“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”
Jul 28, 2024
Fusion has often been criticised for always being ’10 years away’
LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (07/28/2024)
Every few days, or so it seems, I read an optimistic article about how ‘fusion’ nuclear power will replace ‘fission’ nuclear power (sometimes so optimistic that the possibility is “just right around the corner.”) Some media discusses the latest ‘fusion’ breakthroughs as the future of nuclear power and will save us from global warming/climate change created by CO2 and other greenhouse gasses from burning fossil fuel power plants such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Rest assured: that will not happen.
Why? Because, simply said, “fusion” is not a feasible alternative because the best guess of it ever becoming a reality is somewhere nearer the turn of the century (2100), and even by then the probability is extremely doubtful. We have only recently taken the first baby-step into creating fusion on earth.
Here is a brief AI review: “In February 2024, European researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility in the UK set a new world record for sustained and controlled fusion energy, producing 69 megajoules of energy over five seconds. This was triple the amount of energy produced in similar tests in 1997, and enough to power 41,000 homes for five seconds.”
Prior to that the only positive controlled fusion energy was of an even smaller time frame accomplished by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in December of 2023 — just the 2nd time a reactor produced more energy than it consumed. So the only positive thing that can be said about nuclear fusion is that it is possible because it has been done, but only on the smallest of positive scales.
So it baffles me how anyone can say that we will be ‘feasting’ on ‘fusion’ by mid-century. It seems to me that it cannot happen before the turn of the century, and of course, given our history of misunderstanding how to safely handle ‘all things nuclear’, will such a power plant be safe for humanity’s best minds to achieve? I think not. Some of the best minds in the short history of “harnessing” nuclear fission or fusion, including Albert Einstein, have, long ago, said something akin to “forget about it”. ~llaw
The huge challenges in creating fusion power plant
Greig Watson
BBC East Midlands
Fusion has often been criticised for always being ’10 years away’
The project to build a nuclear fusion reactor in Nottinghamshire has been described as the “UK’s Nasa moment”.
But beyond the optimism of an event showcasing the scheme, how close is it to becoming a reality?
Is the promise of clean, cheap and secure energy still obscured by huge scientific, engineering and economic hurdles? And is it safe?
Two experts give us their take.
Former coal fired power station West Burton A, near Retford, was chosen as the location for the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), in October 2022.
However, even if investors are found and construction completed on schedule, the facility is unlikely to open before 2040.
Explaining the process, Dr Aneeqa Khan, lecturer in nuclear materials at the University of Manchester, said: “Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the Sun, where two nuclei fuse together, liberating huge amounts of energy.
“Recreating the conditions in the centre of the Sun on Earth is a huge challenge.
“We need to heat up isotopes of hydrogen gas so they become the fourth state of matter, called plasma.
“In order for the nuclei to fuse together on Earth, we need temperatures 10 times hotter than the Sun – around 100 million Celsius.”
The promise of fusion is great – but so are the challenges
Dr Brian Appelbe, a research fellow in nuclear fusion at Imperial College London, said fusion differed from traditional nuclear power – fission – in several fundamental ways.
He said: “Fission is about breaking heavy element apart, fusion is about forcing lighter element together.
“The amounts of energy that are released with fusion are far higher than fission.
“And the elements being used, like hydrogen, are far more widely available than the fission fuels. Some, like deuterium, a form of hydrogen, can be sourced from sea water.
“This is a much cleaner source of energy because it makes less radioactive material and it is radioactivity which doesn’t last as long.”
Dr Khan added: “We are still a way off commercial fusion. Building a fusion power plant also has many engineering and materials challenges.
“However, investment in fusion is growing and we are making real progress.
“We need to be training up a huge number of people with the skills to work in the field and I hope the technology will be used in the latter half of the century.
“Global collaboration is key in achieving this.”
Dr Appelbe said: “The news about the Nottinghamshire site is very exciting and there is a lot of development happening but we are still at the scientific stage of developing fusion.
“There is a real momentum building and I am optimistic about overcoming the scientific hurdles to building a functioning fusion power plant but I’m not an engineer or economist.
“But I wouldn’t want to put a timescale on it.”
Public opposition has been one of the most powerful obstacles to nuclear power
One of the practical problems which has dogged traditional nuclear power is public opposition, often based around fear of leaks and accidents.
Dr Appelbe said: “I’d certainly live next to a fusion station.
“It uses small amounts of fuel very quickly, so there are not the large amounts of fuel which are around for much longer with fission, which have been the source of some accidents such as Chernobyl.
“This, combined with the challenge of keeping a fusion reaction going, means there is no way you can have catastrophic runaway issues.”
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TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (07/28/2024)
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
Putin threatens to restart production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if US
Times of India
… All about viral hepatitis and preventive measures to stop its transmissionBTS Jimin’s ‘Who’ dominates Spotify’s daily top songs – global chart for …
When temptation to spend an inheritance strikes, what’s the right move? – San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego Union-Tribune
Should California’s Legislature jump into the debate about nuclear waste at San Onofre? Will India surpass California on a theoretical GDP scorecard …
Putin Threatens To Restart Production of Mid-Range Nuclear Weapons – The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times
All the attributes of the Cold War with the direct confrontation … Read more about: Putin , Nuclear , Arms. A Message from The Moscow Ti..
Nuclear Power
NEWS
The huge challenges in creating nuclear fusion power plant – BBC News
BBC
The project to build a nuclear fusion reactor in Nottinghamshire has been described as the “UK’s Nasa moment”. But beyond the optimism of an event …
Construction starts on several projects at nuclear power plants, accelerating China’s clean …
Global Times
Construction or upgrading began recently on several projects at nuclear plants in China, a significant development in the country’s nuclear power …
Taiwan decommissions Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant reactor | Taiwan News | Jul. 28, 2024 12:24
Taiwan News
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan decommissioned Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant’s Unit 1 reactor on Saturday (July 27) at 10 p.m..
Nuclear War
NEWS
Putin warns US of Cold War-style crisis if missiles deployed to Germany – Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Russian leader threatens to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if US deploys missiles to Germany.
Putin warns the US of Cold War-style missile crisis | Reuters
Reuters
MOSCOW, July 28 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday warned the United States that if Washington deployed long-range missiles in …
Putin warns the United States of Cold War-style missile crisis – VOA News
VOA News
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday warned the United States that if Washington deployed long-range missiles in Germany, then Russia would …
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
Putin warns US of Cold War-style crisis if missiles deployed to Germany – Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
But following the end of the Cold War, the US significantly reduced the number of missiles stationed in Europe as the threat from Moscow receded. The …
U.S. upgrades military command in Japan, warns of China threats | Reuters
Reuters
“Amidst increasingly severe nuclear threats in the vicinity of Japan, it is important to further strengthen extended deterrence. I welcome the …
Chilling US map shows areas most likely to be targeted in a nuclear war – is your state on it?
Irish Star
The threat of nuclear war looms over parts of America as Russia’s … Late in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin stoked further fears when he issued .
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
If Yellowstone’s volcanic system erupted, how could it impact the US? – WNCT
WNCT
… Yellowstone were to erupt. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said a large eruption at Yellowstone “will not lead to the end of the human race …