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    Scientists at the University of Gothenburg are producing a material called ultra-dense deuterium that is over 100,000 times denser than water and denser than the core of the Sun. This ultra-dense form of deuterium could serve as an efficient nuclear fuel for laser-driven fusion, providing clean energy in a more sustainable way than current nuclear methods. If produced in large quantities, fusion using ultra-dense deuterium and high-power lasers may generate energy earlier than expected and without the radioactive waste of other fusion approaches under development.

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    Ultra-Dense Deuterium May Be Nuclear Fuel of the Future -- ScienceDaily

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    Ultra-Dense Deuterium May Be Nuclear Fuel of the Future -- ScienceDaily

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    Scientists at the University of Gothenburg are producing a material called ultra-dense deuterium that is over 100,000 times denser than water and denser than the core of the Sun. This ultra-dense form of deuterium could serve as an efficient nuclear fuel for laser-driven fusion, providing clean energy in a more sustainable way than current nuclear methods. If produced in large quantities, fusion using ultra-dense deuterium and high-power lasers may generate energy earlier than expected and without the radioactive waste of other fusion approaches under development.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    30 views3 pages

    Ultra-Dense Deuterium May Be Nuclear Fuel of The Future - ScienceDaily

    Uploaded by

    jeffreymacasero
    Scientists at the University of Gothenburg are producing a material called ultra-dense deuterium that is over 100,000 times denser than water and denser than the core of the Sun. This ultra-dense form of deuterium could serve as an efficient nuclear fuel for laser-driven fusion, providing clean energy in a more sustainable way than current nuclear methods. If produced in large quantities, fusion using ultra-dense deuterium and high-power lasers may generate energy earlier than expected and without the radioactive waste of other fusion approaches under development.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 3

    7/27/2015

    UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureScienceDaily

    Yoursourceforthelatestresearchnews

    UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFuture
    Date:
    Source:
    Summary:

    May12,2009
    UniversityofGothenburg
    Amaterialthatisahundredthousandtimesheavierthanwaterandmoredensethanthe
    coreoftheSunisbeingproducedatauniversity.Thescientistsworkingwiththismaterial
    areaimingforanenergyprocessthatisbothmoresustainableandlessdamagingtothe
    environmentthanthenuclearpowerusedtoday.

    FULLSTORY

    Thephotographshowsanexperimentinwhichdense
    deuteriumisirradiatedbyalaser.Thewhiteglowinthe
    containerinthecentreofthephotographisfrom
    deuterium.
    Credit:LeifHolmlid

    Amaterialthatisahundredthousandtimesheavierthanwaterandmoredensethanthecore
    oftheSunisbeingproducedattheUniversityofGothenburg.Thescientistsworkingwiththis
    materialareaimingforanenergyprocessthatisbothmoresustainableandlessdamagingto
    theenvironmentthanthenuclearpowerusedtoday.
    Imagineamaterialsoheavythatacubewithsidesoflength10cmweights130tonnes,amaterial
    whosedensityissignificantlygreaterthanthematerialinthecoreoftheSun.Suchamaterialisbeing
    producedandstudiedbyscientistsinAtmosphericScienceattheDepartmentofChemistry,the
    UniversityofGothenburg.
    Towardscommercialuse
    Sofar,onlymicroscopicamountsofthenewmaterialhavebeenproduced.Newmeasurementsthat
    havebeenpublishedintwoscientificjournals,however,haveshownthatthedistancebetweenatomsin
    thematerialismuchsmallerthaninnormalmatter.LeifHolmlid,ProfessorintheDepartmentof
    Chemistry,believesthatthisisanimportantstepontheroadtocommercialuseofthematerial.
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm

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    7/27/2015

    UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureScienceDaily

    Thematerialisproducedfromheavyhydrogen,alsoknownasdeuterium,andisthereforeknownas
    ultradensedeuterium.Itisbelievedthatultradensedeuteriumplaysaroleintheformationofstars,
    andthatitisprobablypresentingiantplanetssuchasJupiter.
    Anefficientfuel
    Sowhatcanthissuperheavymaterialbeusedfor?
    Oneimportantjustificationforourresearchisthatultradensedeuteriummaybeaveryefficientfuelin
    laserdrivennuclearfusion.Itispossibletoachievenuclearfusionbetweendeuteriumnucleiusinghigh
    powerlasers,releasingvastamountsofenergy,saysLeifHolmlid.
    Thelasertechnologyhaslongbeentestedonfrozendeuterium,knownasdeuteriumice,butresults
    havebeenpoor.Ithasprovedtobeverydifficulttocompressthedeuteriumicesufficientlyforittoattain
    thehightemperaturerequiredtoignitethefusion.
    Energysourceofthefuture
    Ultradensedeuteriumisamilliontimesmoredensethanfrozendeuterium,makingitrelativelyeasyto
    createanuclearfusionreactionusinghighpowerpulsesoflaserlight.
    Ifwecanproducelargequantitiesofultradensedeuterium,thefusionprocessmaybecometheenergy
    sourceofthefuture.Anditmaybecomeavailablemuchearlierthanwehavethoughtpossible,saysLeif
    Holmlid.
    Further,webelievethatwecandesignthedeuteriumfusionsuchthatitproducesonlyheliumand
    hydrogenasitsproducts,bothofwhicharecompletelynonhazardous.Itwillnotbenecessarytodeal
    withthehighlyradioactivetritiumthatisplannedforuseinothertypesoffuturefusionreactors,andthis
    meansthatlaserdrivennuclearfusionasweenvisageitwillbebothmoresustainableandless
    damagingtotheenvironmentthanothermethodsthatarebeingdeveloped.
    Deuteriumbrieffacts
    Deuteriumisanisotopeofhydrogenthatisfoundinlargequantitiesinwater,morethanoneatomper
    tenthousandhydrogenatomshasadeuteriumnucleus.Theisotopeisdenoted2HorD,andis
    normallyknownasheavyhydrogen.Deuteriumisusedinanumberofconventionalnuclearreactorsin
    theformofheavywater(D2O),anditwillprobablyalsobeusedasfuelinfusionreactorsinthefuture.

    StorySource:
    TheabovepostisreprintedfrommaterialsprovidedbyUniversityofGothenburg.Note:Materialsmay
    beeditedforcontentandlength.

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    UniversityofGothenburg."UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFuture."ScienceDaily.
    ScienceDaily,12May2009.<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm>.

    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm

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    UltradenseDeuteriumMayBeNuclearFuelOfTheFutureScienceDaily

    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm

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