Muhammad Irfan Muzhaffar Darmawan

7B
Mr. Arvi
Science

MATTER and ENERGY

Suitable Source of Energy

Nuclear fusion: A solution for

energy crisis
The problem is that the world needs more energy, as nonrenewables are rapidly declining today. We need to find another
source of renewable energy that would help energy crisis later on.
This problem is important to be solved since it affects the future of
the world. If its not solved, the world can have blackout, no energy.
Oil and Natural Gas are slowly decreasing since its a non-renewable
energy for a short time (that means its renewable in millions of
years, that cant cope with the energy needs of the world today).
The advantages of solving this problem are unlimited source of
energy, solving energy crisis that happens throughout the world,
and many more. But the limitations are if the energy damages the
environment (like hydroelectric dams block fishes migration, that is
important for increasing population), still uses some non-renewable
source (like solar panels), so here the student finds what is the best
solution for renewable energy.
The student thinks that Nuclear Fusion is the most suitable
energy source in the future because it can create an almost
unlimited energy for the world; it is like bringing sun to the earth by
technology. Nuclear fusion is the process of two or more atomic
nuclei collide at a very high speed. The process of converting the
matter into photons makes the photons (energy). This process is the
same as how the sun creates light and heat. It is also the opposite
of the process of Nuclear Fission, since fission separates atoms
while fusion combines (collide) atoms, and fission uses heavier
elements like Uranium while fusion uses lighter elements like Iron.
The process happens by many ways. For example:
The deuterium-tritium fusion, by that process it creates
helium-4, freeing a neutron and releasing 17.59 MeV of energy.

The advantage is high-energy neutron released. The

disadvantage is the tritium is because bombarding Lithium, with
neutrons makes radioactive waste and here scientists all over the
world are finding a way to use a really safe energy makes it. Theres
still a better way then deuterium-tritium fusion.
The deuterium-deuterium fusion, by that it creates a helium-3,
freeing a neutron, releasing 4.03 MeV of energy.

The advantage is it doesnt use tritium, which its process of

making creates radioactive waste when bombarding Lithium, so its
nuclear-free. The disadvantage is the energy released is not all in
the form of high-energy neutron, so the energy is much more less
than deuterium-tritium fusion.
So the advantages of nuclear fusion are an almost unlimited
energy, since deuterium from one cubic kilometer of seawater is
almost equal to the supply of the entire worlds oil reserves before
mined. It uses a reaction that doesnt make radioactive waste, like
fission. Fusion is just colliding, not like fission that is separating that
makes radioactive waste. We use the energy by using solar panels
(photovoltaic cells recommended) to capture the photons.
But, the disadvantages for now are the way to hold that much
heat, 100 million Kelvin. There isnt any substance can hold that
much heat, but there is a complex way to make it safe and
scientists are still finding a way to produce heat from nuclear fusion.
Good news is that at the National Ignition Facility at
Livermore, California, a really huge milestone is reached. US finally
succeeded to harness nuclear fusion. The hottest 192 laser beams
there was shoot to the holes at a target container called a
hohlraum. The hohlraum is a tiny pellet that contains an extremely
cold, solid mixture of hydrogen isotopes. The deadline, 30
September 2013, was passed with a hard work already worked for
more than a half century. But there was an unexpected technical
problem, which made the fusion output less than originally
predicted by mathematical models.
Any other way harnessing Nuclear Fusion is by doing the
fusion at outer space. The energy is captured by solar cells that are
going to be transmitted by electromagnetic waves to earth. The
advantage is that the explosion wont affect the Earth; people can
use tritium since the radioactive waste will float at the space. The
disadvantages are solar cell damage to too hot heat from the
photon, the solar cell or the fusion reactor being hit by an asteroid,

and any interference to the electromagnetic waves as also to the

photon capturing to the solar cells. People can also do this at a
lower pressure so the reaction can happen at a lower temperature
below 100 million Kelvin, but still its impossible since people can go
beyond the atmosphere to reach a really lower pressure to achieve
even 50 million Kelvin.
The process of energy transformation here is nuclear energy
to heat energy to electrical energy. But if we are using tritiumdeuterium fusion, the transformation is nuclear energy to nuclear
energy to heat energy to electrical energy (since the bombarding of
lithium makes radioactive waste that contains energy too). The
unwanted form of energy is light energy, because the explosion that
happened because of the fusion creates heat and light, while the
heat is used for the energy.
This energy, if can be harnessed, is really useful for the future
since the resources/fuels are still abundant, like deuterium and its
renewable since water is renewable; hydrogen is estimated 150
billion years of continuous consumption. Even if there isnt any
more hydrogen on earth (impossible since water is made of
hydrogen), an astronomer may mine deuterium directly from sun if
there is a technology, a suit that can withstand million degrees
Celsius (still impossible for now).
A prediction to economical effect is the trading of deuterium
that escalates when nuclear fusion is found. There will be many
companies trying to mine deuterium from sea, including naval
countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, the Oceania
continent islands (Fiji, Tonga, Palau, Polynesia, etc.), etc. and they
will mine the highest number and trying to sell those expensively.
So, nuclear fusion is the perfect solution since it doesnt
create any waste damaging to the environment. To overcome the
disadvantages we need to avoid the unexpected technical
difficulties of the lasers, which were depended on the success of the
first fusion process in the world. I recommend deuterium-deuterium
fusion since bombarding the Lithium, that makes radioactive waste,
makes tritium and quickly harness the nuclear fusion energy even
after first attempt for real usage.

Bibliography

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Hickman, Leo. "Fusion Power: Is It Getting Any Closer?" The

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2013.
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Rincon, Paul. "Nuclear Fusion Milestone Passed at US Lab."
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