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Mahesh

16/12/22 11:52 AM IST

Nuclear fusion breakthrough

In News
  • Researchers at the California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have recently announced a historic nuclear fusion breakthrough, claiming it to be the “landmark achievement” in the quest for a source of unlimited, clean power and an end of the dependence on fossil fuels.
About the Experiment
  • The experiment forced a minuscule amount of hydrogen into a peppercorn-sized capsule, for which scientists used a powerful 192-beam laser that could generate 100 million degrees Celsius of heat.
  • It is also called ‘Inertial Fusion’.
  • At some other places, including the international collaborative project in southern France called ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in which India is a partner; very strong magnetic fields are used for the same purpose.
  • The laser beam was hotter than the Sun’s centre and helped to compress the hydrogen fuel to more than 100 billion times that of Earth’s atmosphere.
Nuclear fusion
  • Nuclear fusion energy powers celestial bodies like the Sun and other stars.
  • It is produced when two light hydrogen atoms come together and release a large amount of energy in the process. Nuclear fusion has the capacity to produce a clean, abundant and safe source of energy that eliminates the need for humanity’s dependence on coal, crude oil, natural gas and other hydrocarbons that are contributing to global warming. It is different from the nuclear fission, the energy that is used to make atom bombs.
  • The nuclear fission reaction occurs when heavy atoms split apart.
  • This process generates a lot nuclear wastes that emit radiation for a long time and become hazardous unless stored safely.
  • Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, generate higher amount of energy while also eliminating any trace amounts of radioactive waste and removing the risk of nuclear disaster.
Significance
  • Attempts to master the fusion process have been going on at least since the 1950s, but it is incredibly difficult and is still at an experimental stage.
  • The nuclear energy currently in use across the world comes from the fission process.
  • Besides greater energy yield, fusion is also a carbon-free source of energy, and has negligible radiation risks.
  • Though the achievement is significant, it does little to bring the goal of producing electricity from fusion reactions any closer to reality.
  • By all estimates, use of the fusion process for generating electricity at a commercial scale is still two to three decades away.
Source- CNBC

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