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• Recyclable
Comparison of Energy
Fusion: Overview and History
• British Physicists in the 1940s and 50s housed in a hangar at Harwell a device called ZETA - Zero Energy Toroidal Assembly which
was the first fusion based operating system.
Called 'fusion' because it is based on fusing light nuclei such as hydrogen isotopes
to release energy, similar to that which powers the sun and other stars.
The Process
• Nuclei of two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium (D) and tritium (T) react to
produce a helium (He) nucleus and a neutron (n). In each reaction, 17.6 MeV
of energy (2.8 pJ) is liberated:
• D + T 4He (3.5 MeV) + n (14.1 MeV)
Fast Facts
• A vast, new source of energy.
• Fuels are plentiful.
• Inherently safe since any malfunction results in a rapid shutdown.
• No atmospheric pollution leading to acid rain or "greenhouse" effect.
• Radioactivity of the reactor structure, caused by the neutrons, decays
rapidly and can be minimized by careful selection of low-activation
materials. Provision for geological time-span disposal is not needed.
• Sunlight is energy released from fusion reactions in the sun.
• Complete fusion reactions produce no long-life products
• The fusion bomb, developed and first exploded in the early 1950's,
was the first use of nuclear fusion.
The Future is Fusion