Depiction of a nuclear fusion reactor
Science Photo Library / Almi
A step after a new procedure to supply the infinite power isotope lithium -6 from nuclear fusion may be close to a step after a steps, which is important to provide fuel for a permanent fusion reactor.
The least challenging fusion process involves combining two isotopes of hydrogen, dutarium and tritium to obtain helium, a neutron and lots of energy. The tritium, a rare, radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is difficult and expensive for the source. The “breeder” reactor wants to build a tritium by bombing lithium with neutrons.
The lithium atoms exist in the form of two stable isotopes: Lithium -7 creates 92.5 percent element in nature and the rest is Lithium -6. Rare isotopes react much efficiently with neutrons to produce the tritium in a fusion reaction.
However, it is extremely difficult to separate two lithium isotopes. Till now, it has been obtained only on a large scale, using a highly toxic procedure dependent on mercury. Due to the environmental impact, this process has not been employed in western countries since the 1960s and researchers have been forced to rely on the declining stockpiles of Lithium -6 produced before the ban.
Serbjit Banerjee In Switzerland, Ath in Jurich and his colleagues now discovered an alternative method, while they were looking at ways to clean the contaminated water by oil drilling.
Researchers noticed that the cement membrane employed by them, which included a laboratory -made compound, called the Zeta Venadium Oxide, collected large amounts of lithium and seemed to disrupt the lithium -6 unequally.
Banerjee says, Zeta Vanedium Oxide consists of tunnels surrounded by oxygen atoms. “Lithium ions run through these tunnels, which are just the right size (to tie lithium -6),” they say. “We found that lithium -6 ions are more strongly tied and are maintained within the tunnels.”
Benerjee says that researchers do not fully understand why lithium -6 is preferably maintained, but based on simulation, he believes that it is to do with the interaction between ions and atoms on the edges of the tunnels.
He says that they have so far separated less than one gram of lithium -6, but they expect to increase this process so that it can produce tens of kilograms of isotopes. A commercial fusion reactor requires a tonne element every day.
“However, these challenges are yellow compared to big challenges for fusion with plasma reactors and laser ignition,” says Banerjee.
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