In A First, Scientists Conduct Nuclear Fusion Resulting In Net Energy Gain: All About It

US scientists have made a major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy. For the first time, scientists have successfully conducted a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), California, the National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy, have achieved this milestone. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm made the announcement on Tuesday, December 13.

As many as 192 high energy lasers were used to achieve the nuclear fusion reaction. The researchers at LLNL heated a capsule of deuterium and tritium, and briefly simulated the reactions taking place in a star, Arati Prabhakar, Science Advisor to the President, said during a press conference Tuesday. She added that this feat pushes towards a “clean energy future”.

What is nuclear fusion?

A nuclear fusion reaction is a process in which two light nuclei merge to form a single heavier nucleus, and releases energy because the total mass of the resulting single nucleus is less than the added masses of the two original nuclei. Nuclear fusion reactions, which power the Sun and the stars, could one day serve as a cheap source of electricity. In nuclear fusion, light elements such as hydrogen are fused together to form heavier elements.

Nuclear fusion releases energy, and scientists at LLNL have achieved a net energy gain for the first time.

Scientists have been trying to achieve nuclear fusion since at least the 1930s. The nuclei of two atoms need to be subjected to extreme heat of over 100 million degrees Celsius in order to achieve nuclear fusion. This will cause the two nuclei to fuse into a new larger atom. The process will release large amounts of energy.

Importance of nuclear fusion

Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc² states that mass and energy are interconvertible, and can explain the process of nuclear fusion, according to the DOE.

While fusion can be carried out using different elements in the periodic table, scientists are especially interested in the deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction because this creates a neutron and a helium nucleus, and generates much more energy than most fusion reactions. Deuterium is a hydrogen isotope with two neutrons, and tritium is a hydrogen isotope with three neutrons.

The advantages of a DT reaction are that it generates large amounts of energy, and can be conducted at lower temperatures than other elements.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear fusion can generate four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than nuclear fission, a process in which a larger nucleus is split into two smaller nuclei. Nuclear fusion can generate nearly four million times more energy than burning oil or coal.

Since deuterium can be extracted inexpensively from sea water, and tritium can be produced through the reaction of neutrons generated through fusion with naturally abundant lithium, nuclear fusion will be an environmentally friendly process. Not only is fusion fuel plentiful and easily accessible, but would last for millions of years.

It is believed that future fusion reactors will be intrinsically safe and are not expected to produce high-activity or long-lived nuclear waste.

Since nuclear fusion is difficult to start and maintain, there is no risk of a runaway reaction. In other words, nuclear fusion can occur only under strict operational conditions. In case of a system failure or an accident, the plasma, which consists of a gas of ions and free electrons, will naturally terminate, lose its energy quickly, and extinguish before the reactor is damaged.

One of the biggest advantages of nuclear fusion is that it does not emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.