Small Reactor with Big Potential
For ten years now, Leif Holmlid, a professor of atmospheric science in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Gothenburg has been researching ultra-dense deuterium. This potential fuel source is made from heavy hydrogen, which happens to be found in water. After a while, Holmlid realized that the distance between the atoms of the ultra-dense stuff was rather close. “So, it was quite possible to easily start fusion in this material,” he says. Holmlid then set about doing just that, first in the theoretical world, then in the real.
The result is a laser-fired fusion reactor that has already managed to produce more energy than it takes to run. In short, the technique involves putting deuterium in a high-pressure chamber so the ultra-dense material forms on the surface. When zapped with a laser for a few nanoseconds, the fusion process begins. The trick is timing the pulses of the laser with the production of deuterium, currently about ten times a second.
With the threat of radiation reduced to nearly nothing, Holmlid’s reactors needn’t take up massive swaths of any municipality. They could be built small enough to power neighborhoods or even single homes.
Date: October 2015
Image: Leif Holmlid
Coordinator: EnvGuide Team
Source: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/energy/small-reactor-with-big-potential