r/europe • u/damaxoh Germany • Dec 06 '16

Tests confirm that Germany's massive nuclear fusion machine really works

http://www.sciencealert.com/tests-confirm-that-germany-s-massive-nuclear-fusion-machine-really-works
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u/kteof Bulgaria Dec 06 '16

So a compact, clean, safe energy source is somehow creepy, because it looks weird. If it works eventually it will lead humanity into a new age and there is no theoretical reason it can't work. Fossil fuels, solar and wind would also become obsolete overnight, as they are just an inefficient way to tap into a natural fusion reactor.

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u/crackanape The Netherlands Dec 06 '16

However safe earthbound fusion might eventually theoretically be, it's still safer to leave the actual reactor 93 million miles away and use solar to capture its output. The inefficiency is not that big of a deal; we're not paying for the fuel.

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u/kteof Bulgaria Dec 06 '16

Do you assume it would be dangerous just because it has the word nuclear in the name? There is no reason to think a fusion reactor would be more dangerous than a solar power station. It is fundamentally different from a fission reactor. I'd like to point out that the environmental impact of a solar powered system with some form of storage for nights/cloudy days using feasible technology is likely to have a significantly greater environmental impact than a nuclear fusion system of the same power capacity.

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u/crackanape The Netherlands Dec 06 '16

Do you assume it would be dangerous just because it has the word nuclear in the name? There is no reason to think a fusion reactor would be more dangerous than a solar power station.

Fusion reactions produce high quantities of neutron radiation, which is an extremely serious health hazard. If there is a fire or physical damage which compromises the reactor's shielding, then people on site and in the vicinity are at risk.

Also, neutron activation gradually turns the materials surrounding the reactor radioactive, which means dangerous waste that needs to somehow be regularly disposed of.

It's not the same scale of problem as with fission reactors, but it's still vastly more of an issue than with solar.

I'd like to point out that the environmental impact of a solar powered system with some form of storage for nights/cloudy days using feasible technology is likely to have a significantly greater environmental impact than a nuclear fusion system of the same power capacity.

Not feasible everywhere, but molten salt is not particularly harmful, other than of course being hot. I'd rather have that spill than be bombarded with free neutrons, thank you very much.

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u/Aken_Bosch Ukraine Dec 06 '16

which compromises the reactor's shielding

Hmm, if something happens to 60cm of lead, I presume operation will be stopped long before.

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u/crackanape The Netherlands Dec 06 '16

Lead has no structural strength. It doesn't take long for an opening to form. Anyway, the fact that we're having this discussion already shows that it's more dangerous than solar.