Part 5 of 18 Parts (Please read Parts 1 thru 4 first)
One of the major concerns about the use of a mixture of hydrogen and boron as a fuel for a fusion reactor is the fact that the hydrogen – boron reactions can only be triggered by very extreme physical conditions. Up until now, the deuterium-tritium reaction has been the focus of most fusion research because the conditions required are not as extreme as those needed for hydrogen-boron fusion. After more than fifty years of efforts around the world with investments rising into the tens of billion of dollars it is still not possible to make accurate predictions about when a commercial fusion reactor employing deuterium-tritium fusion might be available. It is pretty obvious that new approaches are needed. Perhaps a whole new paradigm must be found. One suggestion is what has been called the “non-thermal-paradigm.”
In fusion research, the main topic being discussed is thermonuclear fusion. This refers to fusion reactions caused by raising the plasma mixture to millions of degrees and subjecting them to intense presssure. This is also the meaning of the term “thermonuclear” weapon or what is often called a “hydrogen bomb.”
However, it is not just enormous temperatures that are needed for fusion. Much lower temperatures will turn the fuel mixture into a plasma. This means that most of the electrons are no longer bound to the atomic nuclei. They are able to move around in the plasma but as still influenced by the electromagnetic forces of attraction and repulsion among them. The motion of the electrons gives rise to electrical currents and magnetic fields. These, in turn, act on the whole plasma. One often used term is “magneto-hydrodynamics.”
Plasma behavior is very nonlinear. Plasmas can exhibit a huge variety of different waves and oscillations. They emit electromagnetic radiation and display collective, self-organizing properties. There are collisions between the particles in the plasmas and quantum effects. Predicting and controlling the behavior of plasma at enormous energies is a formidable task. Even the most powerful supercomputers have difficulties working on these calculations.
Million-degree temperatures create extremely high pressures. If there are no mechanisms to confine the plasma, the heat and pressure will cause the plasma to expand rapidly and the density needed for fusion reactions quickly disappears. Attempts to solve this problem have given rise to two very different strategies.
The first strategy is to confine the hot plasma in a “magnetic bottle.” Super powerful magnetic fields are used to counteract the enormous force of expansion of the plasma. Research today is dominated by the huge International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project which is now under construction in Cadarache, France by multiple nations. ITER is very important as a platform for plasma research, technology development and as a means of supporting what could be considered as an ecosystem for scientists and engineers working in the relevant areas. However, as far as being an actual realization of a prototype of a possible commercial nuclear fusion reactor, there is little possibility of that.
Please read Part 6 next