Nuclear Fission Nuclear Fusion

versus
Fission is the release of energy by splitting heavy nuclei such as Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 Fusion is the release of energy by combining two light nuclei such as deuterium and tritium

Neutron

How does a nuclear plant work? Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Reaction

• Each fission releases 2 or 3 neutrons •T
 he goal of fusion research is to confine fusion ions
at high enough temperatures and pressures, and for
•T
 hese neutrons are slowed down
a long enough time to fuse
Fission Product with a moderator to initiate more
fission events
•C
 ontrol rods absorb neutrons to keep
Neutron Neutron
the chain reaction in check
Deuterium (H-2) Tritium (H-3)
Target Nucleus

Fission Product Fission Control Rods

Neutron
3.5 MeV
Moderator Alpha Particle
Moderator (He-4)
Fission
14.1 MeV
Neutron

Slow Neutron
Uranium-235
The energy from
the reaction drives
a steam cycle to
produce electricity There are two main
Uranium-235
confinement approaches
•M
 agnetic Confinement uses strong
magnetic fields to confine the plasma
Containment Structure
•T
 he photo above is a cross-section
of the International Thermo-nuclear
Steam Line
Nuclear Power produces no Experimental Reactor (ITER) Tokamak
which is being built in France1
greenhouse gas emissions;
Reactor Vessel

• Inertial Confinement uses powerful

each year U.S. nuclear lasers or ion beams to compress
Turbine
plants prevent atmospheric a pellet of fusion fuel to the right
Generator
Gene
emissions totaling: temperatures and pressures
• 5.1 million tons of sulfur dioxide •T
 he photo to the left is a view of
• 2.4 million tons of nitrogen oxide the target chamber at the National
Pump Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence
• 164 million tons of carbon Livermore National Lab2
Pump Cooling Water

Control Rods
Condenser

Sources: 1. http://www.iter.org/album/media/7%20-%20technical#797
American Nuclear Society 2. https://lasers.llnl.gov/multimedia/photo_gallery/target_area/?id=7&category=target_area www.NuclearConnect.org