Show Nuclear fusion what's the fuss Part one of a two-part two series Mark Hewitt Contributing Writer Over a month ago on March 23 Stanley Pons a chemistry professor at the University ty of Utah surprised the scientific world with the announcement cement that he collaborating collaborating col col- labor ting with Ma Martin tin Fleishmann from the University University University sity of Southhampton Southampton had sustained a cold nuclear fusion reaction Since then a galvanic controversy has developed as asto asto asto to whether or not the reaction reaction tion is really fusion since no noone noone noone one one can really tell exactly what is happening with the experiment The shock and skepticism in the scientific community was justified Since well before World War II scientists scientists scientists have been seeking the answer to the riddle of practical cal fusion but with few positive positive positive tive results Fusion is desirable because of its enormous energy advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage over coal oil and other fossil fuels Also unlike its nuclear counterpart fission fission fission fis fis- fis- fis sion nuclear fusion provides a relatively clean and cheap source of energy from an inexhaustible inexhaustible inexhaustible in in- exhaustible fuel source However until now our only commercial experience with nuclear power has been with fission Discovered in the thirties by two German scientists nuclear fission splits the nucleus or center of an atom with a particle called a neutron The particles in the nucleus are scattered much like balls hit by the opening shot in a game of pool This releases a great burst of energy energy energy ener ener- gy and each sub-atomic sub fragment fragment fragment frag frag- ment left over hits another atomic nucleus creating more and so on causing what is known as a chain I reaction reaction to occur occur With the trie compounded of Individual individual individual in in- atoms an extremely large energy yield is Is' obtained But fission has problems For one thing its it's expensive The fuel for a fission reaction is a special kind of modified uranium atom known as an isotope Such isotopes are rare in nature and must be manufactured artificially at great cost Also nuclear fission fission fission fis fis- fis- fis sion is dirty Each fission reaction releases unstable atomic particles which are radioactive This radioactive material is dangerous and stays dangerous for many years so disposal in remote sites such as the desert or the ocean is the only way to get rid of the waste Finally a fission reaction can be very dangerous if not dealt with carefully The chain reaction must be monitored closely to prevent the reaction from getting out of control and literally becoming becoming becoming be be- coming an atomic bomb Exactly Exactly Exactly Ex Ex- Ex- Ex such a thing happened at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979 and more recently at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union In the event of such a catastrophe vast quantities of radioactive material are often released Such a release can have deadly effects on living things and remain toxic for years Often the effects effects effects ef ef- ef- ef of radiation are not seen J T I t. t 4 0 l I I or f I. I 11 r vf Vv r Ti f. f j f lO l C C 1 sr f. f M A r p s t T t v RADIANT ENERGY NEAT j j URANIUM ISOTOPE j G e. e 1 T 1 i I ISLOW SLOW NEUTRON FAST r s 1 NEUTRONS a I. I J. J c I. I r b O. O r w RADIOACTIVE WASTE fi 1 1 i w 4 f I i t J i t. t y r TH THE FISSION REACTION s. s ft 0 for months or even years Most notably affected and the reproductive processes stretching out the potential hazards over generations Even with all the problems associated with fission fission fission fis fis- fis- fis sion it has been used heavily for the last two decades primarily because of its cost effectiveness when compared with fossil fuels One kilogram of fission fuel produces an amount of energy energy energy ener ener- gy equivalent to the burning of three million tons of coal Most scientists and engineers agree that if fusion could be made viable it would rapidly make the use of fission ob ob- ob- ob solete A fusion reaction is the exact opposite of fission Instead Instead Instead In In- stead of splitting a single atom with a high atomic number two atoms with low atomic numbers usually hydrogen are brought very close together causing the atoms to join This creates a 3 THE FUSION REACTION REACTION J r t i i d Ii HELIUM 4 J. J I i I 1 0 O 0 t. t J z r. r 2 NEUTRON t 3 E t y tP i I 00 i T i I I T. T A At J L. L I J JC It w J l I C t 1 l iH t. t I f t l f I I I i f it jI i DEUTERIUM M. M j Ii s f 4 1 t 1 d' d I 4 i i TRITIUM TRITIUM I I i i. i J 1 J I I f 1 L' L i if ff J r.- r. i Ii c i talI tal I fr M o 11 c r J i to f i J wS v pi 1 r r i f g t r r 1 y i 0 J J I new atom with a higher atomic number helium for example Fusion too releases enormous amounts of energy but unlike fission produces little radioactive material and that which is produced can be useful in other However engineering a practical fusion reaction has eluded scientists for nearly a century One of the problems with starting a fusion reaction reaction reaction tion is that to overcome the positive charge of the protons in the atomic nucleus extremely extremely extremely ex ex- high amounts of heat must be imparted to them Approximately 18 billion degrees Fahrenheit are necessary necessary necessary sary for a fusion reaction to begin This is known as hot fusion and is the principle behind a thermonuclear bomb or the sun Another puzzling problem has been that of containing the heat of the reaction once it has been started These di difficulties have led scientists to construct construct construct con con- elaborate experiments costing billions of dollars with no remarkable success to show for it At the U of U Stanley Pons says that not only ha hahe has hashe hashe he sustained a fusion reaction reaction reaction tion but that he has done it simply and for a fraction of the sum spent on other fusion experiments His experiment experiment experiment ex ex- was cold or room temperature fusion This approach approach approach ap ap- ap- ap has been around since 1927 when a Swedish scientist scientist scientist attempted to patent a device which created helium out of hydrogen fh an electrochemical l process process called electrolysis patent application was r rejected and anddie die te idea forgotten The principle is simple A palladium electrode within the apparatus soaks up light atoms called deuterium or heavy water They are then placed in a crystal lattice and forced together n not t by immense immense immense im im- im- im mense heat as in a hot fusion experiment but by an electrical electrical electrical cal charge When the hydrogen atoms join and become become become be- be come helium heat is given off along with neutrons and a mildly radioactive substance called tritium The reaction is easily controlled through the amount of electricity that is put into the experiment At this point chemists say that everything looks fine but physicists see things dif- dif For one thing they say there is just too much heat even for a fusion tion They also say there should be billions of 2 neutrons very few of which have actually been detected in the university experiment Also as a product of the fusion reaction an elemental r isotope called helium 4 should be evident in large l quantities Helium 4 has indeed indeed indeed in in- deed been detected but most t scientists arc are skeptical of how much since the amount should be closely linked with the number of neutrons that are being produced With this controversy there has been a frenzy of activity activity activity ac ac- ac- ac in the scientific community com corn l' l to determine whether or not what is taking place at atthe the U of U is really fusion i and if it is exactly how it is I happening f fIn In the second part of this two-part two feature L. L Carl Jensen Jensen Jen Jen- ensen en- en sen a sixteen year professor of physics here at and the holder of a Masters Degree in physics from Utah Uta i State University will share his J own views views views' on the U U of U experiment and pro propose ose a singular and unique theory theo y on what is happening inside an experiment that could change our way of life j f fyr II i d. d t I i 1 yr J I 1 hJ h- h r |