel a year (and we have at least 72,000,000 tons of it here alone). so 72,000 years of fuel.
2ºHal Taylor
Interesting foot note…..
The only source for tritium for a number of fusion experiments, are CANDU (Canadian Deuterium Uranium) reactors.
CANDUs are heavy water fission reactors, which use deuterium, as a moderator, so can run, without enriched uranium.
Tritium is a naturally formed element - created when cosmic rays hit the atmosphere - but rare….and it only has a half life, of about 12 years.
But, this presents an interesting possibility, if fusion plants, can be proven economical…..
Run heavy water reactors, like CANDUs, to produce large amounts of power; medical isotopes; and tritium….then, take the tritium produced, and use that, in a fusion plant, to create……more power.
Create fission/fusion hybrid plants, to produce tens of gigiwatts……
3ºJoe Torelli
“We have already proven fusion is possible (on earth) and produced more power than it took to create…….”
Yea, like I said…..
H bombs.
If you’re referring to NIF……
They put two mega joules in; got three, out……..
But, it took 3 HUNDRED mega joules to power the lasers.
https://podcasts.apple.co...i=1000609524749
(5 mins in, they discuss it.)
This podcast is good, in that they also discuss the challenges facing the enterprise, especially the difficulty of making the pellets, which would be required, in a sober matter.
“2027”?
What “experts”, would that be?
She thinks a PILOT project is 10-15 years away…..
2040.
As for your “72,000 years of fuel…..”
We have, literally, BILLIONS of years of fission fuel, with breeder reactors; because, uranium 238 is about 10x more common that uranium 235; and thorium is about 25x more common than uranium 235.
BOTH, are “fertile”, so can be “bred” into fissile (fissionable….required for fission fuel…isotopes).
So, “72,000 years”, doesn’t sound all
That impressive, to me.
“Total world energy consumption of primary energy in 2019 was about 584 exajoules (BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020)
A modern light-water reactor can pull an average of 60 MWd/kg out of its 4.8% enriched nuclear fuel (AP1000 docs)
One kg of 4.8% enriched uranium requires 9.5 kgU natural uranium input to the enrichment plant (and 7.8 SWU) (any old SWU calculator)
A breeder reactor with a recycling fuel cycle can pull about 900 MWd/kg out of non-enriched nuclear fuel (natural or depleted uranium or thorium)
There are 6.1 million tonnes of uranium in reasonably assured deposits (World Nuclear Uranium)
There are 6.3 million tonnes of thorium in reasonably assured deposits (World Nuclear Thorium)
Uranium exists in seawater at an average concentration of 0.003 ppm (also World Nuclear Uranium)
There are about 332 million cubic miles of water on Earth, 96.5% of it is in the ocean (USGS). At a density of 1 gram/cm
3
, this comes out to 1.4 yottagrams of water, or 1.4e21 kg)
At 0.003 ppm, this means there are about 4000 million tonnes of uranium in seawater
The average crustal concentration of uranium is about 2.8 ppm (World Nuclear Uranium)
There are about 6.5e13 tonnes (65 trillion) of uranium in the crust, which continuously replenishes the uranium in seawater through erosion, runoff, and plate tectonics.
Thorium requires the use of a breeder reactor so it is to be included only once breeder reactors are assumed”
https://whatisnuclear.com...billion%20years.