First college paper ever...with wikipedia references!!!
THESIS: On November 21, 2006, the United States, European Union, China, India, Russia, Japan, and South Korea signed a 12.8 billion dollar pact called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), to be built in Cadarache, France (Charlton, 2006). Since, World War II, fission power has dominated our nuclear fuel technology with little research going to fusion power. ITER is the 'Manhattan Project' of fusion power. Scientists predict that if successful, up to 20 percent (Charlton, 2006) of the world's energy could come from fusion powered reactors by the end of the century. The success of this project will provide unlimited energy for the entire world, little radioactive waste, and will unite the world's industrial powers toward a common goal for humanity.
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ITER: The Experimental Fusion Reactor
On November 21, 2006, the United States, European Union, China, India, Russia, Japan, and South Korea signed a 12.8 billion dollar pact called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), to be built in Cadarache, France (Charlton, 2006). Since, World War II, fission power has dominated our nuclear fuel technology with little research going to fusion power. ITER is the 'Manhattan Project' of fusion power. Scientists predict that if successful, up to 20 percent (Charlton, 2006) of the world's energy could come from fusion powered reactors by the end of the century. The success of this project will provide unlimited energy for the entire world, little radioactive waste, and will unite the world's industrial powers toward a common goal for humanity.
Unlimited Energy
During the 20th century, the average worldwide temperature rose 1.1ºF ("Global Warming," 2006). This may not sound like much, but the consequences are plain to see and include: A reduction in ice packs in the arctic regions, contributing to a rise in sea levels; a gigantic ozone hole over the Antarctic continent that continues to grow larger year by year allowing more ultraviolet radiation through the atmosphere; and storms are growing stronger and stronger as more heat is trapped in the atmosphere, resulting in natural catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina. The supply of fossil fuels is gradually wearing away so that by 2200 ("Fossil Fuel," 2006), the earth will have none left.
A commercially viable fusion reactor would solve our global warming problem, because it has the potential to be the next main source of power. The reactor will run on hydrogen isotopes just like the sun, which at extremely high temperatures and pressures causes the isotopes to combine and form helium ("ITER," 2006). This fusion results in a release of energy millions of times greater than the conventional burning of coal ("Fusion Power," (2006). If we can find a viable way to synthesize hydrogen fuel without releasing any greenhouse gases, then we will have achieved a use for an incredibly powerful energy potential never before seen.
Radioactivity & Wastes
The world has been haunted by nuclear fission accidents such as the sinking of the soviet submarine K-19, the Chernobyl explosion, and 3-Mile Island just to name a few. The design of ITER will help to eliminate this nuclear risk. The reactor design is called Tokamak ("Tokamak," 2006). It is shaped like a donut, and its components generate a powerful magnetic field that confines the plasmic reactions to the reactor core. Essentially, a tokamak provides equilibrium for an artificial sun. Magnetism never fails, so with this safe-guard, fusion reactors will prove much safer than conventional fission reactors.
All fission reactors produce radioactive wastes. The half-life of uranium-235 ("Uranium," 2005) is 704 million years. It is highly radioactive, very dangerous, and difficult to eliminate. The United States is currently constructing an underground radioactive waste site under the Yucca Mountains in Nevada ("Yucca Mountains," 2006), and is expected to cost between 50 and 100 billion dollars. Compare that to the 12.8 billion dollars ITER costs. Since the half-life of uranium is so long, the tunnel will eventually run out of room. Even worse, it will continue to release radioactive emissions for eons to come. The United States as a government may not last that long, so there is threat of depreciation in maintenance due to government collapse. ITER would change that because its fuel is much less radioactive. In fact, the radioactivity of fusion fuel would be equivalent to coal ash ("Fusion Power," 2006) within only 300 years, compared to the millions of years fission fuel would take to do the same thing.
Union of Industrial Powers
Much like the international space station, the ITER project will be an international research conglomerate uniting all the scientific knowledge of the entire world towards a common goal. This movement towards global cooperation stems from member nations not wanting to take on the financial burdens (Charlton, 2006) of such a project alone. Globalization is forcing even the richest of nations to work together because new technology is becoming increasingly more expensive. So expensive, that any one nation is not willing fund such projects.
It is because of the success of the industrialized world that we find ourselves in the situation of potential environmental catastrophe and energy depletion. Fortunately, these nations have realized this and have put forth a plan that will allow for the further success of the global economy. Failure in this aspect will result in a downfall of civilization as we know it.
Conclusion
As promising as fusion power is, we will not see it in practical use for at least another 40 years (Charlton, 2006). The most interesting thing is that these scientists are essentially creating an artificial sun in a controlled environment, and then using the energy produced from this star to provide power for our use. If one were to discover a reusable energy source other than the ones we currently use, it would be one of the greatest developments of the 21st century. That is why the future of the entire planet rests on the shoulders of ITER.
References
Charlton, A. (2006, November 23). Wheels in motion to build fusion reactor in France [Electronic version]. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Retrieved November 20, 2006, from http://www.dailybulletin.com/jobs/ci_4706949
Fossil fuel. (2006, November 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:41, November 29, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php...&oldid=90778774
Fusion power. (2006, November 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:42, November 29, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php...&oldid=90620046
ITER. (2006, November 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:42, November 29, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php...&oldid=90754370
IEER Fact Sheet. (2005, July 1). Uranium: Its Uses and Hazards. Retrieved November 20, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ieer.org/fctsheet/uranium.html
The Columbia Encyclopedia. (2006)
Global Warming. Columbia University Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 20, 2006 from Yahoo! Education on the World Wide Web: http://education.yahoo.com/referenc.../entry/globalwa
Tokamak. (2006, November 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:43, November 29, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php...&oldid=90296398
Yucca Mountain. (2006, November 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:57, November 29, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php...&oldid=90407039
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