NYer
07-24-2007, 10:27 PM
The Governator To Research Radiation-free Fusion. (http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/nextnews7.24b.html)
Fusion is the energy that powers everything in the universe. The sun's energy comes from fusion. Alternatively, fission is the process whereby heavy atoms, which are nearly unstable, are split into two radioactive atoms. Fusion, on the other hand, is when two light atoms merge.
The fusion process invented by Dr. Bussard takes boron-11 and fuses a proton to it, producing, in its excited state, a carbon-12 atom. This excited carbon-12 atom decays to beryllium-8 and helium-4. Beryllium-8 very quickly (in 10-13 s) decays into two more helium-4 atoms. This is the only nuclear-energy releasing process in the whole world that releases fusion energy and three helium atoms -- and no neutrons. This reaction is completely radiation free.
The potential of one Electric Fusion reactor would be in the range of 100 to 1,000 MW and would provide power for up to 250,000 homes at peak output with a potential cost of construction ofaround $200 million dollars, making it relatively inexpensive compared to the ITER reactor that is to begin construction in France at a cost of $12 billion US dollars.
Fusion is the energy that powers everything in the universe. The sun's energy comes from fusion. Alternatively, fission is the process whereby heavy atoms, which are nearly unstable, are split into two radioactive atoms. Fusion, on the other hand, is when two light atoms merge.
The fusion process invented by Dr. Bussard takes boron-11 and fuses a proton to it, producing, in its excited state, a carbon-12 atom. This excited carbon-12 atom decays to beryllium-8 and helium-4. Beryllium-8 very quickly (in 10-13 s) decays into two more helium-4 atoms. This is the only nuclear-energy releasing process in the whole world that releases fusion energy and three helium atoms -- and no neutrons. This reaction is completely radiation free.
The potential of one Electric Fusion reactor would be in the range of 100 to 1,000 MW and would provide power for up to 250,000 homes at peak output with a potential cost of construction ofaround $200 million dollars, making it relatively inexpensive compared to the ITER reactor that is to begin construction in France at a cost of $12 billion US dollars.