Nuclear (con)fusion

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IN CONTRAST to nuclear fission, little has been written on the Left about nuclear fusion. So here goes!

In fission, large unstable (hence radioactive) atoms spontaneously, radiating energy in the form of heat, light, X-rays, gamma rays and neutrons. The neutrons can then strike other unstable atoms and cause them to break down, and a chain reaction is set off. If uncontrolled, the result can be an atomic explosion; if controlled, the result is the steady production of heat which can be used to generate electricity.

Nuclear fusion is the process of joining atoms together, and with a few types of light atom, such as hydrogen, H, this also releases energy. Fusion will happen spontaneously, but only at inconceivably high temperátures and pressures (hence the term, thermonuclear).

Fusion • reactions so far utilised have been those between two isotopes of hydrogen; namely, deuterium, D ('heavy' hydrogen, found naturally in small amounts bound up in water), and tritium, 1 (a radioactive form which breaks down quite fast half the atoms go in 12½ years, compared with 24,000 years for Pu).

The problem is to get more energy out of a fusion reaction than you put in to get it going. So far this has only been achieved in an H-bomb, where the necessary conditions are obtained by exploding an ordinary fission bomb around a charge of D and T, smashing the atoms into each other. The vast amount of energy in the resulting fusion is released destructively into the environment.

for the peaceful production of energy, the process must be modified some1. It is important to note that energy is produced in a pulse - there is no possibility of a chain reaction -so we need to produce safely a series of pulses unlike the steady release of energy in a fission reactor). And this on a much smaller siale than in a thermonuclear bomb -we don't want the power station vaporising! 2. We must find a way of containing the reacting atoms - no known substance is solid at 100* million degrees Celsius (deg C). We need a way to get the D and T to the right temperature and pressure other than setting off an atom bomb each time.

3. We must trap the energy produced so it can be turned into electricity.

4. We must obtain T, available only from certain nuclear reactions.

Problem 2 has been tackled in two ways:a. At temperatures above a few thousand deg C, all atoms separate into electrons and nuclei, making an electricallycharged gas or plasma. This can be contained for some tens of seconds by an intense magnetic field, while it is heated by pumping in radio-waves or by hitting it with beams of fast-moving ions (charged atoms), so that fusion takes place. This is known as Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF). b. The fuel is injected as a sand-grain-sized pellet of frozen D and T or as a little glass sphere containing D and T at high pressure, and is instantly blasted with either laser light lat the same rate as sunlight falls on the whole of Britain/ or with beams of heavy ions las above). Inertia prevents the pellet or glass sphere from

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Socialist Organiser no. 98 September 2 1982 Page 12 •TUC '82 WELL THAT'S CLEARED BUT INST IT THE SIT DITCHED THOSE UP THE AGENDA! NAMBY-PAMBIES IN THE LABOUR PARTY no.98 UNION DUES 719% AT THE TUC calling for it to break o 'THERE'S STILL A FEW UNTIDY MOTIONS I NEED SORTING OUT.

OUT 933X TUQ ith vere pushed off the agenda ARE THE CULPRITS OUTSIDE?)

BRING ONE IN!!

TUC KEEP OUT : а к мотю WRECKERS (RIGHT. IT'S YOUR TURN NOW BROTHER!)

...BUT I CAN EXPLAINTHE SHOP FLOOR LADS.

WHAT'S THE SHOP FLOOR GOT TO DO WITH IT?

THIS IS THE TUC!

OUT 1973X SO YOU'RE THE WISE GUY WHO WANTS US TO STOP TALKING TO THE TORIES! A FEW MINUTES LATER...!

780 л WEEK INDEED!

TUC NEXT!

OUT AND TOOK A LEAF OUT OF OUR BOOK?

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(such as uranium, U, or plutonium, Pul break down