UnprobableView
in the core
the technology that has been used to produce nuclear power has been atomic fission. in this process neutrons are used to bombard uranium atoms thus leading to the nucleus fission. it is such fission that generates the heat necessary to produce electric power in the same way as inside a conventional gas or coal-fired thermal power station. a side-effect of atomic fission is the release of radiation. to proceed well this process needs several parameters inside the nuclear reactor being balanced. when it is mismanaged it can get out of control generating huge radioactive leakages.
the alternative which has been studied to nuclear fission is nuclear fusion, a process through which two hydrogen atoms fuse. the advantage of this process, which reproduces what happens inside the sun, is that no radioactive emission occurs. the problem however is that typically atoms repulse each other. so to get them together there is the need of an extremely high amount of energy. for this reason hot fusion has also been called high energy fusion. currently several nations are building together ITER, a research facility aiming to develop this technology (see www.iter.org/). this big science has still a long way ahead before it gets to the commercial stage, if it will ever. the pay back for society would however be extremely high, as people across the planet would get access to a non-polluting and non-exhaurible source of energy.
over the last couple of years or so much has been written about another technology, so-called cold fusion or low-energy fusion. the same basic process of hot fusion happens here, but what induces it is not the energy imposed externally on the atoms to merge. several accounts of the process have been provided in scientific articles, but cold fusion remains outside mainstream physics as it can not be accounted for by current theories. cold fusion scientists have described several circumstances in which it has happened, but attempts to reproduce their experiments elsewhere have not been that successful. the tide seems however to be changing with organizations like NASA showing interest in cold fusion and investing in its research.
cold fusion has certainly been the most interesting scientific saga over recent years. if its proponents claims prove true, this could be the beginning of a new era. a live account of what's getting on, from the cold fusion scientists side, can be found here www.e-catworld.com/. as a former student of mine who is an expert on these issues pointed out a couple of weeks ago, cold fusion development has been a "real-world soap opera of innovation management, with patents claims, trade secrets, mad scientists, competition and a great deal of controversy peppered with conspiracy".
in the core
the technology that has been used to produce nuclear power has been atomic fission. in this process neutrons are used to bombard uranium atoms thus leading to the nucleus fission. it is such fission that generates the heat necessary to produce electric power in the same way as inside a conventional gas or coal-fired thermal power station. a side-effect of atomic fission is the release of radiation. to proceed well this process needs several parameters inside the nuclear reactor being balanced. when it is mismanaged it can get out of control generating huge radioactive leakages.
the alternative which has been studied to nuclear fission is nuclear fusion, a process through which two hydrogen atoms fuse. the advantage of this process, which reproduces what happens inside the sun, is that no radioactive emission occurs. the problem however is that typically atoms repulse each other. so to get them together there is the need of an extremely high amount of energy. for this reason hot fusion has also been called high energy fusion. currently several nations are building together ITER, a research facility aiming to develop this technology (see www.iter.org/). this big science has still a long way ahead before it gets to the commercial stage, if it will ever. the pay back for society would however be extremely high, as people across the planet would get access to a non-polluting and non-exhaurible source of energy.
over the last couple of years or so much has been written about another technology, so-called cold fusion or low-energy fusion. the same basic process of hot fusion happens here, but what induces it is not the energy imposed externally on the atoms to merge. several accounts of the process have been provided in scientific articles, but cold fusion remains outside mainstream physics as it can not be accounted for by current theories. cold fusion scientists have described several circumstances in which it has happened, but attempts to reproduce their experiments elsewhere have not been that successful. the tide seems however to be changing with organizations like NASA showing interest in cold fusion and investing in its research.
cold fusion has certainly been the most interesting scientific saga over recent years. if its proponents claims prove true, this could be the beginning of a new era. a live account of what's getting on, from the cold fusion scientists side, can be found here www.e-catworld.com/. as a former student of mine who is an expert on these issues pointed out a couple of weeks ago, cold fusion development has been a "real-world soap opera of innovation management, with patents claims, trade secrets, mad scientists, competition and a great deal of controversy peppered with conspiracy".