help with physics

Question

1- Compare and contrast the environmental impact of fusion reaction versus fisson reaction.

 

2- How safe are fusion reactors versus fission reactors?

 

3- Compare and contrast how easy is it to sustain a fusion reaction versus a fission reaction.

Answer 1

(2)

Nuclear fusion is safer than nuclear fission .

The basic fuels - deuterium and lithium – and the reaction product - helium - are not radioactive. The intermediate fuel – tritium – is radioactive and decays very quickly, producing a very low energy electron . In air, this electron can only travel a few millimetres and cannot even penetrate a piece of paper .

Extensive safety and environmental studies have led to the conclusion that a fusion reactor could be designed in such a way to ensure that any in-plant incident would not require the evacuation of the local population.

Fusion reactors are very much safer because-- 1) They can't "run away" 2) They leave few radioactive products when worn out. 3) They have no radioactive spent fuel.

Answer 2

(1)

The surroundings in which animals and plants live. The environment includes physical and chemical factors as well as living organisms.

Living organisms are affected not only by the physical and chemical factors (temperature, waterquality, gases,light, pressure, chemical form of the substances), but also by biotic factors (food resources, competition with other species, predators and parasites) of their environment.

The radioactivity levels in the environment may alter many of those factors.

Nuclear Fusion:

Fusion reaction is considered to be more environmental friendly to produce nuclear energy.

If the reaction goes out of control in fusion, the whole process stops automatically as it cools down, which means that radio active participles do not spread out.

Nuclear Fission:

If fission reaction goes out of control, a nuclear melt down can happen which can cause the emission of radioactive participles ion in larger quantities.

Answer 3

(3)

Nuclear Fission:

Fission readily creates a chain reaction which must be slowed through use of a moderator to avoid core meltdown.

So to obtain sustained Critical mass of the substance and high-speed neutrons are required.

Fission produces many highly radioactive particles.

Nuclear Fusion:

Fusion can only be accomplished at temperatures of about 100 million degrees celsius.

High density, high temperature environment is required.

The components used in fusion exist in the form of plasma where atoms are divided into electrons and nuclei.

Finally, fusion of a given mass of deuterium will be able to create over four times the energy produced through fission of an equal mass of uranium.

Fusion produces radioactive particles but less compared to fission.

Nuclear Fusion is more easy to sustain if developed properly.