About Cold Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is the wave of the future. Cold fusion is even better and more probable. With so many benefits and advantages over other kinds of energy, it's no wonder scientists are actively pursuing such an energy source. The article below summarizes what nuclear cold fusion is, how it works, and if we'll ever see it implemented as reactors.

Nuclear fusion is the combination of any two atoms to for a single, larger atom. The phrase most commonly refers to the fusion of two hydrogen atoms to form a helium atom, which is the reaction that occurs in the nuclear reactions that generate harvestable power, and is also the same reaction that is ongoing in the sun. In order for the reaction to occur, enormously high temperatures are needed, and therefore nuclear fusion as we know it today is also referred to as a thermonuclear reaction. Indeed, the temperature on the surface of the sun is an indication of the kinds of heat energy involved in this reaction. Cold fusion is a theoretical form of this kind of reaction that does not require the extremely high temperatures to proceed.

One of the inherent dangers of nuclear power today is the very fact that such high temperatures are required for the reaction to occur. The famous nuclear power accidents we all know about, such as Chernobyl, all occurred due to failures in the plants ability to keep the reaction within a containable temperature range. Cold fusion would not only eliminate this risk, it would also allow applications that are completely out of the question for thermonuclear power. For example, cold fusion cold easily be used to power automobiles, other transport vehicles, or even household appliances. Thermonuclear reactions can only be done in highly supervised and protective environments which limits its use. Imagine trying to use a reaction that reaches millions of degrees Celsius to drive your car. There wouldn't be anything left to drive, and furthermore there wouldn't be anything left of you!

"In order for the reaction to occur, enormously high temperatures are needed, and therefore nuclear fusion as we know it today is also referred to as a thermonuclear reaction."

In point of fact, cold fusion isn't actually theoretical anymore, however its applications are. Cold fusion has been demonstrated to occur through a number of different processes, however none of these processes release more energy than they require, and are therefore not effective in producing power.

Since fusion reactions produce so much energy, and so little radioactive waste, finding a way to make it safe and usable outside of nuclear power plants would have a tremendous economic and environmental impact on the world. Though fusion is not a perfectly clean form of producing power, it is far cleaner than the fossil fuels we use today. The greenhouse effect would effectively be a concern of the past if fusion were to replace fossil fuels as the world's predominant source of energy.

Additionally, with the limited amount of oil produced and the inherent political issues associated with the oil trade, alternatives to fossil fuels are even more attractive. It is for these reasons that finding a workable and efficient form of cold fusion is a goal for many of today's scientists.

Well, I hope you found that article as enlightening as I did. Fusion power is such an interesting topic, and I sincerely hope that one day we will see a new wave of technology in fusion reactors.

The Science of Cold Fusion

With oil prices getting higher and higher, the U.S. is looking for alternative forms of energy. One of the most powerful and efficient energy sources is fusion (anti-matter is the best like in Star Trek, but it will take centuries for us to accelerate production of such energy). Cold fusion is even better, as you can creat a fusion reaction at room temperature. Below is a great article on cold fusion, and how it works.

When the idea of cold fusion was first kicked around scientific think-tanks, it was seen as an excellent end to the energy crisis. Unlike nuclear fission, which breaks apart big atoms like uranium to produce power, nuclear fusion combines small molecules like hydrogen and helium to produce power. Nuclear fission, though relatively safe and efficient, produces large amounts of dangerous radioactive waste which don't decay for hundreds of years and give off dangerous radiation. Fusion, in comparison, produces hardly any radioactive waste. Unfortunately, the only fusion experiments that have been successful have been thermonuclear and occur at millions of degrees Celsius, usually exploding and melting things and generally making a mess of everything. So scientists postulated that they could create fission reactions (relatively) near room temperature and in (relatively) unpressurized environments, creating a great deal of power out of easily accessible materials while producing a very small amount of waste. This procedure was called "cold fusion."

"Unlike nuclear fission, which breaks apart big atoms like uranium to produce power, nuclear fusion combines small molecules like hydrogen and helium to produce power."

The main problem with cold fusion is that it doesn't work, or at least it hasn't worked yet. Hot fusion has worked, but so far it's been nearly impossible to control or maintain. When reactions occurring at millions of degrees Celsius are difficult to control it generally makes scientists and laymen alike a bit nervous, so most experts are hoping that cold fusion will be the answer to our problems.

In 1987 two separate teams worked on cold fusion in Utah, Fleischmann and Pons and Stephen Jones. Neither team knew of the others' work until they submitted their papers for peer review. They had planned to release their papers simultaneously, but Pons and Fleischmann acted a day sooner than Jones and held their press release early. Jones then fired his article off to Nature, the rush to publish the findings caused quite a stir in national media. Much of the media buzz subsided quickly though, since the experiments weren't matching up to the proposed results. Peer review produced a string of failed experiments, and after the government investigated they found no evidence that cold fusion had been achieved. Though some cold fusion research is still being carried out and advances are still being made, most experiments are done by professors or retired professors working on shoestring budgets. In general, though we may still see reliable cold fusion reactors in our lifetime, combining hydrogen and helium to produce clean, plentiful energy, for the time being it's best not to hold your breath.

It's really too bad that we won't see fusion as a primary energy source for many decades, but it's something to look forward to. Once you initiate that jump to fusion, the world will start to change at alarming speeds.