On Tuesday, US scientists announced a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy overcoming a major barrier. The fusion experiment took place at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California.
Dr Kim Budil, LLNL Director said, ‘’ This is a historic achievement.. Over the past 60 years thousands of people have contributed to this endeavor and it took real vision to get us here.’’ It is considered a ‘’landmark achievement” and a “milestone for the future of clean energy.” It can revolutionize the energy system but for now it is still out of reach.
How fusion works
Unlike nuclear fission where heavy atoms are split apart, in nuclear fusion tiny atoms are heated and forced together to make one heavier one. In simple terms, the sun creates its own energy using a fusion process. It is a process where atoms are fused together at high temperature, and pressure to create energy or heavier atoms.
Tiny amounts of hydrogen are put into a capsule, then a powerful 192-beam laser is use for heating. And compress hydrogen fuel. The laser heats the capsule to 100 million degree celsius. Then compresses it to more than 100 billion times that of Earth’s atomphere. The capsule begins to implode on itself and force hydrogen atoms to fuse and release energy.
Advantage of Nuclear Fusion
Fusion is an environmentally friendly source of energy. The process doesn’t involve any harmful atmospheric emissions. Unlike nuclear fission, that is the worst nightmare for the environment.If nuclear fusion happens in a controlled way, there are endless possibilities for a greener environment and a good source of energy.
As the process uses hydrogen, which is an abundant element in nature. For example, it is present in seawater. According to the Department of Energy, a single gallon of water from the sea can generate as much energy as 300 gallons of gasoline.