4 ms·
> clean fusion power From what I understand, practical routes to fusion all produce a lot of fast neutrons, and tritium. The neutrons make the surrounding equi
by denton-scratch 4y ago
> clean fusion power
From what I understand, practical routes to fusion all produce a lot of fast neutrons, and tritium. The neutrons make the surrounding equipment radioactive, and create toxic elements. The tritium is itself toxic, and is hard to contain. And the high neutron flux means that such a machine could easily be used to create weapons-grade plutonium, by irradiating uranium. And come decommissioning time, the reactor itself is a pile of toxic waste that will need long-term storage.
I don't believe that fusion is inherently dirty; just that none of the technologies currently being investigated can be described as "clean". And they all run the risk of nuclear proliferation.
IANAP.
- DennisP 4y agoThese issues apply to D-T fuel, whose output energy is 80% high-energy neutrons. Helion is using D-D/D-He3, whose output would be only 6% neutrons, at lower energy. If you do the D-D reactions in specialized fuel production facilities, you could sell the He3 to anyone with an He3 power plant and they'll have zero neutron radiation to deal with or misuse. Even with D-T, the reactor waste would stop being dangerously radioactive in a few decades.
- LarryMullins 4y agoAll of what you say is true. But on the plus side, you don't have the transuranic waste. Transuranic waste is the worst waste, the most dangerous and the most expensive and vital to store properly.
- chasil 4y agoOne fusion approach that was recently discussed here was anetronic fusion with Hydrogen and Boron-11. Because it produces no free neutrons, it doesn't have the (small) waste problem as this laser fusion approach. This article is newer from the one that I remember. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30841080 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30841080