Download Chute Ryker Chute Dr. Guenzel ENC 1102 April 9, 2014 Is nuclear

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Ryker Chute
Dr. Guenzel
ENC 1102
April 9, 2014
Is nuclear fusion the solution to the US’s energy crisis?
An Introduction
An Inconvenient Truth is a documentary by Davis Guggenheim, which is about Al
Gore’s attempt at educating the population about global warming (IMDb). This made
climate change a major issue for America in 2006. Climate change is the drastic change
of the earth’s temperature, which, if large enough, can cause devastating damage to life
throughout the planet. With primary cause of climate change being the burning of fossil
fuels, research and development has been invested in the search for an alternative
energy. The purpose of this paper is to look at the viability of nuclear fusion as a source
of energy to replace fossil fuels.
The Problem
The cause of climate change is the greenhouse effect, which is when
released chemicals and water vapor enters our earth’s atmosphere, and decreases the
amount of heat that is released into space. This increases the temperature of our
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atmosphere, which causes extreme weather, increase extinction rates, and the melting of
the ice caps that will produce massive sea level rise. The main greenhouse gases include
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and many others. Carbon dioxide, the largest
contributor of the greenhouse gasses, has doubled in our atmosphere over the past 100
years, leading to an increase of average temperature by 6% this past decade (Glikson).
95% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have come from fossil fuel combustion, with 40%
of that being electricity production (Epa). In 2013, close to 5.4 trillion tons of carbon
dioxide was released into the atmosphere from electricity production (Antypas).
Solutions
Research and development of alternative energies has drastically increased over
the past decade in the hopes of combatting global climate change. Some of the more
popular alternative energies include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and nuclear
fission. All of which are attempts at replacing the use of fossil fuels that is used as a
primary source of electricity. There are some major problems for each of the alternative
forms of energy. Solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal all have geographical
prerequisites, which makes it difficult to implement nationwide. Solar panels require
constant, bright sunshine, and wind farms need consistent, strong winds to produce
sufficient electricity. Hydroelectric and geothermal both require a certain geological
situation to function, like sources of water and geothermal hotspots. Geothermal and
hydroelectric have the potential to provide energy for large cities, like how Niagara Falls
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provides a quarter of all energy used in New York state and Ontario (“Niagara Falls
info”). Solar and wind on the other hand are not as effective for large scale energy
production. The Atla Wind Energy Center in California is largest wind mill farm in
America, which can produce about 1500 megawatt from 750 turbines over 50 square
miles (Shimkus) (Feldman) (1 megawatt powers about 750 homes.). With the average
coal power plant producing 500 megawatts (“Coal vs. Wind”), the wind farm produces
enough electricity to be viable, but requires a large amount of land for loud, ugly,
windmills. Solar also faces similar problems, making solar and wind more viable for
residential energy production, and not nationwide demands. These limiting factors are
some of the reasons why these power sources are not viable alternative energies that
could replace fossil fuels.
Nuclear fission is currently one of the only sources energy that is a viable
replacement for fossil fuels. Fission reactors can be built almost anywhere in the country,
due to the fact they do not use the functions of the earth to create energy. Fission
creates energy by taking large atoms, and breaking them into smaller atoms, in the
process, producing a large amount of energy stored in nuclear bonds in the form of
heat. With the average power plant producing 1000 megawatt (“General U.S…”), it can
produce more than enough energy for demands of big cities. Even though fission
technology could replace fossil fuels in terms of energy production, there are some
major problems stopping its wide spread implementation. A major problem with fission
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is disposing of the highly radioactive fuel rods used for the reaction. Currently, the
United States primary storage facility for radioactive waste is the Yucca Mountain
Storage facility in Nevada. Located 1000 feet underground, this storage facility holds
spent radioactive fuel rods until they become inert, and no longer radioactive. With
plutonium having a 24000 year half-life (the amount of time it takes for a substance to
be half as radioactive.) (“Backgrounder …”), and the rate at which the US is using fuel
rods in fission reactors, it has been predicted that Yucca mountain will be filled in 10
years. Another major issue for fission technology is the danger of a meltdown e.g.
Chernobyl, Ukraine. In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant failed, causing an
explosion of steam and fire which spread radioactive waste from the core over a 2700
square miles area. This resulted in many deaths, mostly from radiation poisoning, and
rendering a 20 mile radius of the reactor uninhabitable for centuries (“Chernobyl
Accident”).
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a different kind of nuclear reaction, where fission splits larger
atoms into smaller atoms; nuclear fusion combines smaller atoms to make heavier
elements, creating a large amount of energy in the process. The best examples of fusion
are stars, which provide the heat and light needed for life. Stars are powered by fusion
at their core, combining hydrogen atoms to make all the elements in the universe. The
nuclear force that holds together protons and neutrons is so strong, it requires a large
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amount of heat and pressure to break these bonds. For our sun to perform efficient
fusion, the core burns at 28.3 million °F and is under 289 trillion atm of pressure (Glenn).
Sense the 1970’s, we have been trying to recreate this reaction on earth, our closest
attempt being the development of thermonuclear weapons. To create the heat and
pressure necessary, we surround a large amount of fusion fuel with atomic bombs,
which when detonated, compressed and heated the fuel, resulting in the largest display
of destructive power by man in history. The USSR’s Tsar Bomba is the largest example of
a thermonuclear weapon, producing a 57 megaton explosion, which was 1400 times
more powerful then Little Boy and Fat Man combined (Tarantola). Recently, focus of
research and development has been shifted towards using this technology as a way to
produce energy.
Fusion has the potential to be a perfect energy source. The reason that it has the
“potential” to be the perfect energy source is that we have not been able to create a
reaction that is produces enough energy. The potential energy stored in the nucleus of
all atoms is large enough to power the universe, but we have not been able to, until
recently, create a controlled reaction with enough heat and pressure to release all of
that energy. The NIF (National Ignition Facility) in Livermore, California, is a $3.5 billion
research facility that is focused on developing a fusion reactor to create energy. The
reactors uses driver lasers to create 192, 500 terawatt laser flashes that converge on a
small spherical pellet, which contains a few milligrams of fusion fuel. The high energy
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laser pulse converge on the pellet which heats the surface and turns it into plasma, the
heat then creates more pressure, collapsing the pellet smaller and smaller until ignition
is achieved, creating a nuclear fusion reaction. In September of 2013, the NIF was able to
achieve an efficient fusion reaction, the first reactor to ever achieve this milestone. An
efficient reaction is when a reaction creates the same amount of energy as was used to
start it (Rincon). The reason that this is so important is that this proves that fusion is no
longer a technology we are trying to create, but something we are now perfecting.
In 1985, China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, USA, and the European Union came
together at the Geneva Superpower Summit to discuss the development of fusion
energy for peaceful production. This resulted in the International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor (ITER), which is an international joint research project whose goal
is to use fusion power to create full scale electricity production. Currently in the process
of being built, the ITER is the largest experimental tokomak reactor, which uses
magnetic plasma confinement to heat and hold the fuel to achieve fusion. There are
other reactors in the world that use similar technology, like the Korean KSTAR, or MIT’s
Alcator C-Mod reactor, which use the tokomak design to achieve fusion. But these
designs have not broken the energy threshold like the NIF. Thought to be completed in
2017, the ITER is expected to be the most successful reactor built so far: with a 50
megawatt input, they expect a 500 megawatt return, ten times the energy that was put
in. (ITER)
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The Answer
The title of this paper is asking the question of is nuclear fusion the answer to the
US’s energy crisis. By 2052, we will use up our oil reserves, by 2061 we will use our gas
reserves, and by 2088, our coal reserves will be gone (Ecotricity), the need for an
alternative energy is absolute. With the threat of global climate change constantly
shaping and destroying the world, and our source of energy being depleted at an
alarming rate, we need a form of energy that can supply a large amount of consistent
energy while not contributing to the damage of our atmosphere. Alternative energies
like solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear fissions are all good temporary
solutions for providing energy for unique situations, but these technologies don’t hold
the potential to be permanent and universal solution. So is nuclear fusion this perfect
solution? Well we know that fusion technology has the potential to make seemingly
limitless energy, demonstrated by the sun, and the fuel is easily acquired and abundant
due to the fact that it is made from water (Understanding Fusion). But the truth is that
we do not have the technology to harness the full potential of this technology. The NIF
breakthrough is a major milestone in fusion, showing that it is possible to use this
technology for energy production, and with the ITER nearing completion, there is a
promising future for fusion technology. I believe with more funding and research, fusion
could be the answer to the energy crisis, not just for the U.S., but also the world.
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Work Cited
“An Inconvenient Truth.” IMDb. Web. 28 Feb.
2014.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497116/
Antypas, Yanna, Brown, Tyson. “U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions in 2013 expected to be 2%
higher than in 2012.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=14571
“Backgrounder on Radioactive Waste.” United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Apr. 2007
Web. 9 Apr. 2014. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/radwaste.html
“Chernobyl Accident 1986.” World Nuclear Association. Feb. 2014, Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/ChernobylAccident/
“Coal vs. Wind.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html
Elert, Glenn. “Pressure at the Center of the Sun.” The Physics Factbook. Web. 23. Feb. 2014.
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1997/MarinaTreybick.shtml
“Fact Sheets.” Nuclear Energy Institute. Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. http://www.nei.org/MasterDocument-Folder/Backgrounders/Fact-Sheets/Yucca-Mountain-Myths-and-Facts-OpponentsDistort-o
Feldman, Stacy. “Alta Wind Farm, America’s Largest Wind Power Project, Blows Closer.” Inside
Climate News. 27 Jul. 2009. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20090727/altawind-farm-america%E2%80%99s-largest-wind-power-project-blows-closer
“General U.S. Nuclear Info.” Nuclear Energy Institute. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/US-Nuclear-Power-Plants
Glikson, Andrew. “As emissions rise, we may be heading for an ice-free planet.” The
Conversation. 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. http://theconversation.edu.au/asemissions-rise-we-may-be-heading-for-an-ice-free-planet-4893
“ITER” ITER Organization. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. http://www.iter.org/
“NIAGARA POWER GENERATING QUICK FACTS.” Niagara Falls Info. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
http://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/history-item.php?entry_id=1447&current_category_id=254
“Overview of Greenhouse Gases.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Web.
23 Feb. 2014. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
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Shimkus, John. “The Top Ten Largest Wind Farms in the World.” EnergyDigital. 10 Mar. 2011.
Web. 9 Apr. 2014. http://www.energydigital.com/top_ten/top-10-business/the-top-ten-largestwind-farms-in-the-world
Tarantola, Andrew. “The Biggest Bomb In the History of the World” Gizmodo. 23 Jan. 2013 Web.
9 Apr. 2014. http://gizmodo.com/5977824/the-biggest-bomb-in-the-history-of-the-world
“The End of Fossil Fuels.” Ecotricity. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-greenenergy/energy-independence/the-end-of-fossil-fuels
“The Merits of Fusion” Understanding Fusion. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
http://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/understandingfusion/merits.aspx