Why doesn't the government use nuclear fusion to produce energy?

Question

or have they not cracked it yet

Answer 1

Not successful yet.

For more information, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion

Scientists have worked on this problem for 40 years, with little to show for it. The tokomak design fusion reactors can't even demonstrate continuous fusion ... the plasma cannot be contained long enough, hot enough, or dense enough.

The Farnsworth Fusor actually does produce continuous fusion but can't be scaled up to or achieve break even. (This device is marketed as a neutron source, and hobbyists have built them -- so you too could be the first on your block to have a fusion reactor.)

The Nat'l Ignition Facility is attempting to shine enormously powerful laser beams on a small fuel target ... but work along these lines to date hasn't panned out.


If you look at money spent versus progress achieved, it doesn't appear likely this will ever work, since it has to compete against nuclear fission that is already an off-the-shelf proven technology.

Answer 2

The "government" (well, government scientists) have successfully done controlled fusion experiments many thousands of times now. The trouble is that fusion is not an econmically sensible way of generating electrical power, because it is just such an incredibly complicated thing to do (requiring extreme precision), because it requires enormous amounts of very expensive equipment, and because there is no way to scale up laboratory reactors to something that could produce fusion on a commercial scale.

Fusion is something that will likely never be economically feasible, simply because it is just so darned complicated. It is really easy to make a fission reactor (heck the first one was a pile of graphite blocks and uranium tubes under a squash court at the University of Chicago). Fusion requires the best in lasers and optics, or the best in high vacuum equipment and superconducting magnets, and that's just to produce a Megajoule or so of energy (which any big diesel generator can crank out in 1 second anyway).

Bottom line is, barring some incredible quantum leap in basic physics, controlled fusion is never going to be economical, or even close to it.

Answer 3

Nuclear fusion has been promising effects for some years. Nuclear fission has been attempting to sparkling up the diverse hazards for some years. i does not pick to grant up doing analyze, exceptionally in case you have self belief in miracles. i does not pick to spend any further public funds on the two style reactor till it fairly is shown that somebody has discovered a thank you to neutralize the wastes. enable the persons who have confidence this industry be the only ones who pay for studying, development, keeping, and putting the wastes of their very own community and in the event that they could make it rewarding on their very own, then they deserve all the earnings besides. As a scientist who has been following this industry especially lots by using fact it began, i does not have self belief a single assertion issued via them. it fairly is a ideal parasite. It does not scent undesirable, it produces lots of power for a protracted time and is quiet. you may no longer even understand that your ability plant makes use of nuclear till your water furnish starts off working slightly low and it fairly is rumored that the plant would would desire to close down till they get some rain or somebody notices an unexected discharge or worse. Then there is the waste difficulty. in case you think of fusion solves all those issues, you ought to comprehend that an identical people who prefer fusion even have been attempting to sparkling up fission for a protracted long term. There are far to many probably risk-free and renewable supplies on the horizon and that they like our interest now. enable's no longer waste yet another dime on power it somewhat is by no capacity going to be freed from sturdy risk-free practices arguments.

Answer 4

Controlled fusion is being studied, but there is no practical or economical technology available yet. There might never be. Besides, governments shouldn't be in the business of generating energy.

Answer 5

Still working on it. Controlled fusion reactions are not easy to produce but in the long term it is one of the best ways of producing energy. Burns water and produces helium - just how good can it get!

Answer 6

On an industrial scale: not yet.
Plus it currently (in layman's terms) costs a packet!

Answer 7

They do not know how to. It's the magnetic field that is the problem. They cannot make it hold.

Answer 8

too costly and uncontrollable.

Answer 9

Nope!...Not yet !!!