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Nuclear fusion: Difference between revisions
→Scarcity of fuels
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There are no viable reactors yet, but of the prototypes so far, some rely on tritium, an extremely rare form of hydrogen. Supply would be an issue. | There are no viable reactors yet, but of the prototypes so far, some rely on tritium, an extremely rare form of hydrogen. Supply would be an issue. | ||
Other possible fuels include deuterium, lithium or boron, which are comparatively less rare. In any case, only small amounts of the fuel would be needed to produce large amounts of energy.{{qn}} | Other possible fuels include deuterium, lithium or boron, which are comparatively less rare. In any case, only small amounts of the fuel would be needed to produce large amounts of energy. {{qn}} | ||
Ideally, fusion reactors could rely on ordinary hydrogen, which would be abundant enough to last for billions of years. | Ideally, fusion reactors could rely on ordinary hydrogen, which would be abundant enough to last for billions of years. | ||
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If we assume...{{pbr}} | If we assume...{{pbr}} | ||
~ that losing '''0.1%''' of the world's oceans would be enough to be a problem, and{{pbr}} | ~ that losing '''0.1%''' of the world's oceans would be enough to be a problem, and{{pbr}} | ||
~ that hydrogen fusion energy consumption would ''' | ~ that hydrogen fusion energy consumption would be '''10 times''' today's fossil fuel energy consumption (because cheap energy),{{pbr}} | ||
Then it would take more than | Then at that rate, it would take more than ten billion years to have even a minor effect on the ecosystems: | ||
{{calc | {{calc | ||
|0.1% oceans.volume waterdensity water.hydrogen_by_mass | |0.1% oceans.volume * waterdensity * water.hydrogen_by_mass | ||
|billion years (fossil_fuels.consumption / hydrogen_fusion.energy_by_mass) | |billion years (10*fossil_fuels.consumption / hydrogen_fusion.energy_by_mass) | ||
|||Side note: For the same amount of energy, the hydrogen losses are even less than the would-be atmospheric losses in a non-nuclear scenario where [[hydrogen gas]] replaces [[natural gas]]. | |||Side note: For the same amount of energy, the hydrogen losses are even less than the would-be atmospheric losses in a non-nuclear scenario where [[hydrogen gas]] replaces [[natural gas]]. | ||
}} | }} | ||