Creating Energy from Deuterium - Tritium Fusion Essay -- Alternative E

Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Abstract The energy crisis is upon us. Fossil fuels are expected to be totally depleted within the next ten to fifty years. We need an energy source that can consistently output lots of energy and be easily operated. Deuterium-Tritium fusion appears to be the best and most effective way to produce energy. By fusing the two isotopes of Hydrogen in to the heavier element Helium large quantities of energy are released. D-T fusion is the safest form of fusion, producing no waste and no harmful radioactive atoms. As long as there is available Deuterium and Tritium, we have an effective way to solve the energy crisis. Introduction The sun generates its energy by fusing hydrogen atoms, which give off large amounts of energy. However, scientists believe that the sun long ago fused Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, because it was a more easily achieved fusion.( Conventional Fusion FAQ, May 2007) Deuterium-Tritium fusion is soon to be one of the most effective and efficient ways to produce energy. A normal hydrogen atom has only one proton in its nucleus, but deuterium is a hydrogen atom with one neutron and one proton, a tritium atom consists of two neutrons and one proton. Deuterium is also known as "heavy water" because it forms D-O-D. (Wikipedia, 2007) Figure 1 Three isotopes of Hydrogen Deuterium-Tritium Fusion 3 Heavy water has already been incorporated into modern nuclear reactors. Some Canadian reactors, such as CANDU, are using deuterium to moderate the heat of the reactors: however, the fusion of deuterium and tritium is still being researched. There have been few experiments on the fusion of Deuterium and Tritium. In 1952 Mike Ivy shot the first hydrogen bomb made with deuterium liquid. Th... .../hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/fusion.html Uranium Energy Corp, (2006). Uranium. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://www.uraniumenergy.com/uranium/ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Deuterium. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Tritium. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Nuclear Fusion. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Ocean. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Timeline of Nuclear Fusion. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Timeline_of_nuclear_fusion