What two things are needed for fusion to occur?

What two things are needed for fusion to occur?

To make fusion happen, the atoms of hydrogen must be heated to very high temperatures (100 million degrees) so they are ionized (forming a plasma) and have sufficient energy to fuse, and then be held together i.e. confined, long enough for fusion to occur. The sun and stars do this by gravity.

What are the two key ingredients for nuclear fusion?

The main fuels used in nuclear fusion are deuterium and tritium, both heavy isotopes of hydrogen. Deuterium constitutes a tiny fraction of natural hydrogen, only 0,0153%, and can be extracted inexpensively from seawater. Tritium can be made from lithium, which is also abundant in nature.

What temperature is needed for fusion?

100 million degrees
On Earth, to produce net power, fusion reactions must take place at very high temperatures of at least 100 million degrees, which is some seven times hotter than the centre of the Sun. At these very high temperatures the fusion fuel turns into a plasma.

Why can’t fusion produce electricity?

Normally, fusion is not possible because the strongly repulsive electrostatic forces between the positively charged nuclei prevent them from getting close enough together to collide and for fusion to occur. The nuclei can then fuse, causing a release of energy.

What are the conditions that make fusion possible?

Here are the conditions that make fusion possible: High temperature – The high temperature gives the hydrogen atoms enough energy to overcome the electrical repulsion between the protons. Fusion requires temperatures about 100 million Kelvin (approximately six times hotter than the sun’s core).

What do you need to know about nuclear fusion?

We must use energy from microwaves, lasers and ion particles to achieve these temperatures. High pressure – Pressure squeezes the hydrogen atoms together. They must be within 1×10 -15 meters of each other to fuse. The sun uses its mass and the force of gravity to squeeze hydrogen atoms together in its core.

Which is the easiest form of fusion to make?

The easiest fusion reaction to make happen is combining deuterium (or “heavy hydrogen) with tritium (or “heavy-heavy hydrogen”) to make helium and a neutron. Deuterium is plentifully available in ordinary water.

What makes the most energy in a fusion reaction?

In the process some of the mass of the hydrogen is converted into energy. The easiest fusion reaction to make happen is combining deuterium (or “heavy hydrogen) with tritium (or “heavy-heavy hydrogen”) to make helium and a neutron. Deuterium is plentifully available in ordinary water.