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From: KING%KESTREL@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Nuclear Fusion
Message-ID: <12143@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Sep-83 23:22:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12143
Posted: Wed Sep 28 23:22:00 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Oct-83 22:46:13 EDT
Lines: 33

From:  Richard M. King <KING at KESTREL>

    [Troy]
    what becomes of
    the endless supply of neutrons that fusion generates???

	I recommend an article in October's Scientific American.

	The "common" form of fusion uses one duteron (H2) and one triton
(H3) to make an alpha particle (He4) and a neutron.  This neutron runs into
a body of common Lithium (mixture of Li6 and Li7) and does one of two
things: Li6+N->H3+He4, or Li7+n->H3+He4+N.  The latter reaction can't go on
forever because it requires a fast neutron and produces a slower one, and
because eventually a Li6 will get lucky.  This is where new tritium comes
from.

	The only nuclear waste from a fusion plant is caused by neutrons
making material such as the reacter vessel radioactive.  This does happen,
but (according to the article) the volume can be considerably reduced by
choosing construction materials carefully and by choosing good isotopes of
(for example) alloying materials.  These wastes are low in volume (after
all, it's a parasitic effect), and they tend to decay quickly.

	I've been wondering about the matter and I would think that a
tritium leak would be pretty benign.  First, tritium is hydrogen and it
would tend to float away.  Then it becomes water vapor.  Life doesn't tend
to absorb water vapor; it dissipates it.  Then when it condenses it has a
lot of room to hide.  Contrast this with iodine, which doesn't get diluted
much once it enters the body.  By the way, one thereputic measure against
fallout is to take iodine pills to crowd out the radioactive iodine.

							Dick
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