Explain the process of nuclear fusion, and describe its role in commercial power generation

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Nuclear fusion is the process responsible for the immense amount of energy that the sun generates and the force behind hydrogen and thermonuclear bombs. It involves forcing together small nuclei of lightweight elements under extremely high temperatures and pressure. For example, the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium can be fused to form helium, releasing a neutron and a tremendous amount of energy. Because fusion requires extremely high temperatures, researchers have not successfully developed nuclear fusion for use in commercial power generation. If we find a way to control fusion in a reactor, we could produce vast amounts of energy using water as a fuel; the potential payoffs would be immense. We could produce vast amounts of energy using water as a fuel, and the process would create only low-level radioactive wastes, without air pollution or the risk of dangerous accidents, sabotage, or weapons proliferation. A prototype reactor (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is slated for completion in 2019, but even if this project succeeds in unlocking the secrets to commercial power generation using nuclear fusion, we will not see commercial production of electricity via nuclear fusion in the foreseeable future.