NUCLEAR FUSION
By: Julia Koff 12/11/2015
The Discovery
I am excited to announce that my lab has discovered how to produce energy by using nuclear fusion. By studying the sun, I was able to mimic its method for producing energy.
Nuclear fusion produces energy by joining atomic nuclei together. This fusion of these particles releases enormous amounts of energy. Nuclear fusion is different than nuclear fission because that deals with splitting atoms apart. They both deal with atomic nuclei and produce energy, but do it in different ways.
Safety Concerns
Because the atoms have to be heated to extreme temperatures there could possibly be problems if the right materials are not used. There is less of a chance of nuclear waste spills than nuclear fission because it would intensely controlled. Lithium is used as a cooling agent, and being very flammable, there is concern for fires starting.
Economic Impact
The fuel for nuclear fusion is practically abundant so energy produced by fusion could be the earth's main energy source for millions of years. It can produce high amounts of energy with nearly no problems like emissions or relying on the environment.